Monday, November 05, 2007
SCIENTISTS TERRIFIED
I blame Tim Flannery:
After two days of provocative ideas and spirited exchanges at an international gathering recently in Toronto, British museum curator Robert Bud neatly summed up the collective wisdom.
"The scientists are terrified."
This widespread angst among scientists has been sparked by evidence that the traditional social compact between science and the public has been irrevocably sundered. Put bluntly, much of the public no longer implicitly trusts either scientists or their pronouncements about everything from climate change to the safety of children’s vaccines.
This scientist-doubt is global:
Indonesia’s deadly Mount Kelud spewed fresh clouds of smoke Monday and the temperature of its crater lake soared, as scientists warned any eruption could be much stronger than the last time it blew its top.
Given how prone scientists have become to predicting doom, the reaction is understandable:
While several thousand people have fled to government shelters, authorities said Sunday that around 25,000 others were ignoring evacuation orders and remained in the danger zone.
In this case, it might be wise to get out of town for a while. Then again:
Scientists said an eruption might not occur at all given the unpredictable nature of the 5,679-foot mountain.
Can we get a consensus around here?