Declaring War Against Climate Change
The NY Times describes the current negotiations in Beijing as resembling an arms control contest, with demands for verifiable reductions (but in emissions rather than missiles). The military comparison may be apt.
Dealing with climate change is going to be like fighting a major war in a number of respects:
*It will involve mobilizing for collective action on a vast scale.
*It involves offensive actions (climate mitigation to reduce the strength of the “enemy”) and defensive actions (adaptation to protect ourselves against “enemy” action.)
*It involves important uncertainties, high costs, and huge downside risks.
*It will involve pervasive changes in consumption and individual behavior.
*It poses serious threats to national well-being and national welfare.
Jimmy Carter once spoke of moral equivalent of war, borrowing a phrase from William James. Maybe that will turn out to be the climate issue.
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About Dan
Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…
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Also, like war, the sooner we fix the problem – the less we let it progress – the easier it will be to solve.
Have you seen my blog? It has to do with how climate change relates to ideas such as credibility, responsible journalism, and risk managment. You can probably just click on my username to get there.
Thanks.
Any action that is taken to reduce human produced carbon dioxide to reduce global warming or influence climate is a mistake that puts freedom and prosperity at risk.
The Solar Grand Maximum that went on for about 70 years appears to have ended. The 30 year or so Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) uptrend that combined with the Solar Grand Maximum to produce the late-20th-century temperature run up has started its 30 year downtrend. The PDO downtrend combined with the quiet sun is resulting in continued planet cooling. (The cooling will be slow because of the huge thermal capacitance of the oceans) The sun has not been this quiet this long since 1913. Sunspot changes appear to be a catalyst for cloud changes and therefore have much greater influence than total solar irradiance (TSI).
Since 2000, atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased 18.4% of the increase from 1800 to 2000. According to the average of the five reporting agencies, the trend of average global temperatures since 1998 shows no increase and from 2002 through 2008 the trend shows a DECREASE of 1.8°C/century. This separation (there have been many others) corroborates the lack of connection between atmospheric carbon dioxide increase and average global temperature.
Many Climate Scientists are completely unaware of some relevant science and understand other relevant science poorly (it’s not in their curriculum). The missing science proves that added atmospheric carbon dioxide has no significant influence on average global temperature. See the pdfs linked from http://climaterealists.com/index.php?tid=145&linkbox=true for the proof, to identify the missing science and to see the cause of the temperature run-up in the late 20th century. It is significant that Climate Scientists use the word ‘feedback’ but apply it completely differently than had been successfully applied for decades by engineers.
As the atmospheric carbon dioxide level continues to increase and the average global temperature doesn’t it is becoming more and more apparent that many climate scientists have made an egregious mistake and a whole lot of people have been misled.
The informed and insightful comments of Mr. Dan Pangburn clearly illustrate the scientific and technical flaws in the arguments of those who claim that carbon dioxide emissions are causing catastrophic climate change.
Acknowledging such flaws may require a reappraisal of the climate change political movement. The veracity and credibility of the proposed cap & trade legislation should be re-assessed in light the scientific information described by Mr. Pangburn.
Yes! The solar maximalists are here!
I love it! Whenever I read a blog about climate change or climate legislation, there now are far more climate deniers responding than AGW Believers. Last year, only the Believers would write, but now the deniers are speaking up and not taking this crap any longer. The Green movement died with the arrival of the recession, as it always does. Now folks remember to email your Federal Representatives about your opinions regarding this climate change fraud. If you don’t speak up thay will pass this nightmare called Cap&Trade. Tell them, don’t let this legislation pass.