All posts in the topic Global Climate Change. What's the Minnesota take? (Short link)

Jul 20 03:21 UTC

Of course the debate is not over, Lee. Do you have the slightest
notion of just how it is that science works? Just because some guy
writes a book does not vindicate one position or another on unsettled
issues like global climate change, a field that is certainly in flux,
but there are important considerations about it that require
political action on a global scale even if the current hypothesis of
rising sea levels and other catastrophic effects had only a 50-50
chance of being correct. Would you flip a coin with many trillions of
dollars and billions of lives at stake? Maybe you would, but
thankfully most of us would not.

Here's a fact, Lee: We're here on this planet because of global
warming. An environment suitable for our lives depends on the
greenhouse effect, the basis of global climate change, and the
question is whether we can contribute too much carbon to the outer
atmosphere and take that effect too far. There is a great deal of
evidence to support that we have and continue to be doing just that
(pumping too many greenhouse gases into the air) and that we are too
late to stop much of the damage from it. The guys Solomon is touting
as experts are very definitely in the minority and if you believe
there is some vast conspiracy by followers of Al Gore to silence the
scientific community, you should consider that this might be a bit of
projection of what Republicans have tried to do for many years,
(maybe the last 150 years with a mild jolt of reality thrown in from
one person or event in that time, but the Bush/Cheney tenure is what
I'm thinking of).

Even if one were not to accept that anthropogenic global climate
change exists, one cannot deny that the steps to mitigate it
contribute to world peace through energy independence. I'm not that
worried about convincing Lee, but the Chinese may take a while and
are much more important to the success of any global efforts than
Lee's corner of Maple Grove, MN and the rest of the listening area
for David Strom.

So how do Minnesotans feel about the issue and what government should
do when the science is not crystal clear? Do you toss the coin? Call
it, then, and live with one outcome or another; or don't gamble at
all and work towards a sensible energy future with minimal impact on
the environment regardless of the effects on climate. I think even
most of our domestic Republicans hold a the view that policy must
reflect some recognition of what may or may not happen, whoever or
whatever is right or wrong about one hypothesis or another.

Here's some Minnesota links:

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/globalwarming.html

http://www.mnclimatechange.us/index.cfm

And the Pew Center on Global Climate Change:

http://www.pewclimate.org/

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