All science is uncertain to a degree. How we act on this uncertainty is a political question. The BC government prohibited dioxin effluents in the 80s because it caused cancer in lab rats and is determined to be highly toxic. But, of course, the testing results were uncertain. Some argue that the levels of dioxin being dumped were so low that there was no need for a prohibition. Science couldn't agree on the unsafe amount. In the end politicians decided to play it safe for fear of the health effects.
The debate on CO2 is pretty much the same. We know that CO2 is a warming gas, we know that it is having an effect on the climate and we know that the potential consequences could be disastrous. Do we play it safe?
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