The Difference Between Global Warming Skeptics And Normal People

[Snarkoleptic]

[Gregorian]

1. That's me, every single day. I swear, even in my sleep.

It's really tough being this way. And believe me, it is far from confined to just those who deny. That's where this discussion is way off base. It's more than just believing it. I have lots of friends who believe it, and are also frivolously flitting between California, and Japan, and Taiwan, and then coaxing their friends to follow along. Or those who without a thought drive 200 miles to go on a bike ride. Oh, it doesn't fucking matter because now the methane is bubbling, and they'll all be freaking out soon.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. And when the problem is so "in your face" that even the staunchest of deniers

can no longer ingnore GW, they'll shrug their shoulders and slink off into obscurity.
All of humankind will be left holding the bag.

[freshwest]

3. RWRs believe it's Gawd's judgement. Then they go full Prepper when they're not at church.

I haven't run into any who don't believe we'll all be screwed by what is going on. The Zombie Apocalypsers are in one camp and the Second Comers in the other.

They have decided we're already Defeated and are just going for broke until they can't anymore. They expect social disintegretion beyond any human abillity to do a thing.

It's a great excuse to do nothing. After a while blaming each other won't do anything, either. I'm not concerned with who does or doesn't believe in this or that SHTF meme.

All I can do is work with those who are working on solutions. As the old saying goes, Let The Dead Bury Their Dead. I don't waste my time with them.

[HumansAndResources]

4. Why not focus on Toxins instead of CO2?

We don't know what caused the previous warmings, but we do know the CO2 went up After the Heat, as the warmer oceans released it, per the ice-core samples. OTOH, there is no question about Radiation, Mercury, Benzene, and GlycoPhosphate (round-up) literally poisoning us.

I view "CO2 regulation" is the industry's way to side-step talking about actual "poisons" they are spreading. Billionaires can buy a "hedge" in CO2 futures and the "heathcare" industry and profit from the crony-regulation and death. But cleaning up their toxic-emissions will actually cost them profits. Imagine if the Mining Industry had to put their "tailings" back in the hole they dug, instead of piling them up to wash into our rivers? Coal would cost more, but not because of a 'tax', that politicians can spend, but because of the cost of operating their business in a non-polluting fashion.

Of course, if We the People owned Equal Shares of Our Mineral Resources, then We could decide who extracted them for us, and how they went about that. Direct control via ownership beats "government" regulation every time.

[cprise]

6. You have cause and effect mixed up

"Under A Green Sky" is a good book on this subject by a leading paleoclimatologist. While warming episodes do cause additional CO2 to be released because of positive feedbacks, the Earth's geologic cycles can cause more or less CO2 to be emitted in different epochs... causing a forcing that starts a warming trend.

A new study released a couple weeks ago weighs in on this question of what started the P-T warming/anoxic event, saying it didn't start in the oceans.

[cprise]

5. This is the Precautionary Principle

Basically risk assessment. The higher the stakes, the less certainty should be required before taking precautions.

[kristopher]

7. Yes, and it is presented in a compelling fashion.

BTW, I'd still like to get a response from you to my question on this post you made:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=49088

If you wouldn't mind, please?

[Snarkoleptic]

8. Here's an oldie but a goodie on the subject as well.