Speaking of ruinous messes...

This is an interest and probably accurate analysis as far as I'm concerned:

The global warmists were trapped into the necessity of hyping the threat by their realization that the actual evidence they had — which, let me emphasize, all hype aside, is serious, troubling and establishes in my mind the need for intensive additional research and investigation, as well as some prudential steps that would reduce CO2 emissions by enhancing fuel use efficiency and promoting alternative energy sources — was not sufficient to get the world’s governments to do what they thought needed to be done. Hyping the threat increasingly doesn’t look like an accident: it looks like it was a conscious political strategy.

Indeed.

For all you aspiring politicians and political activists out there, consider that this mistake has been made on a variety of diverse policies, including gay marriage.

Its difficult to convince people of things they may not want to be convinced of because it runs contrary to their perceived interest, their prejudices or threatens to disturb a state of blissful apathy, but ultimately there are no shortcuts to marshaling public opinion.

The attempts to bypass democratic institutions breeds enormous suspicion and resentment, as does the massive program of astroturfing public support. In the end, the credibility and effectiveness of all of these participating institutions, many of them which originally did good and creditable work, is damaged beyond repair. How many kids in contemplating future careers are thinking, "climate scientist--yeah, that sounds good..."?

There is in fact a very old parable warning against just this mistake.

The boy who cried wolf.