How many times have we read about global warming activists using science as their definitive proof of the imminent destruction of planet Earth all due to global warming?  ”The science has spoken,” they tell us all while the predictions of calamity and doom seem to never really materialize.

As I wrote in last week’s article, Prince Charles declared that we’d see drought and starvation on a massive scale within 18 months if we didn’t save the rain forests.  Others have predicted unstoppable global warming in ten years — 20 years ago.  And while these warnings seem to appear in the news every-so-often because they get loads of free press, the cataclysmic doom that continues to wait just around the corner just doesn’t happen.  Sea-level rise isn’t a problem.  Polar ice melt isn’t a problem.  Tornados aren’t any more of a problem than they ever have been.  And don’t get me started on the laughable hurricane/super-storm predictions.

But it all boils down to this, which many in the field of science will admit, although you’ll never hear it from the IPCC or Al Gore:  science is still evolving.

While I think science has certainly contributed many positive advancements to the human race, it’s inexact.  Weather forecasts beyond a certain number of days is very inaccurate.  So why trust in climate models that forecast data years or even decades into the future when localized forecasts can’t see past this week?

I believe the problem here is perception.  The words, “may,” “could,” “possibly” and “think” are all too commonly used to be of any use.  When climatologists provide their opinion on the future state of our planet, we need new words that make people stop and understand that it’s not chiseled into stone, so-to-speak.  A climate report is only as good as the data it receives and only as good as the understanding of the complex system itself, namely planet Earth.  Folks, previously-undiscovered species of plants and animals are still being found on our planet.  Our oceans haven’t been completely explored.

So the next time you read about another dire prediction that spells certain doom for the inhabitants of this big blue ball hanging on nothing in space, look for the “mays” and the “coulds” and the “possiblys” and the “we thinks.”  That’ll give you a completely new perspective on just how little science truly understands about what’s going on in our world today.

Related posts:

1. Awful Lot of Mistakes in Science Lately
2. Are They Desperate, Or Is It Just Me?
3. Am I Hot or Not?
4. Is it the Sun or Not? Science Has Conflicting Tales
5. Brace Yourselves