Posted by
Georgiaboy on Saturday, March 17, 2007 8:38:29 AM
Global warming activists are trying to sell the idea that the debate is over. CO2 that humans are producing is warming the earth and we must cut our carbon use quickly and dramatically to save the earth. Tick.
I have not made my mind up completely, but as I look harder at the issue, it looks more and more like a major overreaction. As I see it, the global warming crowd has a long list of conditions that they have to prove in succession before it is necessary to buy into their conservation rhetoric.
1. They have to prove that the earth is actually warming right now. From what I have read, this has fairly solid evidence behind it.
2. Humans are causing the warming. Obviously this is the major point of debate. I tend to believe that most of the warming is due to factors outside of our control. More heat from the sun, fluctuations in the level of cosmic rays providing cloud cover, and general cyclic variations in climate.
3. Global warming will be significant and bad. If the temperature is only going to rise by a few degrees celsius, I will be skeptical that that will cause harm. Another thing that I never hear discussed is nature’s ability to bring extremes back to equilibrium. If CO2 rises dramatically, the number of carbon-fixing plants and algae should increase also, driving CO2 back to equilibrium. I haven’t seen any scientific discussion of this idea, though, so I don’t know its validity.
I could also easily see global warming being good. Maybe some of those liberals up north wouldn’t be so cold all the time, so they would be less cranky and start voting conservative. Just an idea. But, my serious point is that global warming activists have to prove to me that global warming will actually be bad.
4. Environmentalists must prove that adapting to global warming will be more costly than preventing it. For example, global warming people tell me that I should combat global warming because it will flood NY. Well I say, forget that, let’s build a dyke. The dutch do it. Environmentalists say that global warming will cause some areas to become deserts. I say, move to some of the new farmland up north created by global warming.
Humans have a remarkable ability to adapt. The way the earth is right now is not necessarily the “right” way it should be.
5. Conservationists have to prove to me that wrecking our economy with restrictions and carbon caps is the only way to stop global warming. I would much rather reduce carbon emissions with technological innovation that self-depravation. Instead of cutting electricity usage, let’s build nuclear plants. Instead of riding a bike, why don’t we build cars that run on hydrogen, which was produced with power from the nuclear power plants we already built. And let’s invent something for cows to wear that catches all that methane that they ummm...release. OK,that last one was a joke. The technological route is especially attractive if there is still 10-30 years to reduce our carbon emissions.
So, as you can see. That is a long list to prove. I am open to persuasion, but right now the global warming crowd is not cutting it. Of course, I would like to see us use less oil so the price drops and we aren’t funding Hugo Chavez, Iran, and the rest of the middle eastern thugs. But, that is a post for another day.