‘The Science is Settled’, Part 858 » Climate Resistance

Many in the debate want to draw a line under the science, to have it ‘settled’ once and for all. But as has been discussed at length, here there and everywhere, that just ain’t science. The desire to move forward with policies, then, without further debate about ‘what science says’ — it has spoken, after all — speaks about the extent to which the policy-making process precedes the evidence-making process. Looking more deeply at the coverage of the debate reveals that expectations of science precede the science. The dialogue between the policy-makers and the evidence makers is two-way, and precludes any criticism or alternative discussion entering the dialogue.

"What Should a Ski Company that Cares About Sustainability Be Doing?"* | ThinkProgress

*No, shutting down isn’t an option.   [Wait, what?!  If we're really trying to prevent the "complete collapse of human civilization", why wouldn't shutting down ski companies be an option?]

California Air Board Sweats the Small Stuff on Cap-and-Trade [Swindle] - NYTimes.com

The California Air Resources Board’s all-day hearing Thursday was such a well-oiled exercise in democracy and administrative procedure that the momentousness of the occasion was almost lost in the footnotes.

Witches, God, climate change … it's a matter of belief

Part of the problem is that large numbers of people have ''come to think that [scientists and policymakers] are nasty, clever people trying to push their liberal, environmental, anti-business, anti-jobs, anti-religious causes''.

Meanwhile, the media has fragmented and the old expectation of quality and ethics has gone in the Fox News-like pursuit of market niches.

''In the United States, the land of 'free' speech, you have to pay an awful lot to get access to the channels of information - and the forces of darkness do pay a lot,'' Kitcher says.