Scientists versus the Public

The New York Times has an article on a survey that covers the views of Scientist versus the views of the general public an certain subjects, inluding Global Warming and Evolution. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/science/10survey.html?ref=science

This paragraph jumped out at me:

And while almost all of the scientists surveyed accept that human beings evolved by natural processes and that human activity, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, is causing global warming, members of the general public are far less sure.

Almost all the Scientists agreed that fossil fuels is causing global warming? Did they bother to survey the Scientists working for the EPA? They seem to be skeptical about man-made global warming.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124657655235589119.html

Then there's this list: http://www.businessandmedia.org/specialreports/2007/globalwarming/SkepticalScientists.asp

Were any of these scientists surveyed?

Of course, even those Scientists that believe the burning of fossil fuels is leading to global warming don't agree on the extent of the warming caused by mankind. There are Scientists in this group that don't believe that the human element is having a large impact on warming and don't believe that draconian steps are necessary to address human CO2 production.

It's ironic that the survey asked questions on Creationism and Man Made Global Warming. At this point belief in both appears to be more a matter of faith than a belief based on credible Scientific findings. My favorite recent story that illustrates the Faith like belief in Global Warming is another one from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/science/07obsheep.html?scp=1&sq=shrinking
sheep&st=cse

Really, “Global Warming Shrinks Sheep!” is a sound Science story? Sounds more like a headline from a tabloid.

Compare the New York Times story to one on Dwarf Dinosaurs:
http://www.livescience.com/animals/060607_dwarf_dino.html.%20WhichWhich concludes that the dwarfism was a result of living on an island which limited the resources the Dinosaurs had access to. Or the mention of Dwarf Mammoths in the Wikipedia article on Wrangel Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangel_Island, where the dwarfism is again attributed to limited resources.

Dwarf Dinosaurs, limited resources due to being stuck on an island. Dwarf Mammoths, limited resources due to being stuck on an island. Shrinking Sheep stuck on an island with limited resources? Global Warming!

I think this can be best attributed to Scientists with a belief in Global Warming going out to find evidence to support that belief. They're able to find it wherever they look. Reminds me of Erich Von Daniken finding evidence of ancient astronauts.