Quote:
Leawood911 said:
Math table - not even certain there is 'global warming' (much less caused by cars) at this point.


I don't know what planet you are living on, but it sure does not seem to be mine. Uranus perhaps?

It is an undisputed FACT that the last few years are the warmest on record ever since we start keeping reliable records. It is an undisputed FACT that the concentration of greenhouse gases in the air is also at its highest. It is an undisputed FACT that greenhouse gases are a cause of global warming.

"Global warming" as a wheather phenomenom (i.e. the fact that it's getting warmer) is undisputedly real.
"Global warming" as an ecological theory (the link between human activity and the abovementioned wheather phenomenon) is, if not undisputedly real, at least highly probable (the role of possible external factors, e.g. higher solar activity, does not disprove it).

What remains debatable is "Global warming" as a political ideology. Can we curb global warming? If so, is it worth the investment? And last but not least, is global warming harmful at all?
As a European citizen, I selfishly answer NAY to the above three questions. Of course, a Bengladeshi or Maldivian citizen might beg to differ, but IMHO their countries are done for anyway.

Quote:
Leawood911 said:
Lastly, there have been many estimates regarding our oil supply and not all agree we are going to run out any time soon.

Chances are that long before we run out of oil some much better alternative will come along - and not as a result of taxes and wars, just plain economics and ingenuity.



IMHO the end of cheap energy is what we should be worried about, not global warming.

Unfortunately, I do not share your optimism. Demand does not automatically create supply. While there is a strong demand for a device that would let us pinpoint the exact position and speed of an atom, or for a perpetual motion engine, or a time machine, it's not going to happen. Ever. It's a physical impossibility.

Of course, a solution might be just around the corner. But what if there is not? I'm afraid the people would turn to the state as an insurer of last resort, as they did during the Great Depression, or, more recently, after Hurricane Katrina.

It is the duty of the state to plan ahead in case there is no solution. Consider it as an insurance policy. Did you insure your house against fire and tornadoes? If so, you should welcome a raise in energy taxes and increased spending into mass transit and alternative sources of energy. It's a small price to pay when Civilization is at stake.