Governor General scoffs at climate change skeptics during science conference

[Tennis]

OTTAWA – One month into her new job as Canada’s Governor General, Julie Payette is taking on fake news and bogus science.

Payette was the keynote speaker at the ninth annual Canadian Science Policy Convention in Ottawa Wednesday night where she urged her friends and former colleagues to take responsibility to shut down the misinformation about everything from health and medicine to climate change and even horoscopes that has flourished with the explosion of digital media.

“Can you believe that still today in learned society, in houses of government, unfortunately, we’re still debating and still questioning whether humans have a role in the Earth warming up or whether even the Earth is warming up, period,” she asked, her voice incredulous.

“And we are still debating and still questioning whether life was a divine intervention or whether it was coming out of a natural process let alone, oh my goodness, a random process.”

She generated giggles and even some guffaws from the audience when she said too many people still believe “taking a sugar pill will cure cancer if you will it good enough and that your future and every single one of the people here’s personalities can be determined by looking at planets coming in front of invented constellations.”

Payette was trained as a computer engineer and later became an astronaut and licensed pilot and in 1999 was the first Canadian to board the International Space Station.

Appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, one of the conference-goers Wednesday noted she was now the second astronaut to be part of the Trudeau government, along with Transport Minister Marc Garneau.

Trudeau has pledged to give science a more prominent place in his government’s policy-making, appointing a chief science adviser earlier this fall and undergoing a national science policy review that reported in the spring. The government’s response to the report of the scientific review panel is still in the works.

Payette clearly signalled her background will play a major role in her tenure as Governor General.

She urged her former colleagues in the room to be “vigilant” and aim to make science a topic so well known and understood it is a subject of conversation at cocktail parties in the same way people now talk about the weather or the latest hockey scores.

She said the “the internet, social media, 24-hour news” have meant more and more information is accessible to the public. A learned society is a better society, Payette said, but the fake news and bogus scientific claims have to be refuted.

“Democracy and society have always gained from learned debate but we have to remain vigilant and we cannot let ourselves fall into complacency and we must be vocal, all the time, everywhere, every single one of us, so we can deconstruct misinformation and don’t end up in an echo chamber just listening to what we want to hear,” Payette said.

http://www.macleans.ca/politics/paye...ce-conference/

It sure is scary that this is till occurring today. The science is clear. It's not up for debate.

[Ghostpanther]

http://www.macleans.ca/politics/paye...ce-conference/

It sure is scary that this is till occurring today. The science is clear. It's not up for debate.

Well clearly it still is. lol! There are even some scientists willing to debate it.

[Sorshen]

Well clearly it still is. lol! There are even some scientists willing to debate it.

You people make me sad...

[Garnier Fructis]

Well clearly it still is. lol! There are even some scientists willing to debate it.

There was a paper a while back where the authors went through a ton of papers by these 'scientists' and found that every one they looked at had major errors ranging from scientific errors to mathematical errors to statistical analysis errors.

So these 'scientists' might be willing to debate it, but they really don't have a credible case to debate with. Hell, their positions aren't even consistent as a group.

[Draco-Onis]

Well clearly it still is. lol! There are even some scientists willing to debate it.

There are also "scientists" that will debate that the earth is flat, what's your point?

[PC2]

http://www.macleans.ca/politics/paye...ce-conference/

It sure is scary that this is till occurring today. The science is clear. It's not up for debate.

Environmentalists already lost the debate though. GHG emitting industries won and are going to be around for quite some time before alternatives become better.

[Garnier Fructis]

Environmentalists already lost the debate though. GHG emitting industries won and are going to around for quite some time before alternatives become better.

The policy debate =/= the scientific debate reality.

[Draco-Onis]

Environmentalists already lost the debate though. GHG emitting industries won and are going to around for quite some time before alternatives become better.

Climate change is not the same as debating alternative energies and their cost efficiency.

[Ghostpanther]

There are also "scientists" that will debate that the earth is flat, what's your point?

Now days? I do not think so. lol! Name one who is.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

There are also "scientists" that will debate that the earth is flat, what's your point?

I think the point is if your political alignment disagrees with it than how can it be true.

[kyoloco]

facts are irrelevant

all that matter are "feelings"

[PC2]

Climate change is not the same as debating alternative energies and their cost efficiency.

It's not only about energy, but I would say climate change discussions are mostly about the effect of GHGs.

[Draco-Onis]

Now days? I do not think so. lol! Name one who is.

There is a flat earth society which has members who say they are "scientists" and will debate people on it, it started to have a huge surge in 2004 and yes this is real.

[Ghostpanther]

I think the point is if your political alignment disagrees with it than how can it be true.

Yeah. Also, the point is, even if something is true, there will be some wanting to debate it. You are not going to shut down debate or should we. You can dispute and discredit them. But the debates will continue in spite of it.

- - - Updated - - -

There is a flat earth society which has members who say they are "scientists" and will debate people on it, it started to have a huge surge in 2004 and yes this is real.

That is ridiculous. Now, see, even with that, there are some who want to debate it. lol! It is ok with me, but I am not going to accept the world is flat.

[Draco-Onis]

It's not only about energy, but I would say climate change discussions are mostly about the effect of GHGs.

You are confounding a lot of topics into one umbrella, GHGs effects are scientifically proven that's not even going to finite resource versus a limitless one. Alternative energies are the future there is no choice in the matter most of the world recognizes that including oil and gas companies.

[Ghostpanther]

You are confounding a lot of topics into one umbrella, GHGs effects are scientifically proven that's not even going to finite resource versus a limitless one. Alternative energies are the future there is no choice in the matter most of the world recognizes that including oil and gas companies.

As it should be. Pollution of water and ground is also a growing concern and even if you reduce the carbon emissions to slow down Global warming, we are still gong to be hurting if do not get pollution under control. Right now, giant masses of floating plastic are drifting across our Oceans.

[Draco-Onis]

That is ridiculous. Now, see, even with that, there are some who want to debate it. lol! It is ok with me, but I am not going to accept the world is flat.

From Lizard men to Area 51 you can always find "experts" or "scientists" that will debate it, it doesn't mean that the idea has any validity. All the debate will do is make you lose faith in humanity.

[PC2]

You are confounding a lot of topics into one umbrella, GHGs effects are scientifically proven that's not even going to finite resource versus a limitless one. Alternative energies are the future there is no choice in the matter most of the world recognizes that including oil and gas companies.

For sure alternatives will get better, but the climate will warm a few degrees regardless of that. Which means society has to go from the "convince every person of CC" stage to the "what is the pragmatic solution" stage.

[lewdest]

I'm tired of hippies making a big deal about climate change. No one's going to drop oil just to make you feel better. Invent another fuel source that's as cheap and easy to distribute as oil or stop whining about it.

[Deleted]

I wonder if the future will look back to the age 35-65 generation of our time as the worst generation that has ever existed.