Horse crap! How does scientific consensus relate to the priesthood? The Church was a monolithic organization, headed by people with absolute authority with the sole purpose of cementing their own position.

The scientific community is not a monolithic organization. I won't say the leaders aren't out to cement their own position, but the difference is in what they have to do to achieve their goal: be right. Being wrong, or agreeing with other people just so you don't stand out, is not the way to get ahead for these people. It's anethema to them. Their goal is to be right, because being right increases their own prestige and importance.

When an overwhelming majority of them agree with something, that should make anyone who doesn't have an ulterior agenda stand up and take notice.

Side note: Al Gore never claimed to invent the internet.