Climate Change Crusade Falters

George Will’s article (Hartford Courant 9/06/2010) on the cause of the recent failure to enact climate change legislation in the US neglects a fundamental trait of present society and that is: we have become a society of scientific “Denialists”. I was fortunate to have done my undergraduate work in Physics in the 1950’s and to have worked in the Aerospace community in the 1960-1970’s. The success of the Manhattan Project in the 40’s and the amazing success of the Space Race had clearly demonstrated the achievements of modern science. We didn’t know it at the time but this would be the hay day of our success.



In the early 60’s Crick and Watson showed that the mechanism for transmitting genetic information was the DNA structure; the classic twisted helix. This was the last remaining bit of information needed to unequivocally prove Evolution and yet it seemed to do the opposite. Recent polls indicate that 40% of the US population does not believe in Evolution and yet the scientific evidence for it is overwhelming.



Scientific Denialism is evident when we see in the grocery store the exponential growth of aisles containing “organic foods” yet there is no scientific evidence of its superiority. Genetically engineered foods are looked on with dread both in the US, Western Europe and even some places in Africa where it is desperately needed to fend off starvation. Bottled water is now a staple of our society yet there is no evidence of it being superior or tasting better than tap water. We have an epidemic of families refusing to vaccinate their children despite the risks to society. Opponents of nuclear power are aghast that we could possibly consider it a partial solution to global warming.



At one time I believed the explanation for this disbelief resulted from the complexity of modern science; but I no longer believe that to be the total answer. Science is based on skepticism and uncertainty and we live in a society that appears to demand certainty. Certainty however is the province of religion and many of the beliefs of Denialists appear to me to take on a religious nature. That is they are not amenable to skepticism or uncertainty. Perhaps the likely ascendancy of China will have more to do with their scientific belief; rather than economic success.