Consensuses have been woefully wrong in the past, and are not, therefore, science.
As science learns more about a thing, scientists propose better explanations of why a thing is the way it is. The explanation may change as knowledge grows. Scientific fact is consensus of the scientists. Sometimes it takes a while for science to accept a new explanation.
If fact is nothing more than a consensus of scientists, then the earth really was flat, and the center of the universe, because that is what the scientists of the time agreed. Belief cannot alter fact. If it did I'd have a washboard stomach, some other assorted awesomeness in physical appearance and be the baddest Mofo on two legs in sparring...
Fact : Things fall. Scientific fact is the accepted explanation of why things fall; Scientific fact gets closer and closer to the "truth" all the time.
It may be occurring, however, we don't have the power to change it. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines a few years ago it put all kinds of crap out into the air, more sulfur dioxide, CO2 and other pollutants than mankind can pump out in a century of industry, and yet, changing to CFL light bulbs is going to make things better?
[FONT=times new roman,times] That is the list from the original article, notice how there are more than a few things that global warming is supposed to have caused that clearly and directly contradict each other. That makes it hard to believe... That believers in global warming want skeptics silenced REALLY makes it hard to believe. If it was a fact, skeptics would be laughed at, but, to suggest legal sanctions against them would be like locking up little kids who don't believe in Santa. The sheer number of politicians involved in promoting fear of global warming ought to tell you something.
