MPs from two select committees have reported today on the good and the bad of the response in England to Covid-19. I wanted to single out this phrase, as reported by the Irish Times

Some of the most serious early failings, the report suggests, resulted from apparent groupthink among scientists and ministers which led to ‘fatalism’, the report finds.

and the BBC

Some early failings, the report suggested, resulted from apparent „group-think“ among scientists and ministers.

It meant the UK was not as open to different approaches on earlier lockdowns, border controls and test and trace as it should have been.

So these MPs think it possible that groupthink can adversely affect scientists and ministers, together, leading to the needless loss of thousands of lives, as it says elsewhere in the report.

Hmm. Any other area, and groups, that this might apply to? MPs, even?

As if in answer, the same day the Environmment Agency shows that groupthink about climate change may be more apparent than actual once one delves into the detail. Climate change: ‚Adapt or die‘ warning from Environment Agency, courtesy of the BBC’s David Shukman, is all about adaptation, not decarbonisation. And in response to the EA, DEFRA seems to totally go along with this. There is only one response considered to the ‚climate emergency‘, which both sides agree, as a higher-level groupthink, I suppose, is upon us. Including in the context of COP26, mighty extravaganza of global decarbonisation as I for one thought it was.

But no, it’s all about adaptation.

Or so this version of the groupthink goes. The apparent groupthink, I should say.

via Climate Scepticism

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October 12, 2021