One of the main arguments made by Al Gore for climate alarmism has been his claim that global temperatures will increase catastrophically with increases in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂). He used a hokey correlation analysis to try to prove his case. There is indeed a relationship between temperatures and CO₂ since temeratures follow CO₂ levels. But based on sophisticated econometric studies, CO₂ levels have no significant effect on temperatures in the real world. Rather, CO₂ changes follow temperatures, not lead them.

Now that the alleged end of oil and gas has been postponed far into the future, the only remaining argument for reducing CO₂ emissions is that using wind and solar will supposedly reduce the the alleged catastrophic increases in global temperatures. And since recent econometric research has found that changes in atmospheric CO₂ have no significant effect on temperatures, alarmists are left with no argument at all–just pleas for endless subsidies and propaganda for increasing the cost of electric power.

So why do we continue to subsidize “renewable” energy (except hydropower)? There is no basis for the infant industry argument after decades of building these monstrosities, and wind and solar power have many adverse environmental and economic effects. Fossil fuels also have adverse environmental effects, but after decades of effort these “conventional” effects have been well controlled, if not over-controlled. So far, little progress has been made in reducing the adverse environmental effects of wind and solar, however. Wind and solar kill birds and bats (crucial to keeping down insect populations); both mar the scenery. Windmills annoy humans with unwanted sound. Disposing of wind and solar installations is difficult and expensive, so wind and solar installations tend to hang around long after they are no longer viable because the subsidies have run out. Solar panels contain toxic compounds which can harm the environment if damaged or not very carefully disposed of.