That 200,000 tons of gas and 4.4 million barrels of oil would devastate marine life was not taken as scientific proposition; it was (reasonably) taken as fact. That everyone was so wrong about the impact that BP’s hydrocarbons would have on the ocean should give those who believe in scientific consensus second thought. Particularly if the consensus is one that is believed by Hollywood, academia, and media alike, a trifecta not exactly known for its prophetic abilities. Nature is more resilient, more powerful, more adaptive, and more complex than most people believe. --Jared Sichel, Next Gen Journal, 23 January 2012
