Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. No. Consensus is invoked when science becomes a political issue. This is becau

Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. No. Consensus is invoked when science becomes a political issue. This is because politicians and their voters do not have the time or the inclination to examine data. Instead, the battle is a political one where the playing field is about who has more authority. In political issues (evolution, global warming) politicians (and scientists that are political) try to use the authority of science, not the science itself.