Let’s see: Who’s the expert on climate change, a scientist or a politician?

I’ll go with the scientist.

Scientist Bill “The Science Guy” Nye debated politician Marsha Blackburn today on “Meet the Press.” The topic was whether Earth’s climate is changing. Nye says it is; Blackburn expresses doubt.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2014/02/16/gop_rep_marsha_blackburn_vs_bill_nye_on_climate_change.html

As the program’s moderator David Gregory tried to point out several times during the exchange, the fact of climate change seems beyond dispute. The only topic worth debating is its cause.

And, for my money, even that debate is beginning to look more like a slam dunk in favor of those who believe human beings are responsible for the resulting change in our worldwide climate patterns.

This is a difficult concept to swallow during this winter of extreme cold, record-breaking snow in the Northeast, prolonged cold in the Midwest — including some mighty chilly days in the Texas Panhandle — and the catastrophic winter storms that have swept through the South.

The point Nye was trying to convey this morning, though, was that even those changes reflect a dynamic not seen in many decades, perhaps even centuries.

How many “storms of the century” have we seen in recent years? They seem to arrive annually. Don’t those descriptions of these monumental weather events send up any red flags — even among those who continue to doubt the existence of climate change or those who pooh-pooh the idea as being some sort of left-wing conspiracy to destroy the fossil fuel industry?

Rep. Blackburn chairs a House science and technology committee. So she’s got some credibility on this issue.

Nye looks at this more from a scientific perspective. Yes, there exists plenty of debate among scientists about climate change and its cause.

The evidence continues to persuade me that it’s real and — if there’s anything humans can do about it — that it’s long past time to act.

I’m just hoping it’s not too late.