Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thepeel]

Today say two reports released that offer totally opposite view of the potential economic impact of kyoto. I'll post portions of both.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070420.wsuzukreport0420/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070420.wsuzukreport0420
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070419.wclimate0419/BNStory/Front

[EFLtrainer]

Why would you agree with either, other than due to ignorance of the issues? Fact is, nobody knows what will come. We do, however, have a good idea of what may come, what likely will come (though with no more than a plurality of a certainty) and what CAN come (with 100% certainty).

Those of you who try to paint this as something other than it is ought to be held to account when things hit the fan....

This is how it lies:

1. The Earth is warming.

2. CO2 is at its highest level during the time of man's existence... at least in our modern form.

3. Ice Ages typically end due to a primary forcing from sun energy/Earth's orbit/rotation. CO2 follows in about 800 years. It then becomes the **overall** primary forcing agent. However, we are now accentuating that with our industrialized society.... which means all bets are off. We've added a monkey wrench into the mix.

4. Climate records indicate (due to new technology in the last 20 years) that major climate changes can occur in periods of a decade or less.

5. Observed phenomenon reinforce the scientific measurements showing Earth changes are coming faster and faster. (Chaos effect.)

6. A very significant portion of the world's population lies within 1 meter of sea level. (Personally, I see 1 meter of sea level rise within the next 50 - 100 years **easily**.)

7. Greenland, the Arctic, and large areas of Antarctica are melting more and more rapidly. (Sea level rise/thermohaline transfer - the latter already down 30 percent.)

8. #7 WAS NOT included in projections in either of this year's two reports by the IPCC. Those reports state a sea level rise of 7 to 22 inches is unavoidable. **Without the ice figured in.** Current measurements are already at the upper end of the projections. (Duh! they didn't include ice melt!)

9. How's New Orleans doing with that rebuild? That good, eh? Soo... if we do nothing and end up with 20 or 30 or 40 New Orleans', that's OK? That's a wise tack?

10. The choice is starkly simple: spend 5% now to avoid the possible, nee, likely 10, 20, 30, 40 later?

No-brainer.

And we get healthier living, closer communities, and cheaper power out of it, too.

I see no tenable moral, ethical or political stand on this beyond buckling down and getting 'er done. It's pure common sense.

And we haven't even included issues such as peak oil, Iraq or the possible massive weakness of the dollar/us economy, etc., etc.... but aren't 1 - 10 above enough? Even without those other considerations?

[enns]

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