Global Warming's Real Inconvenient Truth

Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, July 5, 2006 | Robert J. Samuelson

[palmer]

...

Unless we condemn the world's poor to their present poverty -- and freeze everyone else's living standards -- we need economic growth. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050...

No government will adopt the draconian restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might curb global warming. Still, politicians want to show they're "doing something." The result is grandstanding...

The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential calamity, the only salvation is new technology....

[palmer]

A pretty accurate and useful conclusion. I would add that technology will also tell us the extent (if any) of the problems and how to solve them cheaply. An example solution is biomass (ocean or land). Currently both are poorly modeled (if at all), but can have profound effects on climate.

[Northern Yankee]

I think the sun has pretty profound effects on climate stability in the world.

[rhombus]

The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral crusade when it's really an engineering problem. The inconvenient truth is that if we don't solve the engineering problem, we're helpless.

This pretty much summarizes the problem and why liberals, hungry for more helpless victims have pledged their souls to their Global Warming God.

[backhoe]

I think the sun has pretty profound effects on climate stability in the world.

A picture's worth a thousand words...

...but for a clearer idea of how tiny we are, google "mass of the solar system."

[Northern Yankee]

Love it!

Thanks... and good morning!

[Graybeard58]

* Sun: 99.85%
* Planets: 0.135%
* Comets: 0.01% ?
* Satellites: 0.00005%
* Minor Planets: 0.0000002% ?
* Meteoroids: 0.0000001% ?
* Interplanetary Medium: 0.0000001% ?

[ovrtaxt]

Wow. Somehow, 93 million miles doesn't seem far enough!!

[palmer]

Here's a chart showing the effect of those sunspots:

I found it interesting that since man is supposed to be the source of all or most short term CO2 variations, it appears that the man is varying CO2 almost exactly in tune with the sunspot cycle.

[backhoe]

And good morning to you-

[knarf]

P38, landed on Greenland ice in 1942 ... found 50 years later 268 feet BELOW the surface !!

[period end of story]

Right; like the technolgy of a cleaner, more fuel efficient gas engine. We will have gas engines in cars for at least 50 more years. Pollution just needs to be curtailed at a reasonable level, with emphasis in the bigger cities that have smog alerts. This 'Inconvenient Truth' crap is just a bunch of lefty do-gooder nonsense. BTW, when do politicians not grandstand?

[wolfcreek]

Still, politicians want to show they're "doing something."

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