How the Climate Doomsters Are the Problem, Not the Solution They Claim to Be

via Carlin Economics and Science
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Climate alarmists are basically failed doomsday forecasters. For a few examples see here. They believe that the world as we know it will disappear, usually because of global warming, more recently renamed climate change, often in ten years or so. But they hold out one ray of hope. If the world greatly decreases emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly carbon dioxide (CO₂), then it will not undergo their predicted catastrophic anthropogenic global warming (CAGW). This has been their basic message for several decades. Like most doomsday forecasters, they have repeatedly had to admit that the predicted catastrophes have not happened on their doomsday schedule, but always reaffirm that their faulty predictions have only been postponed.

The alarmists say that the “necessary” reductions in GHG/CO₂ emissions can be accomplished by “simply” substituting certain renewable sources of energy, mainly solar and wind, for fossil fuels, so the modern world will then be able to continue its “profligate” use of energy to help humans carry out their daily tasks without generating (as much) CO₂. In their view less atmospheric CO₂ means lower global temperatures and therefore lower risks of CAGW.

But What if Changes in CO₂ Levels Have No Significant Effect on Global Temperatures?

But what if decreases in atmospheric CO₂ levels have no significant effect on global temperatures? What if such decreases mainly adversely affect plants, so important for humans and other animals? In this case, substituting wind and solar would have no significant effect on global warming. It would simply result in substituting much more expensive, unreliable, and heavily subsidized renewables for inexpensive, reliable fossil fuels. And later (but much earlier than in the case of much longer lasting fossil fuel plants), all these windmills and solar panels will have to be torn down and disposed of when they wear out or are abandoned due to the eventual end of subsidies. The photovoltaic solar installations contain large amount of toxic substances, so this will not be easy or inexpensive. Huge windmill blades also present disposal problems. And who will pay for all this? Maybe taxpayers as the wind and solar companies go bankrupt?

In fact, recent research shows that changes in atmospheric CO₂ levels have no significant effect on global temperatures. The world may be doomed, but not from increasing human-caused CO₂ emissions. So climate alarmists appear to be doomed to pushing back their all important doomsday forecasts–for ever and ever. And it is ratepayers and taxpayers that are actually doomed to end up footing the huge bill first for subsidizing the construction of wind and solar installations, then enduring the resulting unreliability of the electric grids, and finally for their huge disposal costs. All this because the alarmists got their climate science wrong before starting to make their doomsday forecasts. So the major climate doom we face is that taxpayers and ratepayers will end up paying out enormous sums as a result of politicians that foolishly listened to the climate doomsayers.

via Carlin Economics and Science http://ift.tt/1gVT2t3

June 30, 2017 at 08:44AM