Roger -

I admire your cautious approach to this issue.

The problem here is that the exact propostition under discussion is never defined. The rhetoric thrown around is aimed at multiple ill-defined propositions, including:

1) the earth is warming
2) the earth is warming due to human activity
3) the warming is a crisis
4) we need to “do something about it”

If you dissent from any of these, the propagandists pretend that you dissented to #1, which leads to “flat earth” charges. The propagandists never allow for (even non-subtle) distinctions because then they lose the argument.

Here is the big lie in the AGW story: that we can “do something about it”. According to the narrative, CO2 began to rise in the late 1800s. In other words, the ability of the earth to accept the excess CO2 was exceeded, therefore it began to build up in the atmosphere. So, to “do something” about AGW, the release rate of CO2 would have to return to pre-late 1800s levels. Anything short of this will continue to lead to a build-up, and therefore continue warming, albeit at a slower rate.

It is simply not plausible that the 21st century world, with 5X the number of people living at much higher standards of living than the 19th century could dream of, will return to that level of CO2 production. It can’t be done with increases in efficiency or increases in conservation. Those don’t get you anywhere close.

So, even if the AGW story is true, which I highly doubt, the only rational approach is to adapt.