The Corruption of Science

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

— Dwight David Eisenhower

Farewell Address as U.S. President (1961). In Diane Ravitch, The American Reader (2000), 538.
 
In a universe very near to ours someone discovered that governments fund scientific research. The news spread. This begat a competition for limited funds. How to create a river of funds flowing to your research became a game that had to be learned by scientists in order to keep their positions secure. You must present a case to the powers that be, those who control the purse strings, that your research is prescient. The best way to do this is to state that your proposed area of study is of an urgent nature. What could be more urgent than an area of research where the results will address a dangerous condition that affects all of mankind. This process has been diagrammed here. Enter Rachel Carson and the assault on the effective pesticide DDT. The DDT research funds flowed the results of which can be found here. Astute scientists learned from this incident (no doubt there were others) that politicians can be played. Politicians like to play the role of mankind's savior. It is good for attracting votes. So scientists learned to play politicians for their own form of pogey. Win-Win.
And politicians of the day will play up the danger and call dissenters all sorts of nefarious names and imply that they are financed by any industry affected in order to discredit critics and make them seems like self-interested ogres who can be ignored. And they will defend their position regardless of the evidence to the contrary. How could they admit that they were championing and funding a non-problem? See some examples of 'disasters' that didn't happen here.
Sometimes research funds produce results that are in the 'so what' category. Recently, some scientists found an ozone hole over the Arctic comparable to what is usually seen in the Antarctic. This is an atypical occurrence and apparently was caused by cold weather of unusually persistent duration. And while the Arctic stratosphere is too cold for the formation of ozone the ice shelves of Ellesmere Island are breaking off due to Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW). Supposedly ozone holes are caused by chlorine released into the atmosphere by humans and ice sheets disappear because of Co2 released into the atmosphere by humans. My we are bad people and we have such power to do harm. This is true but it is respectfully submitted by this observer that the harm is done by the humans who popularize issues that should really be of no alarm whatsoever such as the two mentioned above. But fear pays. No one takes notice if you report all is well. It is reassuring but not too exciting.
In the case of the ice floes off Ellesmere Island break offs have happened before. The climate is cyclical. This shouldn't be news. In the case of the Arctic ozone hole see the comment from poster 'crosspatch' here. Ozone holes come and go. Nothing to get excited about. Our atmosphere is dynamic and the climate is always changing. Our experts have a vested interest in hyper ventilating their odious findings. It attracts funding. I have become very suspicious of the motives of those who like to blame humans for every evil in the world real or imagined. There is an interesting piece on experts here. “Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts” – Richard Feynman
AGW will be seen as a definitive study the corruption of science. The hoax that is AGW has been exposed here as well as elsewhere. Follow the links.

There is a new evil awaiting the investigation of our esteemed environmentalists. It is surprising that the alarm has not yet been raised so that the funding can begin to flow. If the essential for life plant food Co2 can be demonized and labelled a pollutant then wait until this new chemical iniquity makes the mainstream media.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.