I simply cannot understand why an "all of the above" energy policy is not best. It prevents nothing but a train wreck.
I am guessing it is because you aren't aware of the possibility of abrupt climate change, something that research has only brought to light in the past 15-20 years or so as our knowledge of past climate changes has grown sharper and more complete. Ice cores, shell analysis, deep ocean mud analysis, tree rings, pollen analysis--they all give pretty much the same picture of climate. It can remain in within a fairly tight range for awhile, and then suddenly and sharply change in a matter of decades--and sometimes less than a decade, depending on what is causing the change. These are uncharted waters--there has, as far as we know, never been so many GHGs put into the atmosphere as quickly as we are doing it right now and for the next century if we do in fact continue BAU or anything close to it. Even volcanic activity which in the past has been responsible for releasing an enormous amount of CO2 has done it over a period of centuries or even in some cases millennia or more. And feedback mechanisms at work will just increase the rate of change over the coming decades. That is why most scientists who have looked into the data on abrupt climate change and see how feedback mechanisms work don't believe that we have much time: once a transitional tipping point is reached--and that will happen before the really bad consequences will kick in, with some people believing that it has already been reached, agreeing with one of your stated points of view that nothing we do at this point will stop it anyway--then it is game over. And the things that will do civilization in won't be simply warmer weather. It will be changes in precipitation patterns, flooding and droughts in highly populated areas, and refugee crises around the world as people seek such basics as food, water and energy.
But, honestly, I'm afraid I don't have the patience of some people to sit here and debate the details with you or Brumar or some of the others on this and other threads. I've encouraged people several times now to read Spencer Weart's web pages (at aip.org ) or his book--you can debate him if you want. He makes far more sense to me than, e.g., the guy at wattsupwiththat, who Brumar keeps linking.
Here are a few links on abrupt climate change, if you have any interest in reading about it:
Abrupt Climate Change: Final Report, Synthesis and Assessment Product 3.4
climatescience.gov
A Paleo Perspective on Abrupt Climate Change
ncdc.noaa.gov
Abrupt Climate Change: Should We Be Worried?
whoi.edu
Abrupt climate change FAQ
ucsusa.org |
