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

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for this very lucid comment on the value of immediate action to combat Global Warming and the relative cost of inaction or delayed action.

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: code suidae<mailto:codesuidae at gmail.com> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 5:07 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] the most terrifying video...climate change


  On Dec 8, 2007 1:38 PM, Kevin Chisholm <kchisholm at ca.inter.net<mailto:kchisholm at ca.inter.net>> wrote:
  > By proceeding from truth and fact, we can develop a plan of action
  > that will work. Why risk Life as we now know it on a guess by Consensus
  > Science that Man's GHG emissions are causing GW?

  Recent studies by the IPCC suggest that global action to reduce our
  emissions would have only a small effect on short term GWP and would
  have a net positive effect over longer terms (IIRC). That is, they
  think that the financial impact of cutting carbon emissions will be
  positive, overall.

  While those changes are happening climate science will continue,
  exploring alternative models and monitoring progress. If there appears
  to be no effect then presumably someone will eventually figure out
  why. Taking action on human-produced emissions won't effect this (it
  might be positive, as less time will be spent by researchers trying to
  convince people that their current theory is correct).

  Our civilization is currently built almost entirely on fossil fuel
  availability. As we deplete these resources at exponentially
  increasing rates we will need to move to renewable resources anyway.
  Doing so sooner rather than later is a good thing, as it helps to
  avoid problems that might occur if we were to run into shortages in
  fossil supples while trying to develop renewable sources. It also has
  many potential environmental advantages as we can more quickly get
  away from environmentally damaging activities that are associated with
  fossil fuel use (provided we don't choose renewable sources that
  create similar levels of damage).

  So, my point is this. We should not wait and see. We should take
  action now to quickly reduce human-caused sources of GHG's and to
  reverse destruction of what we believe to be environmentally important
  ecosystems. If it turns out we're wrong, that's ok, because the
  economic impact should not be bad, doing it may help to free up some
  researchers to explore other related issues and we're doing something
  we need to do at some point in the near future anyway.

  Dave K
  -- 
  "Our ignorance is not so vast as our failure to use what we know." -
  M. King Hubbert

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