The distressing thing about this goes way beyond whether or not climate change is human caused, or a natural cycle of the earth. I'm distressed that we would leave an agreement that would bring prosperity to future generations. Like it or not, we have to all still live here and keep this planet alive. How the hell did science ever become a political issue?
> How the hell did science ever become a political issue?
When it interfered with corporate profits. It's beneficial in the short term for American corporations to pretend climate change doesn't exist, so they do. The Republican party represents big corporate interests, so the Republican party follows suit in pretending it isn't real.
Science is often far more equivocal than people believe. People on all sides of the spectrum want to use scientific results to bolster their case, and ignore the equivocations and stretch the evidence. There is also the tendency to cherry-pick the evidence that supports your views, and respond to countervailing studies with accusations of malfeasance.
You wrote: "Science is often far more equivocal than people believe."
In the context of the very real climate disruption now ongoing, I call bullshit.
Can you show us your hand?
Both get used for political ends but I don't think either is inherently political. People enjoy using science and religion as a sort of "Open Sesame" to get political ends. I think it does neither any good.
And even if you say, purely for the sake of argument, that climate change not only isn't human-caused but doesn't exist: there's still the matter of insane levels of pollution.
Dead plants and animals, destroyed ecosystems, toxic and carcinogenic particulates circulating through people's lungs every day... These are visible problems that affect many areas of the world today and will reduce the lifespans of our children and grandchildren. Why wouldn't people want to mitigate this?
It's not the science that's politicized. It's the response to the science. Politics is, in my opinion, all about helping your friends and hurting your enemies. If the response is one that will do the opposite then your oppose it. It might happen that the best opposition is to deny the science but that's a consequence not a cause.
