Cooling Down?
June 20th, 2008 by Peter SudermanRich Lowry, today:
As an indirect tax on carbon, cap-and-trade would increase energy prices when people are already straining under $4-a-gallon gas. Even a political naif — which McConnell assuredly is not — would realize the benefit of hanging the proposal around its supporters’ necks. Lately, we’ve seen the tech and housing bubbles burst, and now — at least as an urgent political issue — the global-warming bubble is getting pricked.
Is the tide turning in the global warming debate? Jim Manzi points out a series of Andrew Sullivan posts and suggests that maybe it is. Here’s the takeaway:
Given current projections, the costs of restricting emissions just can’t be justified based on the benefits that it is projected to provide.
As far as I can see, proponents of emissions reductions will respond with four arguments: (1) inflate the analyzed costs of global warming by claiming the science actually now says things will be even worse than we previously thought, (2) inflate the analyzed costs of global warming by embedding indefensible discount rate assumptions in the black box of econometric calculations used by economists to conduct the cost-benefit analysis, (3) deflate the analyzed costs of emissions mitigation by claiming a free lunch – that there is a cost-free or low-cost way to radically reduce emissions, and/or (4) turn this into a moral crusade asserting that we have a moral duty to the poor of the world because of our past sins of emission. I have laid out responses to each of these objections: 1, 2, 3 and 4. When considered carefully, emissions mitigation proponents have no persuasive arguments.
I’m not entirely convinced that the debate is shifting outside of an influential but still small subset of the blogosphere. But the potential for a shift is clearly there, and the politics of the recent debate over Lieberman-Warner do suggest a future in which cap-and-trade just isn’t on the table.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
The global warming alarmist fanatics who believe that we can significantly make a dent in influencing climate, will, I’m sad to say, become more rabid and insane with their false religion. They are here to stay as the die hard Darwinists. Like the evolutionists that flood the web news about all the supposed daily discoveries of “science,” these Al Gore disciples make it their business to be in everyone’s business. In effect, they, like the evolution advocates, are peddling “pseudo-science” disguised as reality.
June 21st, 2008 at 9:15 am
If global warming is like evolution, then the “debate” my friend is over, period. Lucky for me that I know enough about global wamring to know that it is no where near the basic scientific FACT that evolution is.
June 21st, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Mister Guy: With all due respect for your freedom to voice your opinions, I’m happy to hear that you have made it half way in your understanding of reality. I would hope and pray that you would [in time] understand the other “half” in that you would realize that evolution (molecules to man) is only a theory and not scientific “FACT.” [Your words]
Here is a great website to help aid you in understanding what constitutes scientific fact versus pseudo science [theory]:
http://www.icr.org/
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
The only cap and trade we need Is to cap the salaries of congress and senate. take away there gas cards and trade the empty social security accounts for there retirement funds
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
What is it with you guys and the religious nuts?
June 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
“pseudo science” is NOT that same as a theory, period. As a scientist myself, I know the difference already tyvm. Creation is a religious “theory”, not a scientific one. If you want to believe that an imaginary man in the sky is running everything, then great…but stay out of our science classes in school!
“trade the empty social security accounts for there retirement funds”
Too bad that the politicans retirement funds (AKA the TSP) is mostly full of the EXACT same govt. securities that SS Trust Fund is full of…ooopppsss…
June 25th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Global worming can i say is a result of us not really taking good care of our surroundings, just as we have have abandoned your youths into taking substances. if we are to survive in the coming years i feel we should arrest the total erosion of our environment.
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sara lee
Florida Drug Rehab
floridadrugrehab.com