|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
If climate scientists are in it for the money, they're doing it wrong
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Feb 28, 2011 10:46am |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Analysis |
| Author | John Timmer |
| News Date | Monday, February 28, 2011 12:45:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | One of the more unfortunate memes that makes an appearance whenever climate science is discussed is the accusation that, by hyping their results, climate scientists are ensuring themselves steady paychecks, and may even be enriching themselves. A Google search for "global warming gravy train" pulls out over 50,000 results (six of them from our forums).
It's tempting to respond with indignation; after all, researchers generally are doing something they love without a focus on compensation. But, more significantly, the accusation simply makes no sense on any level.
To sum up: climate research doesn't pay well, the amount of money dedicated to it has been shrinking, and if the researchers were successful in convincing the public that climate change was a serious threat, the response would be to give money to someone else. If you come across someone arguing that scientists are in it for the money, then you can probably assume they are willing to make arguments without getting their facts straight. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
