Warning signs that an argument is BS is when people are absolutely certain about their theories, implying that anyone who disagrees "just doesn't get it."

"Sea levels are generally accepted to be rising worldwide, this is a simple matter of observation."

"...coastal flooding has increased in recent decades..."

"There will be no new ice age in the next couple centuries."

"South Florida better have a plan for rising sea levels because they are coming, nothing can prevent that now."

I accept the theory that there might be some global warming in the future. Or not. But whenever someone is absolutely certain about such an incredibly complex and unpredictable topic, I start getting suspicious. It sounds like desperation.

Another thing that makes my BS antennae twitch are when the predictions get more "sky-is-falling", more shrill, and more extreme. Which is what this constant establishment drumbeat is.

Remember "Y2K"? How everyone panicked, spent BILLIONS of dollars on new software, programming, and equipment, because the scientists and experts scared the crap out of us? It turned out to be the world's biggest hoax. If I had to guess, it was probably perpetrated by out-of-work COBOL programmers to drum up some business. (They then had the chutzpah the day after Y2K, when the earth didn't go up in a puff of smoke, to congratulate themselves on a job well done.)

“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” Naguib Mahfouz

I am hearing a lot of "answers" here.

David