ptown_trojans_1 wrote:
iuhoosier11 wrote:
ptown,
You say that you are neither a supporter or denier of man made global warming. Are you not sure? Is there not enough evidence for you to say one way or the other? Are you in favor of a cap and trade bill?
I'm on the fence as there is not enough scientific evidence to convince me, but I still leave open the possibility that man made carbon has an effect. Like most issues of which I take an opinion, I see many shades of gray and note that both sides have good points on the issue.
Am I in favor of the cap and trade bill, sort of. I see many good things in it. I do think cap and trade is a moderate idea that needs explored. But, I still could see some concerns from over taxing, or putting loopholes in the legislation. I'd have to see the final proposals to have a firm opinion.
This is generally where I shake out. One cold winter or one hot summer doesn't mean much, and it's only an issue to people who failed stats or don't understand the big picture. If you get your info from Al Gore on the left or Rush on the right, you're going to see the issue in very narrow terms and miss the nuances.
Virtually everyone acknowledges that there is some risk of global warming, and that there is some risk that climate change could be catastrophic. Even if we think this isn't likely, it still makes sense to do a cost-benefit analysis of steps we can take now to lessen that risk. That's what the debate is really about--trying to figure out a way to take minimal steps now to minimize risk for future generations. As humans, we're quite terrible about discounting the costs of something that has a low probability of happening but massive consequences when it does. That's why the debate is important.
Think of it as life insurance. I'm 26 and unlikely to die in the next few years. Yet I reduce my current standard of living by a nominal amount now to account for that possibility, not because I think it's likely to happen, but because I want to make sure Mrs. FFT and baby FFT are taken care of if it does. That's the general idea behind climate change---taking small steps now to address the worst of the problems down the line.
Sure, whackos on the left things we should go luddite and get rid of everything to save Mother Earth, while whackos on the right think we should ignore it completely and assume that any problem will be fixed by technology in the future. Both of those opinions are unrealistic and dangerous, which is why I was happy to see both 2008 presidential candidates come out in favor of reasonable approaches to climate change.