[Terrapreta] the most terrifying video...climate change

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Jim

Jim Joyner wrote:
> Kevin Chisholm wrote:
>> If we assume, for the sake of discussion, that Global Warming is caused 
>> by Cosmic Rays, and their effect on cloud cover, then we are worse off  
>> implementing the present "generally accepted" corrective actions, ie, 
>> basically, reducing greenhouse gases. We would be "doing an excellent 
>> job of doing the wrong thing." 
>>   
> Kevin,
>
> I'm not sure this true. Whether excess CO2 in the atmosphere is 
> causing GW or not, I think we do know CO2 is at historically high 
> levels. Bringing CO2 back to "norms" would not seem a dangerous act 
> and if we get to a point where we think CO2 is low, it wouldn't seem a 
> problem to create more. So, in the event CO2 is causing some or all of 
> GW, then it would seem a win deal. But if it is not . . .
Conserving on Fossil Fuel use is a good thing, regardless if CO2 is 
causing GW. If it is, then we should conserve fossil fuels and sequester 
CO2, but if it isn't, then we should conserve fossil fuels, and we 
wouldn't need to sequester CO2 (for GW considerations)
>
> And, there is another aspect to the CO2 sequestration, especially to 
> industrial sequestration. We can both clean smoke stacks and sequester 
> CO2 with almost the same nickel -- making it more palatable for our 
> various social and political decision making systems. The pollution, 
> e,g, caused from coal burning energy plants needs to be cleaned up in 
> any event. There's little disagreement that mercury is a problem.
As far as I know, "cleaning" the gas to remove sulfur, mercury, other 
heavy metals, ash and dioxins is technically feasible, and not 
economically prohibitive. I don't know any way that CO2 captured at 
source and removed from the Environment in the significant quantities 
that would be captured..
>
> My contention is that we need to prepare for /both/ possibilities. We 
> can both cut greenhouse gases and begin finding ways to adapt to 
> global warming.  If a reduction in CO2 doesn't help, ie, if GW is 
> caused by something beyond human control -- we will have put ourselves 
> in a similar situation the video foresees if we don't start planning 
> for new food and water systems, now.
I would suggest that the resource requirements and changes in "life as 
we now know it" will be so great that we cannot afford to do both.

Best wishes,

Kevin
>
> Jim
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