I LOVE IT – AT 6:47 A.M. ET:  We are told constantly, are we not, that any of us who question the "consensus" around global warming must be idiots, or worse.  We are dumb.  We are uninformed.  We are poorly educated.  We do not deserve to live.  And our opinions are certainly not important enough to be given respect.

A funny thing happened to that idea.  Research happened.

It turns out we may not be quite as bad as advertised.  From Fox:

Are global warming skeptics anti-science? Or just ignorant about science?

Maybe neither. A study published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change finds that people who are not that worried about the effects of global warming tend to have a slightly higher level of scientific knowledge than those who are worried, as determined by their answers to questions like:

"Electrons are smaller than atoms -- true or false?”

"How long does it take the Earth to go around the Sun? One day, one month, or one year?"

“Lasers work by focusing sound waves -- true or false?”

The quiz, containing 22 questions about both science and statistics, was given to 1,540 representative Americans. Respondents who were relatively less worried about global warming got 57 percent of them right, on average, just barely outscoring those whose who saw global warming as a bigger threat. They got 56 percent of the questions correct.

"As respondents’ science literacy scores increased, their concern with climate change decreased," the paper, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, notes.

Yale Law Professor Dan Kahan, the lead author of the study, cautioned that the survey results are not evidence for or against climate change.

COMMENT:  Of course, the responses have started to come in.  It turns out the study also showed that those biased toward individualism are more skeptical of global warming, whereas those concerned about "equality" are more concerned.  Translated:  Conservatives are more skeptical. 

I have my doubts about the global-warming hysteria, but I don't claim to be an expert.  I do know, though, that many of the skeptics I've heard are intelligent, thoughtful, often scientifically informed people, and not deserving of the smears and insults thrown their way by the warmies.

May 29, 2012