If only Fred Flintstone had the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol

Ohio State University has released the results of a study which concludes that sudden, catastrophic climate change occurred -- apparently without the assistance of SUVs or Republicans -- about 5,200 years ago. After a straightforward presentation of the research, though, the press release lurches into the present as the lead researcher manages to use this event to invoke the precautionary principle on us:

“The climate system is remarkably sensitive to natural variability,” [Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson] said. “It’s likely that it is equally sensitive to effects brought on by human activity, changes like increased greenhouse gases, altered land-use policies and fossil-fuel dependence.

“Any prudent person would agree that we don’t yet understand the complexities with the climate system and, since we don’t, we should be extremely cautious in how much we ‘tweak’ the system,” he said.

Given that the hard evidence of anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change is scant (if it exists at all), any prudent person would agree that mankind's ability to "'tweak' the system" is vastly overrated.

But Thompson wasn't done with his logical leaps yet. The one quoted above was significant enough, but then in the very next paragraph he gives us this whopper of a non sequitur:

“The evidence is clear that a major climate change is underway.”

Sigh.