From The Huffington Post, some ranty thoughts on why we the global climate change point isn’t getting to the masses.

On Wed. night in New York City, there was a formal debate. At issue was the statement, “global warming is not a crisis.”

Yeah, that sounds like what went wrong. When Gavin says “questions of personal morality and wider political agendas,” I think he just means, “all that stuff that’s not science.” He knows science, he’s trained in science, he’s confident in the accuracy of his scientific judgments, so that’s what he’s sticking with — even if it means losing a debate, and with it a chance to change some minds.I think that is a huge mistake, and Gavin is far, far from the only one making it. It’s not just scientists who do it, either. Many people in the environmental field — and I’d even generalize to progressives, broadly speaking — seem to be operating on a set of assumptions:

1. The facts, organized and clearly conveyed, should carry the day.
2. When facts do not change minds, more facts are required, perhaps delivered more slowly.
3. When facts do not change hearts, more facts are required, perhaps delivered more loudly.
4. Those not swayed by facts are intellectually, possibly morally, deficient.
5. If sticking to the facts means losing a debate, well, that’s the price of virtue.

Originally From: The Blog | David Roberts: A Long Rant About Facts, Persuasion, and Global Warming | The Huffington Post