The thing is if we're successfully at avoiding a cataclysm, we won't know we were right.
In this specific situation, I'd rather not know we were wrong that know for a fact we were right.
In this specific situation, I'd rather not know we were wrong that know for a fact we were right.
Just because we averted disaster doesn't mean it wasn't going to happen.
Just because it didn't happen doesn't mean we "averted disaster." It's entirely possible that much (or even all) of the build up was normal media fear mongering and loosely based on reality.
We're in the same position with climate change. All we've gotten out of it so far is affordable renewable energy, better tech for power monitoring and distribution, and a lot of new jobs. So far, solving a maybe is proving to be a good investment, and may save us all if the worst case scenarios are realistic.