Global Warming

[Ron Wood]

The primary threat to the planet is the human population explosion. The number of people vying for resources is expanding exponentially.
Ron

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Kiwi

How about 8 Billion humans breathing out carbon dioxide, or does that not count?

Try the same 8 Billion cutting down trees to cook their rice tonight,
any carbon impact there?

What you've indicated are part of the natural carbon cycle. Burning trees releases no more CO2 than if they oxidized slowly. Unless they're eating coal and drinking oil, respiration of all living things is part of the natural cycle. The problem is dragging up and burning extra carbon from underground. Unimaginable tons of it have upset the balance, Besides, ants alone outweigh humanity, and are thus bigger contributors than we are.

No, it is only the 0.3 billion driving SUV's that cause all of this

There are many things contributing CO2 from burnt dinosaur juice to the atmosphere. Vehicle emissions are indeed a big one.

We must tax our way out of it.

And appropriately so. Consider it repayment on the loan we took from the environment. We're addicted to carbon based energy. Withdrawal symptoms are to be expected.

Of course all the tax money recipients are honest, non-corrupt, altruistic, and can balance the needs of their electorate (if elected) with the needs of the planet

There are probably the same proportion of dishonest, corrupt, and selfish people among those who pay the taxes. Effective oversight, rational, evidence based policies, cooperation, and--dare I say it?--a modicum of regulation will help. It's mostly our kids and grand kids--and beyond--who will actually be paying the price.

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

The primary threat to the planet is the human population explosion. The number of people vying for resources is expanding exponentially.
Ron

The existential threat to earth's population is partly itself, granted. Non-renewable resources are indeed finite. One way to cure it is to make the planet less habitable, with agriculture, transportation, and life itself subject to stronger, more frequent hurricanes and tornadoes, wildfires, floods, etc. induced by the ongoing extra energy being trapped by the atmosphere and warming the globe. A good pandemic against which we're powerless would also work. Only a mere 1 in 300 died here in this latest one. Think of results more in terms of the Black Death to whittle us back down to size. Maybe family planning wouldn't be that bad.

[tomaustin]

we are less than 2% DNA removed from the Chimpanzees...

apparently the notion of not destroying our earth was in their remainder interest of the <2%.....

[Roadster 02]

The climate changes every day. It's a money, and power grabbing hoax folks.

[wlyon]

Climate and Weather are two separate things. Yes our climate is changing rapidly.

[Roadster 02]

Yes it changes, but we aren't doing anything to effect it, It's all propaganda worthy of Goebbels.

[Kiwi]

Well Roadster, I can disagree with you just as easily as I can disagree with Ithacaartist.
I think we are doing a lot to affect it, I do not think we can tax our way out of it.

A while ago I read that there are 3 things that would help and that humans will never do any of those 3.

1. globally reduce population - 1 child per family until the world population is back to 1 billion.
2. globally go vegetarian as land use for vegetables is so much more efficient than meat production.
3. This I forgot , but it was equally impossible.

p.s. Goebbels could only dream of what media today is able to do.
p.p.s. Why is Nazi Germany held as the propaganda standard, look what the Soviets accomplished.

[mrerick]

Remember, today's human population is only possible because of modern synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.

Those came from the Haber-Bosch process for reducing the N2 nitrogen molecule from the air around us and producing the Ammonia used in fertilizers.

Without these, we could not grow the food that sustains the 8 billion people that live on earth today.

Haber also invented the chemical processes that Germany used on the fields of Flanders and elsewhere during WW-I.

The point here is that there is nothing natural about the current human population of the earth.

[Roadster 02]

I think it is the height of arrogance for us puny humans to believe we can affect this planets weather, climate, global change, or whatever those that want absolute power are calling it today. This planet could shrug us off as easily as it did the dinosaurs. We might be able to pollute the water due to the fact there is such a finite amount of fresh water, but affect the climate? Hogwash. Meteorologists cannot even predict the weather correctly a month ahead, and you're telling me that these guys can tell you what will happen in ten years? Absolute baloney! This is a total power grab by those that want the "new world order", you know, democrap socialists, power hungry billionaires, the doofuses that think we are stupid and they know how to run your life. This is all part of their plan for world domination. No thanks. I will not drink the Koolaid.