Weather or Not?

One of the things about science, at least good science, is that it accepts the possibility that new data or new facts might change accepted theories.

Some things are of course much more settled than others, but you will generally never hear scientists say something is 100% certain.

Clearly some science is so well established it approaches that degree of certainty, but a good scientist is always open to the possibility that some new data or event will cause a theory to change.

You see this degree of uncertainty used by some individuals to deny what are probably science facts as "unproven" theory.

We saw this for many years when the tobacco companies tried to argue that they weren't selling cancer sticks.  They knew they were but were able to promote the idea that it was "unproven" science.

Every unbiased experiment and test came to the same result, that smoking was a factor in increased levels of certain cancers but that is only proof beyond a reasonable doubt as opposed to "proven".

As I said most things in science can never be proven but we accept that if every observation shows the same result that it is in fact true.

We see this now with a few people arguing that climate change isn't caused by human activities, and in fairness not all of it is.  What we do know is that human activities, primarily the release of previously trapped carbon into the atmosphere contributes to higher worldwide temperatures.

This greenhouse effect has been tested extensively and al the experiments and calculations show it has that outcome. Is it the only factor? No, the earth has gone through multiple climate cycles over its existence caused by natural factors, but we know that industrial age human behavior has an impact.

Every year we observe weather events that are supposed to be exceedingly rare but are happening fairly frequently.  We see the rise in the oceans and the melt of the polar ice caps proceeding.

Lets suppose for arguments sake that only a small percentage of this is the result of human carbon release. Why wouldn't we stop it anyway?

Is a few dollars saved today worth watching our children being forced to move to higher ground?

The potential future cost of the environmental damage will be astronomical, and like most things early efforts can have significant future benefits.

A single weather event is not climate change.  When weather events form a trend it is.