New doubts about climate change must be taken seriously
- Source: Global Times
- [23:20 December 06 2009]
- Comments
Some of them argue even today that 'modeling', the method being used to imitate future climate change, is a contentious area as the scientific community still does not fully understand the processes involved in climate.
Some of them, even those who participated in the historic Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that said it was 90 per cent certain that the bulk of global warming that has occurred since 1950 has been man-made, do not believe that scientists should, based on that, speak out on global warming.
Meanwhile, there are also some who still argue even today that carbon dioxide's impact on climate has been overstated, and that emissions can keep growing with few consequences.
I really feel sad to say this, but for the first time ever, Fox News was right in saying that major media chose to ignore not only these arguments but also the Climate gate scandal. When you Google the story on the internet, you only find coverage of it in the conservative American press or in blogs whose ideologies are hard to judge.
The press in developing countries is not doing a better job in presenting different sides of the story as to whether science has proved that the global warming is determined absolutely by human behavior.
But why, on an issue of such importance, are both sides of the story not being sufficiently put in public for debate and consideration? How can the public be making informed choices if they have not been presented with different sides of the story?
Do not take me wrong. I am not a full-blown skeptic. I am not suggesting either that we have to wait for all the dust to settle until we take actions to protect the environment, or even prevent climate change.
However, we need to emphasize that value and belief are still not science. Meanwhile even when it comes to science, sometimes truth is not necessarily in the hands of the majority. Science should never have a closed door, meaning there can always be new discoveries that would correct what people believe science has proved earlier.
Let's hope that public policy should also not have a closed door so that ordinary people can always correct them!
Tian Wei is the host of “Dialogue” on CCTV's English Channel, and the main anchor of CCTV's special coverage of important domestic and international events. Previously, Tian worked in Washington D.C. as a correspondent, and covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her blog is http://blog.cctv.com/html/09/960109.html. Reach her at tianwei.gt@gmail.com
