Doubting Thomas nation
It’s like the tobacco wars all over again. Science’s seeming inability to stand toe-to-toe with corporate interests over issues of fact when dollars are at stake has a history in this country, panelists at the Harvard Museum of Natural History said Wednesday night (Sept. 29). Though scientific evidence of human-caused climate change has accumulated to the point that there is wide consensus among scientists, well-funded, industry-backed organizations have succeeded in sowing doubt among lawmakers and the public, panelists said. The result is debate instead of action that might hurt corporate bottom lines. Panelists drew parallels with the decades-long battle against tobacco and other instances of scientific uncertainty and corporate resistance, such as the debate over burying nuclear waste under Nevada’s Yucca Mountain and automakers’ resistance to equipping all cars with seat belts. Despite clear evidence and scientific consensus that smoking causes lung cancer and a host of other ills, such as heart disease,...