[00:05.83]2005 Text2

[00:08.04]Do you remember all those years

[00:10.15]when scientists argued that smoking would kill us

[00:13.07]but the doubters insisted

[00:15.30]that we didn’t know for sure?

[00:18.24]That the evidence was inconclusive,

[00:20.86]the science uncertain?

[00:23.47]That the antismoking lobby

[00:25.50]was out to destroy our way of life

[00:28.01]and the government should stay out of the way?

[00:31.24]Lots of Americans bought that nonsense,

[00:34.24]and over three decades,

[00:35.86]some 10 million smokers went to early graves.

[00:40.41]There are upsetting parallels today,

[00:43.14]as scientists in one wave after another try to

[00:46.76]awaken us to the growing threat of global warming.

[00:50.60]The latest was a panel

[00:52.03]from the National Academy of Sciences,

[00:54.77]enlisted by the White House,

[00:56.78]to tell us that the Earth's atmosphere is definitely warming

[01:00.95]and that the problem is largely man-made.

[01:04.57]The clear message is

[01:06.16]that we should get moving to protect ourselves.

[01:09.31]The president of the National Academy,

[01:11.51]Bruce Alberts, added this key point

[01:14.23]in the preface to the panel's report:

[01:17.17]"Science never has all the answers.

[01:20.19]But science does provide us

[01:22.28]with the best available guide to the future,

[01:25.81]and it is critical

[01:27.31]that our nation and the world base important policies

[01:30.66]on the best judgments

[01:32.17]that science can provide

[01:33.87]concerning the future consequences of present actions."

[01:38.60]Just as on smoking,

[01:40.41]voice now come from many quarters insisting

[01:43.44]that the science about global warming is incomplete,

[01:47.07]that it's OK to keep pouring fumes into the air

[01:50.49]until we know for sure.

[01:52.51]This is a dangerous game:

[01:54.73]by the time 100 percent of the evidence is in,

[01:58.16]it may be too late.

[02:00.37]With the risks obvious and growing,

[02:03.10]a prudent people would take out an insurance policy now.

[02:08.14]Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention.

[02:11.67]But it's obvious that a majority of the president's advisers

[02:15.40]still don't take global warming seriously.

[02:18.52]Instead of a plan of action,

[02:20.45]they continue to press for more research

[02:23.06]--a classic case of "paralysis by analysis."

[02:27.40]To serve as responsible stewards of the planet,

[02:30.51]we must press forward on deeper atmospheric

[02:33.72]and oceanic research.

[02:35.95]But research alone is inadequate.

[02:38.66]If the Administration won't take the legislative initiative,

[02:42.70]Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures.

[02:47.54]A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia,

[02:51.97]which would offer financial incentives for private industry,

[02:55.80]is a promising start.

[02:57.82]Many see that the country is getting ready to build

[03:00.64]lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs.

[03:04.27]If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere,

[03:07.30]it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound.