17. Robohobo: Them hockey sticks refer more to a collapsing solar system, but you are right, we won’t be around to see that either. The Reverend Mr. Gore however, contends that man made contributions to the atmosphere are going to cause the blade thin sliver of habitable gaseous mixture on the earth’s time line, to dissipate into some other sustainable gas mix era, and it is in that context the AGW hockey stick science has been shown to be bunk.
@ 29. Fletcher Christian:
“Of course, there is the related issue that the comsumption of one particular form of fossil fuel creates political instability all over the world, because of where the bulk of those deposits are.
“So, let’s sum up; the rest of the world is expected to live with the threat of irreversible harm to the biosphere, major shifting of climatic zones and the potential of global jihad, possibly nuclear war – all so that Americans can carry on driving SUVs and other gas-guzzlers and setting their AC to near-arctic levels. That about right?”
As an indicator of human economic activity, the ability to choose to drive an SUV is a measure of freedom, and market forces. It is not the measure of a gnats wing’s velocity having any ability much less the probability to cause a hurricane, or tornado or even a decent cooling puff of air.
As an ingredient in the process of photosynthesis (6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy results in C6H12O6 + 6O2), CO2 is a major component, and it plays an equally auspicious role in the respiration of plants.
The problem is not the economic activity itself or in progress as a means of promoting wider spread abundance, but in the cash flow of reward and risk and the power purchased in being able to control economic behavior. If I cannot drive my suv, some poor sot in some third world country may not be able to afford to educate his children or give the drugs required to save lives and combat hunger as a consequence.
Oh, and the ability of a truck to seal a dock door, does more to maintain temperature of a climate controlled warehouse or “industrial building” than a curtain. Most warehouses are not climate controlled and those that are do zealously monitor the price of power.
