Global Warming: Follow the money

It's like the story of Chicken Little's sister, who was named Chicken Small.

You know who Chicken Little was, don't you? Everybody has heard of Chicken Little. Chicken Little is famous!

While Chicken Little was running around shouting, "The sky is falling," her sister, whose name was Chicken Small, was calmly saying, "No it isn't. My crazy sister simply got hit in the head by a falling acorn."

Well, anyway, that's how it was.

And Chicken Little got to be famous.

And you never heard of Chicken Small, did you?

Now we switch a different topic (well, slightly different).
For scientists, and also for "scientists", writing successful grant proposals is the difference between "getting by" and doing very well. Sometimes doing VERY, VERY well. Building your little empire of assistants, getting healthy raises in pay...it all depends on success in raising money for research projects. Not to mention ripple-through benefits, like having your articles published in the best journals, being asked to sit on boards, and on and on.

Ok fair enough. Now, let's ask ourselves...which thesis below lends itself best to a striking and successful grant proposal.

• Devastating hurricanes, and Washington, DC sinking into the ocean, are imminent dangers, but can be avoided.

• Global warming will reverse in 50 years; it's just ups and downs of solar activity and there's nothing we can do about it.

The reason that there are sooooo many scientists who have climbed aboard the committed and closed-minded gravy train, is for the money.

And I think Al Gore agrees with me. As he says in his movie:

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon him not understanding it." He even puts that up on his huge backdrop display.

Of course, the corollary is that "it's easy to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon him understanding it."

And, indeed, suddenly there is an entire discipline, a brand new vast sea of careers, thousands of careers, in fact hundreds of thousands of careers, crying out for people who "understand". The UN alone is a wonderful placement agency for those who "understand".

If you don't "understand", well, sorry, but keep trying.

Follow the money.