See, in science, there’s no debate, right?
We Are Wasting Time on These Climate Debates. The Next Steps are Clear.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which was released last week and which we co-authored with many colleagues, offers hope for limiting global warming.
But there is no time to waste. And wasted time includes time spent debating issues that divert us from our most important priorities right now.
Unfortunately, debates about distant future decisions and future uncertainties are distracting advocates, policymakers, researchers and the public from their shared, near-term goals. At best, these disputes give observers — especially policymakers and their advisers, who are trying to make tough short-term decisions during a global energy security crisis — a misleading impression that experts disagree about effective steps to decarbonize energy systems. At worst, these disputes can stall progress by delaying policies and incentives that would accelerate clean energy deployment.
Rather than getting mired in these debates, we should focus on credible commitments to public policy, private investment and innovation.
Steven Davis, Chris Bataille, John Bistline, and Inês Azevedo are tired of all that icky debate stuff. I guess they’re used to every “scientist” in their circle agreeing with them 100%, so, they want the people who can pass laws that force citizens to comply with the UN IPCC dictates. Here’s an idea: let’s force all the UN IPCC scientists to comply first. No more fossil fueled vehicles or airplane trips. No more fancy big homes, just tiny ones. No meat. No clothes or shoes made with fossil fuels. And so forth. See how they make out.
Anyhow, lots of blah blah blah, till
Rather than getting distracted by distant and likely irreducible uncertainties, let’s focus on what matters: deploying clean technologies we know we need, implementing a coherent climate policy, laying the groundwork for future progress and creating a just transition that shares the benefits of a sustainable energy system.
Those are political decisions, not scientific one, and they can all piss off.
Read: Climate Cult Scientists Are Unhappy About This Whole Debate Thing »