Would you argue with your doctor over a heart condition?

Notes: Dr. Schneider goes on to say:

"That is how absurd it is that when the political world tells us in the climate world: 'tell us exactly how bad it is going to be and when and when you are sure, come back and talk to us.'"That is not the way it works in any other form of life. Not in business. Not in health. Not in security. We have pretty good ideas about what could happen. We do not have the detailed picture and we are not going to for several decades. What we are doing is taking a risk with the life support system of the earth and humans have to decide if we want to slow that down."

Stephen Schneider, Ph.D. (1945-2010) Co-Director Center for Environmenal Science and Policy, Stanford University.

Source: This quote from Dr. Schneider is from his interview in the DVD Documentary: Too Hot Not to Handle: Global Warming Is The Most Urgent Threat Facing Humanity Today, HBO Documentary Films, 2006.

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Some people say ‘When you are sure about climate change, then we will do something about it.’

Suppose your doctor says ‘Well, I am very concerned about your heart condition. I think you should be on a low cholesterol diet and exercise.’ Would anybody say to their doctor ‘If you can't tell me precisely when am I going to have the heart attack and how severe it will be.’ then why should I change my lifestyle?'

- Inspired by Stephen Schneider, Ph.D.