I see several dangers arising from the climate control meeting
I agree with your points #1-4, though I'd characterize them as difficulties rather than "dangers". Nobody said it would be easy! Keep in mind though that *all* international conventions face such problems - this hasn't stopped some from being successful.
5. There is time to study the issue.
That's true, but I disagree with your implied "before we act". Global warming is very real, well-measured, undeniable. Six of the seven hottest years in history (since records have been kept) occurred in 1990-1997, for instance. The point of contention is not *whether* there's global warming, but *why*.
As I pointed out before, it is all but impossible to establish exactly how much of global warming is attributable to human activity on this planet vs. other ("natural") causes. The insistence of some to wait for such an exact answer is a smokescreen designed to excuse their complacency on the issue.
It doesn't matter in the least whether our children will suffer from "natural" or "man-made" global warming: hot is hot, period. It is currently hotter than ever before, and though we can't be sure, the correlation of this event with global industrialization suggests that industrial activity may be responsible. We know the physical and chemical mechanisms by which certain industrial emissions might cause global warming. In the light of the gravity of the situation (not realized by many), it would be prudent to radically curb our emissions of these gases.
If your house is on fire, you call the firefighters first, then ask how it happened later.
- nic |
