I tend to trust scientists, but I'm biased, being a scientist myself. A pretty huge percentage of the scientists I've spoken to personally, and specifically those in fields related to climate, are pretty well convinced that the data shows that humans have had an effect on climate. Now that's not to say they can't be wrong - part of being a scientist is the fact that it's almost more exciting to be proven wrong than it is to be proven right, because you get to learn something new. But at the current point in time, the consensus amongst scientists - not tree hugging hippies or government talking heads, but people who actually collect and analyze data, is that we're screwing up the climate. If those scientists find evidence that they were wrong, they will rush to publish it. That's what's cool about science - you're not a failure if you are wrong, because by being proven wrong you've broadened understanding of the universe.


I don't, however, trust a single word coming out of the mouths of politicians and lobbyists on EITHER side of the issue - those people are so sneaky and underhanded in the way they MISrepresent the science, that it's painful to listen to.