Sunday, November 23, 2008

Questions for the Global Warming Experts

We hear a lot about the global warming crisis.   We're told we're living on a planet in peril.  I freely admit that I'm too ignorant to put forth an authoritative opinion on the topic of global climate change.  I have no training or education in meteorology or climatology.  If Global Warming is a religion, I'm an agnostic. 

I know that hundreds of scientists from scores of countries have said global warming is a real threat. But I also know that science isn't determined by consensus.  At one time, it was clear to all but the most feeble minds that the sun rotates around the earth. Consensus changes. But maybe the scientists of today are correct.  Maybe the earth is in serious trouble.  If so, now is the time to ask some very important follow-up questions.
  • How cool do we want the world to be?  What is the ideal temperature for the earth? 
  • What are the criteria for determining the ideal temperature of the earth?
  • Would a modest increase in the temperature of the planet necessarily be bad? Are there any potential benefits?
  • How can we ensure that efforts to stabilize the earth's temperature don't backfire, resulting in a larger than intended drop in the earth's average temperature?
  • At what temperature would the earth be too cold?
  • Can we be sure that reductions in CO2 emissions will result in a significant and helpful change in temperatures?
  • What if industrial and automotive CO2 emissions are cut to nearly zero and the earth continues to warm...what do we do then?
  • How long should humans try to control the world's average temperature? 
A.  For the next hundred years? 
B.  For the next thousand years?
C.  Forever?
  • Can we be absolutely confident that global climate changes aren't mostly the result of that giant fireball in the sky, you know, the sun?
  • Scientists are very good at using statistical analysis to calculate certainty.  Approximately how certain are we that we have the correct answers to global warming questions?
A.  50 percent?
B.  80 percent?
C.  95 percent?
  • Isn't it necessary to answer the questions above before we try to fashion solutions?
Someone who understands global warming, please provide answers.


More:

Two hundred whales prayerfully wait for the results of global warming.

Thinking globally but not clearly?

Global Warming? Hot Air

Let Cooler Heads Prevail.


Is Global Warming Always Bad?

Global Warming? Bring it On!


10 comments:

robert verdi said...

here is a link with a cbo presentation on the cost of the make believe war on warming. On slide 45 is shows the regressive nature of the cost as working and middle class families face a disproportionate burden on them.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9901/10-27-PresentationWellesley.pdf

robert verdi said...

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9901/10-27-PresentationWellesley.pdf

Robert said...

This is a fantastic post that I am going to use as a refeerence for years to come. You asked some poignant questions, and the answers would be interesting.

If you notice, "global warming" has gradually and surrepticiously become "climate change." It is hard to convince people that the earth is going to flashburn into oblivion when it is the coldest winter on record in some places, and snow falls in Alabama.

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Anonymous said...

Excellent questions. They help demonstrate how GW is just an unprecedented political power grab with no plans to relinquish the power ever.

Ben V said...

Its not the warming of the planet that is the problem, that is simply the indicator. To raise the temperate of the planet, as we have, simply means that we are affecting the planet in drastic, powerful ways. We should not simply cool down the planet; we should stop messing around with things way above our heads.

Mike said...

Great post and Great blog. Keep up the awesome work!

Lloyd Flack said...

The problem isn't so much the warming as the rate of warming. Economys and environments are imperfectly adapted to present conditions. There are costs to too rapid change. If a city runs short of water or a sea level increase interferes with the sewage system or the agicultural land nearby becomes less productive then it gets very expensive if it happens over decades. Now if the same changes happen over centuries then you will be building elsewhere what you would have had to eventually replace anyway.

RightKlik said...

To Ben and Lloyd:

My point is this. In dealing with a problem there are at least three steps.

1. Identify a problem and assess whether it is big enough to require intervention.
2. Study the problem to understand it well enough to formulate whatever solutions (if there are any) might be necessary.
3. Intervene.

As far as the global warming issue is concerned, we are still muddling through step 1. Too many people have skipped step 2 and are engaged in step 3. This makes no sense unless you assume they are in a state of panic.

Anonymous said...

I live in South Western PA. We just had 3-8 inches of snow fall over the region. (Second snow fall already by the way.) First time in decades(?) we've had this weather in November. Usually it comes in January-February, and even in early March. Man, this global warming is just a killer. *chuckle chuckle*

Anonymous said...

Remember, you're coming at this from the view of someone with intelligence. These folks are willfully ignorant. The ultimate goal is not to answer your questions or save the planet from a firery doom; it's to instate a global government. Never underestimate a liberal's hunger for power. With this "climate crisis" comes lots of new money in the form of new taxes on everything from food to light bulbs, remote controlled smart-meters on your house and everything in between.

Keep this in mind, liberals in this country REFUSE to be proven wrong. Instead of reporting positive news from Iraq, they didn't report anything at all. They will never recognize that they are wrong. NEVER. Climate Change is their means for global control and they won't stop.

The future looks grim, but we need to keep at 'em through sites like yours. Please keep it going!