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Politics : Politics of Energy -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (14866)	12/15/2009 8:33:33 PM
From: RetiredNow	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 86356

Following the money is always a safe bet. Science has been corrupted on other topics before, precisely because there is money and fame to be gained...if they can get away with it. However, the scientific community has been able to overcome those challenges in recent memory through openness, peer review, and independent verification. My take on it is that in every scientific theory, you are going to have a few bad apples who manipulate data. The GW theory is not excluded from this fact of science. It's just that the GW deniers are having a field day with what they found, but it doesn't change much, because of all of the other overwhelming evidence. So let's follow the money, as you suggested. Who has more incentive to doctor the data to present a predefined result? Is it the GW scientists who are aiming to get some good sponsorship dollars and maybe a bit of fame? Sure. Any reasonable person will have to admit that the temptation is there. Temptation like this is exists in all scientific disciplines. The greater the visibility on a discipline, the greater the temptation. Could it also be there are scientists who are paid quite a bit of money by very rich oil and coal companies to doctor data to prove that their businesses are not contributing to the GHG problem that is causing warming? Absolutely. In fact, the money trail is very long in that direction as well. We also know that coal and oil have long histories in lobbying in Congress and in the White House and they have been far more effective in getting their way than GW proponents. So who's winning? Right now, I'd say it's the oil and coal lobbyists. They are far better at this game and they have far more cash to play with. So yes, let's follow the money, because at the end of the day, the science is clear and it is being trampled on by the money and the politics surrounding GW, oil, and coal.