Last week, I was listening to the CBC and they had a comedian on who commented on people doing their own research. His thematic premise was along the lines of: “How many people have the equipment to actually go out and measure the Earth’s insolation? Or the concentrations of gases in the atmosphere?”
The answer is very few people are fully equipped to do the research necessary to measure climate change and the impact of various gases on the Earth’s surface temperature.
The idea people should do their own research is one that is neither practical nor particularly useful. Scientists spend a long time learning how to do this well and the vast majority of people do not have the luxury to put in the time required.
Which leaves us having to trust the experts. In a world of social media, this is becoming an increasingly difficult ask. Especially when people claiming to be experts come up with alternative theories and present them as if they are fact.
I should point out that this is not only a consequence of social media. There have always been pundits and professionals willing to sell their opinion. Sometimes naively, sometimes not. You only need to look at the lawsuits brought against the tobacco industry to realize just how hard it is sometimes to deal in facts or determine who is culpable.
Where does this leave us?
I could suggest that everyone should take a university course on the atmosphere. For instance, UNBC has some excellent courses which will explain the science. But, again, not everyone has the time nor inclination to sit through a full course on the subject.
However, universities – especially those in Canada – are relatively immune to the influences of corporations and the power of money. Yes, there is commercial research carried out but it is clearly delineated as such. No one is going to mistake money from an oil company to investigate a particular problem with the fundamental research performed by academics interested in the basic science.
Scientists still hold a measure of public trust, especially within universities. When I read papers by respected scientists telling me the Earth has just experienced the hottest summer on record, I tend to believe climate change is occurring.
Todd Whitcombe is a chemistry professor at the University of Northern B.C.
