Klimaatdebat is een straatgevecht
OPINIE - Via ons zusterblog Studium Generale Utrecht ontvingen we deze Engelstalige bijdrage over de verwording van het klimaatdebat en wat we daar mogelijk tegen kunnen doen.
Why the climate debate is a street fight
Groups of industry-connected scientists and PR people mislead the public. The campaigns they run deny well-established scientific knowledge and are very effective. What can we do about it?
It’s not often that I share a personal opinion on this blog, but today I make an exception. In the series Movies & Science, we screened Merchants of Doubt. It is an exposé of rightwing scientists and pundits whose sole purpose is obscuring the scientific truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming. Statistician dr. Daniel Oberski (UU), who gave an introductory talk, is optimistic about the future of science and therefore optimistic about the future of the earth and mankind. In that regard both he and the filmmakers are on the same page. The documentary ends on a note of hope, with the strong belief that reason and facts can defeat propaganda and falsehoods. I am more of a pessimist. Although they may be right in the end, I fear the amount of harm that can be done in the meantime. The consequences are dauntingly real. So even if science will eventually triumph, having the last laugh does not mean it will be a fun time.
