CBC: Shale gas pursuit will have 'severe, undeniable' consequences

When we are confronted by new evidence that contradicts what we believed was true, we experience what psychologists call "cognitive dissonance." Because holding two opposing thoughts in our head at the same time is uncomfortable and confusing, we try to resolve the conflict.

We may verify that the new evidence has merit and then change our old ideas and behaviours accordingly. This is essentially how science works.

But because we really don’t like the inconvenience or discomfort that can come with changing long-held beliefs and habits, we can instead resolve the conflict by seeking excuses to downplay the importance of the new evidence and rationalize away any need to change our ways.

We can see both methods at work in how we dealt with the emerging truth about the dangers of tobacco. We eventually changed our habits, but it took decades for us to face the truth.
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