Assume Global Warming is Inevitable...

[DGS49]

Just for the sake of discussion, assume that the planet is heating up at an accelerated pace and there is NOTHING that can be done to stop it or slow it down.

What public policies would make the most sense?

Clearly, world governments would have to embark on a strategy to address the changes and events that "scientists" predict would happen. Low-lying coastal areas would have to be either protected or resettled to avoid total devastation due to rising ocean levels. And with limited resources, decisions would have to be made in some cases (New Orleans) that the cost of adaptation would be too great to be justified.

Trans-continental water transport would have to be implemented, to provide water from areas where water is plentiful to areas that will be subject to prolonged droughts. Pittsburgh, where I live, it rains all the fucking time - or at least it seems that way. Take out excess water, please.

And since the trend cannot be stopped, we could eliminate the silly and pointless strategies to minimize CO2 production, "capture and store" CO2 emissions, and so on.

I submit to you that this makes more sense than what we are doing now. Fuck solar, it's a waste of resources. Fuck wind. In most cases it is not economically viable. Burn carbon, as efficiently as possible. Re-think Nuke so that it is not so burdened by neurotic regulations.

 

[Old Rocks]

The more GHG's that are added, the worse the situation. The fact that we have already built in a lot of warming is hardly reason to make it worse. Wind is at present cheaper than even dirty coal. Solar soon will be. Both are very good investments. Nukes without regulations? Think Chernobyl and Fukushima.

But I expect this to be the new mantra of the 'Conservatives'. It is going to be bad, so why not make it worse. Anything, other than actually addressing the problem.

 

[DGS49]

Well.....do you believe that anything done in the U.S. right now will have any effect whatsoever on the World's climate in the future?

Please consider in your answer the fact that China, India, Germany and other developing nations are building coal-fired power plants by the score every year.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Assume a Lie....

From the get go this is an epic fail....

 

[Crick]

Well.....do you believe that anything done in the U.S. right now will have any effect whatsoever on the World's climate in the future?

Please consider in your answer the fact that China, India, Germany and other developing nations are building coal-fired power plants by the score every year.

China is building wind and solar faster than any other nation on the planet.

Cutting CO2, as we might have been doing 20 years ago if not for folks like you and the rest of the deniers here, WILL help. Unfortunately, it will not help for several decades. That, of course, will give the world's cowardly ostriches more than enough excuse to do nothing. And they will run diatribes like this one nonstop to try to convince themselves that their choices are justifiable.

Bad enough to lie to others, but what do you call someone who has to lie to themselves?

 

[HenryBHough]

What we'd need is a national WATER grid. Interconnection of all municipal water supplies and privately owned wells. All commandeered for "the common good". Administered by a federal Water Czar, chose for expertise in evading taxes. All run by computerized valves controlled by hack-proof software on the internet. How could anything go wrong....wrong......wron......g......wr....on.........g,,,,,,,,

 

[kflaux]

Just for the sake of discussion, assume that the planet is heating up at an accelerated pace and there is NOTHING that can be done to stop it or slow it down.

It can't be stopped, but it can certainly be slowed down.

And research is underway on methods to actively draw down CO2 levels. In addition to old-fashioned ways, like planting trees.

Fuck wind. In most cases it is not economically viable.

Windpower at appropriate sites is already comparable to or lower than the cost of power from coal-fired plants. Even before considering externalities.


The best way to summarize the situation WRT the costs of addressing climate change is kinda like the old chestnut about the cost of education (another investment in the future): if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

If you think 1 or 2% of GDP is too much to pay to seriously address climate change, consider that our descendants will be paying many times that to address its effects.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Public policies won't do anything. When shit hits the fan, what fixes things will be human ingenuity... unless it doesn't.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Sea walls
Moving cities further inland
Attempting the food supply to a warmer planet