I’ve been vaguely amused at the orchestrated nonsense coming out of the climate science community to coincide with the Doha Climate Change Conference, most particularly the claim that we are now on track for an increase of temperature of 4 to 6 degrees by the year 2100.
Cranking up the hysteria like this means not only are they desperate, but their message has lost traction. They also have to be approaching some end-point of hysteria. Where do the claims go from here? 10 degrees? 20 degrees?
The higher the estimate, the more it raises the question as to why it’s not hotter already. We’ve increased CO2 levels by one-third since the industrial revolution, but the increase in temperature has only been in the order of 0.6 degrees, and no-one knows what the natural fluctuation is in all that.
These recent alarmist claims are based on work by PWC (formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers) an accounting firm and the World Bank.
You’ve got to scratch your head. Most on the left wouldn’t trust the World Bank to advise a country on how to run its economy, so how have they suddenly become a reliable source of information on what the temperature will be in 88 years time?
Still, if these bankers and their advisors are right, it leads to one useful conclusion – the carbon abatement schemes in Europe and Australia are incredibly expensive, with a cost approaching infinity per ton of carbon, and ought to be scrapped.
What appears to be happening is that first world countries’ emissions are not increasing by much, but China and India have more than taken up the slack.
They are doing this because their own populations are rapidly industrialising at the same time as first world countries are outsourcing their CO2 emitting industries to them.
The total amount of CO2 embodied in consumption in the first world hasn’t changed much, only the place where they are emitted.
If you are seriously worried about global warming, then it’s time for a new approach. It’s obvious the old one isn’t working.
Yes, I am seriously worried about global warming so what new approach do you suggest? Doing nothing is not an option.
Comment by rossco — December 4, 2012 @ 11:39 am
they may be crying wolf in Doha Graham but I suspect the climate deniers are fiddling while Rome burns. Even the World Bank now acknowledges the reality of anthropomorphic global warming
Comment by barney — December 4, 2012 @ 12:38 pm
I am not sure why either of you is worried about global warming. There is absolutely no real world evidence showing that rises of 4 or 6 degrees are in prospect. The World Bank isn’t particularly good at banking, so why you should take notice of its views on climate is beyond me.
Comment by Graham — December 4, 2012 @ 12:55 pm
My point was that any cliched analogy you can do i can do as well.
In any event we’ll see. I hope you’re right. If you’re right i will shout it from the rooftops that i have made a massive mistake. i suspect that when and if the incontrovertible evidence that the rest of us see and that you are not convinced by, is so manifest as to be unable to deny any longer, that it may be too late for you and it won’t matter anyway. Because it will be the deniers who will have delayed a meaningful response.
Comment by barney — December 4, 2012 @ 1:25 pm
My point on this issue has always been that you are not going to stop carbon emissions growing from the third world, so the only viable strategy you have is adaptation. That is independent of what you think the science might or might not be.
It was only when I looked at the evidence that I realised that the catastrophe line was wrong, but that was a view that I came to after a lot of thought and research.
Comment by Graham — December 4, 2012 @ 3:37 pm
as i said. Hope you’re right. cause if you’re not….
Comment by barney — December 4, 2012 @ 3:52 pm