David Robert Grimes Quotes

David Robert Grimes is an Irish physicist, cancer researcher and science writer, who contributes to several media outlets on questions of science and society. He has a diverse range of research interests, and is a vocal advocate for increased public understanding of science. He is also a recipient of the Sense About Science / Nature Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science in the face of Adversity.

✵ 1985

“Despite overwhelming evidence of anthropogenic influence, there is a tendency for those with pronounced free-market views to reject the reality of global warming. The reason underpinning this is transparent – if one accepts human-mediated climate change, then supporting mitigating action should follow. But the demon of regulation is a bridge too far for many libertarians. Given that climate change affects everyone whether they consent to it or not, then unregulated use of natural resources infringes the property rights of others and is ideologically equivalent to trespass, so the tenuous property rights house of cards comes crashing down.When faced with this ideological dilemma, free-market advocates often resolve the cognitive dissonance by simply rejecting the reality of climate change, rather than acknowledging that their axiom is fundamentally flawed.”

David Robert Grimes

"Libertarian ideology is the natural enemy of science," The Guardian August 29, 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2014/aug/29/libertarian-ideology-natural-enemy-science