97% vs. 3%…

Dear Editor,

Suppose your child calls and tells you that your grandchild is very sick and they have taken your grandchild to 100 doctors who specialize in dealing with your grandchild’s symptoms. Ninety-seven of the specialists come up with the identical diagnosis and recommend that the only way to save your grandchild is to immediately commence ABC therapy. Three of the specialists, however, disagree and say that your grandchild is not really sick, that symptoms like this come and go and that you shouldn’t worry. Your child asks, “Mom and Dad, whose advice should I follow?” Would you tell them to follow the advice of the 97 “do something now” specialists or the advice of the three “don’t worry” specialists? Or would you just say you are not a doctor and therefore have no opinion, and they are on their own?

Fast forward 10 years later. Your beautiful grandchild who survived the potentially life-threatening illness calls and asks you a question. Your grandchild tells you that he/she has been working really hard in school and has been studying climate science. They tell you that 97 of the 100 climate scientists that have studied the issue say that the planet is very sick from this thing called “climate change,” that mankind is causing it and that the only way to save the planet is for the people on the planet to immediately commence XYZ therapy. Your grandchild tells you that three of the scientists, however, disagree and say that the planet is not really sick, that the symptoms will come and go and that you shouldn’t worry. Your grandchild asks, “Grandpa and Grandma, whose advice should I follow?” Would you tell your grandchild to follow the advice of the 97 “do something now” scientists or the advice of the three “don’t worry” scientists? Or would you just say you are not a scientist and therefore have no opinion, and they are on their own.

The answers to both of the questions raised above may or may not have dire consequences. I ask you to ask yourself how you would respond.

In addition, how do you think your candidates for Congress would respond? If you don’t know, why not ask them, and more importantly, ask them whether they believe in the 97 percent of climate scientists or the 3 percent.

John Rohyans
Sandpoint