The question, then, is who do you actually look to or trust for opinions on these matters, if you immediately discount experts?
Like it or not, we're really highly dependent on 'experts'. And there are fake ones, and experts can be wrong of course. I go to a barber to get my hair cut because those folks are far more expert at it than I. I call an electrician to do electrical work, a plumber, a construction company to redo the kitchen, all ostensibly experts at their craft.
I find an MD when I'm sick, and there have been times I have ditched an MD and found another. I think I have a pretty reasonable doctor near us. He diagnosed my heart flutter and sent me to another expert who fixed it. If my car makes funny noises, I take it to an expert. (That often stops the noise without doing anything else.)
I think the issue with things like Climate Change is we have folks with vested interests in terms of public policy. And no, I don't personally think every climatologist (nearly) is in on it. But if you read any of Judith Curry's book you'll see her stated experience in being misquoted, misattributed, thrown out with the bathwater after being hailed as a savant when she altered some views. The intersection of science and public policy isn't going to be fun, with few exceptions. Politicians aren't interested in truth, at all, and some "experts" aren't either. The media basically play along because they want "clicks", not useful information.
My bet is a ton of real climate scientists loathe this whole situation. Some like the public eye, even though everyone knows that we should really be listening to some 15 year old Swedish girl.
