We do know that greenhouse gas concentrations are rising pretty rapidly, indicating that the warming trend will continue. Not all change is bad, but in general, rapid change in complex systems is disruptive and bad. While plants and animals can adapt—and have always adapted—they’re better off adapting slowly to gradual change. While human society can adapt, it will cost money and lives.

Conservatives need to come to grips with these facts. Too many Republican politicians simply declare, “climate change is a hoax.” This is a bad habit partisans and ideologues on both sides display: If the other side proposes an undesirable policy response to a problem, just deny the existence of the problem.

Democrats have aggressively tried to brand Republicans as “anti-science,” on all sorts of issues, particularly climate change. While some truth is in that charge, the Left takes it way too far.

You can now get pegged as a “climate denier” for any deviation from the most alarmist script. In this regard, the Left shows a strong anti-science streak by refusing to acknowledge uncertainties and weaknesses.