Global warming deniers

It seems Newsweek is devoting a cover story to global warming deniers. It's a long piece that I have yet to read.

I have scanned it, however, and it appears on the surface to be the same old stuff saying if you don't believe in man-made global warming, you have been duped by ExxonMobil.

I scanned the comments section, and it's the same old stuff there, too, from people on all sides of this debate.

That's the problem. We pick sides. We cherrypick the information we want and ignore the rest. What we don't ignore, we criticize as false and phony. We attribute motives to everyone. We say your side has been bought off but my side is pure and incorruptable. We throw around the word "science," but we can't agree on what it means.

My own view? The earth probably is warming, but it may have started cooling without our knowing it. Does man contribute? Maybe a little, but it would be the height of ecological arrogance to say it's all our fault. Should we reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases? Of course. Why wouldn't we want to reduce pollution?

Are my own thoughts on global warming changing with time? Oh, yes.

The big question: Do most of the people involved in this "debate" know what they're talking about? No. You can include me in that group. I read about it. On my desk is the Department of Energy's 2006 report "Emissions of greenhouse gases in the United States in 2005." As soon as I can get my house and property repaired cleaned up from storm damage from last month, I plan to read it.

Most people treat global warming the same way they do everything else. They select facts and data that fit their prejudices, and they go with it.

I often think that I could make a lot of money in this business if only I could find the right prejudices to appeal to. I mean, ones that no one else has claimed.

Are we wading into treacherous waters when we pretend to know what we talk about as we base public policy on science that only a very few people on earth really understand? Yes.

Do I trust those very few people? I can't say, because I don't really know who they are.

Do I trust most of what the national media say about global warming? No way.