Just the Facts, Ma’am, Just the Ones I Want

Just the Facts, Ma’am, Just the Ones I Want

Listening to the two sides of the climate change debate, a.k.a. global warming, you might wonder if they’re talking about the same planet. On September 27, Paul Krugman wrote a column for the New York Times titled, “Cassandras of Climate.” He claimed that “These days, dire warnings aren’t the delusional raving of cranks. They’re what come out of the most widely respected climate models, devised by the leading researchers.” On October 1, George Will titled his column for the Washington Post, “Cooling Down the Cassandras,” and wrote, “Actually, what makes skeptics skeptical is the accumulating evidence that theories predicting catastrophe from man-made climate change are impervious to evidence.”

What’s going on here? It reminds me of an old joke. (I only remember the punch line, not the set-up, but it goes something like this - with the obvious apologies.) Paul: The sun goes around the sun. Ringo: You’re right. George: No, the earth goes around the sun. Ringo: You’re right. John: They can’t both be right. Ringo: You’re right, too.

Or, if you prefer, what we have here is a failure to communicate.

Let’s leave aside who’s right, or what’s motivating skepticism or belief, and look at why there’s a failure to communicate.

The Climate Cassandras claim that the facts are in, so the only question is, what will we do with them. The Cassandra Scoffers claim the facts aren’t in, so why should we trust your stasis?

The Rhetoric of Stases - where’s the argument - tells us that argument moves in stages, semi-chronologically: First we argue over Facts (what happened), then we argue over Definition (what is it), next we argue over Cause (why or how did it happen), then Value (is it good, do I like it), and finally Policy (what should we do with it).

The Climate Cassandras are in the Stasis of Policy - the Facts are in, we know why (Past), it’s not good (Present), so let’s do something about it (Policy). The Cassandra Scoffers are in the Stasis of Fact - does climate change, a.k.a. global warming really exist? If forced, they’ll shift to a different Stasis, but also one rooted in the Past: ok, climate change occurs, but what really causes it? Humans or nature?

It’s probably no coincidence who’s where, who’s defending which time zone. But at least we can understand why they’re talking at cross -purposes, to different audiences - and as if they’re on different planets.