If it is a sin to doubt, then there is no science.
If it is a crime to dissent, then there is no politics.
--Scaramouche
Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.
Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had...
Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. Nobody says the consensus of scientists agrees that E=mc2.
Nobody says the consensus is that the sun is 93 million miles away. It would never occur to anyone to speak that way.
--Michael Crichton