I freely admit I have no idea if manmade climate change or global warming or whatever you want to call it is something to be worried about.
I'm not a scientist, certainly not a climatologist. Heck, I don't even bother to check weather forecasts. I just look out the window.
Nor am I much of an environmentalist. Some folks love the outdoors and spend as much time there as possible. Me? I like air conditioning and indoor plumbing. I vacation mostly in big cities. I used to haphazardly recycle but now not so much. I do refrain from littering, but that's about as tree hugger as I get.
So what to think about President Donald Trump pulling out of the Paris accord on climate change?
I've read a lot of opinions, some from people who might actually know what they are talking about and others from politicians, celebrities and my friends on social media. Everybody seems to think they know whether climate change is real, whether it's caused by man, whether it's all a bunch of hooey.
Now, most of the people expressing these certainties have absolutely no real training in climatology or any other branch of science for that matter. They decided what they believed and sought out information that confirmed that belief. Then they shared it with the world, expecting everyone to fall in line.
This applies to both sides, by the way.
So whom to trust?
Well, I'll tell you. I don't care what Al Gore or any actor, musician or conservation activists says. Nor do I care about what flows from the mouths of blue-state politicos.
But that doesn't mean I reject the idea of climate change. I also don't pay attention to the rants and ravings on the subject by Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, Republican lawmakers, the Tea Party or even my otherwise intelligent friends on Facebook, many of whom seem to be in the denial camp.
Nothing personal. I just think these folks reached their conclusions more on ideology than intellect.
I suspect there are a lot of people like me out there. We want to know the facts, but we aren't too sure whom to take seriously.
In Wednesday's Gazette, columnist Cal Thomas had a great suggestion: Convene a conference of climatologists from both sides of the debate and let them hash it out.
Sounds fine to me. Of course Thomas, who tends to skepticism over both climate change and the scientists who promote it, added the caveat that anyone who receives money from the U.S. government in any way should be excluded from the discussion, lest they have a conflict of interest. That would narrow the field quite a bit.
That's OK with me. And I suggest we also exclude any scientist who gets money from oil companies, coal interests, auto manufacturers or any other entity that makes money from fossil fuels in any way. And anyone who gets money from any of the foundations or think-tanks those businesses support. Plenty of conflict on that score, too.
Now, if we can only find someone to attend the conference. It should be quite a debate!
Right now it looks like most climatologists do indeed say manmade climate change is real and is a problem that should be addressed. Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong. Thomas also points out in his column that scientists have been wrong before, even in consensus.
True. But not as wrong, as often, as politicians and public sentiment. So I think I'll put my money on science.
If we take steps now we will, over time, replace our dependence on oil and coal with renewable energy sources. And we will lead other nations toward that goal.
Critics like to point out that the technology for affordable renewable energy just isn't there yet. That's true and we will be using oil and coal for years to come. But we'll develop the technology if we keep working toward that goal. We put men on the moon, learned how to transplant human organs and now you can even watch movies on your phone. Renewable energy will be a piece of cake. So even if the climate change crew is wrong, we still win. But we have to commit.
If we follow the naysayers what do we gain? Nothing really. We may save a few bucks in the short run, but it will cost us plenty more over time. Withdrawing from the Paris accord is a step toward a more isolated and insular America that President Trump and many of his supporters seem to favor.
If we move in that direction, we give away the U.S.'s vital role of world leadership on important issues. That plays into the hands of other nations like China that would love to take our place.
Now that's a really bad deal.