(02-22-2019, 06:17 AM)Rajvik Wrote: And that right there is one of the best arguments I have ever heard to disprove the idea that global warming/climate change is man made. Forget the science for a minute and realize the arrogance that it takes to think that 200 years of activity could cause the planet to change that much.
A statement like that is arrogance in and of itself. To flat out refute the possibility is the very antithesis of the scientific process.
Do you know why a lot of what we know is called 'Theory' as opposed to 'Law'? Because there's a few aspects to these things that scientists are not quite certain about, and they do not want to say "This is absolutely the way this thing works" when there are still aspects of these things that are not understood.
Granted, there is a lot about meteorology that's not quite understood. Weather does some pretty damn interesting things that have flummoxed scientists the world over. Again, lots of Theories, but not a whole lot of Laws.
Denying the possibility that we are having a drastic effect on our climate is you trying to state that as a Law, and not a Theory. Even you yourself have used this argument against us, but the fact of the matter is that the blade cuts both ways: If you say that we cannot be entirely certain that we are not causing climate change, then we say that you can't be entirely certain that we are not causing climate change.
Thus, the question: Do you REALLY want to be wrong about this, Rajvic? Because I know you live in Florida, and I know it's a very flat land where it only takes one minor hurricane to wreak havoc. (Oh, I know you folks have adapted to this very well, just as we San Antonians have adapted to the utterly capricious rainfalls we get around here.) But the fact of the matter is that if things do heat up just enough, the polar ice caps WILL melt down.
That's not Theory. That's Law. And Law also dictates that when all that ice melts, the sea levels will rise.
We'll be okay here in San Antonio. It'll get damn hectic, for certain, as all our low-laying coastal regions will need to be evacuated and its peoples relocated. But Houston will be gone, and along with it all the oil refineries that we depend on. We got a taste of that with Hurricane Harvey. (Though I suspect that by that time, people will have moved to carbon-neutral processes for the most part.)
But Florida?
Florida is going to disappear. IF we are right about climate change.
And I'm pretty sure that's an IF that should be hanging over every Floridian's head like the Sword of Damocles.
You do not want to live with an IF like that. And pretending that it isn't an IF is like saying that it's perfectly safe to go about your business with a Hurricane coming at you.
Which, unfortunately, has become a trend lately.
One in which people have been paying for their hubris with their lives or the lives of their loved ones.
I recall one Sheriff visiting people in his coastal community very recently because of a massive hurricane that was barrelling towards them. I can't remember which one, there've been so many already. But he was warning people.
"You need to get out."
"Hell no, this is our land, and we're gonna stay right here."
"Then you better give me the phone numbers of your next of kin."
He made a lot of those phone calls after the hurricane cleared out.
The epitome of hubris and arrogance.
We are warning you, friend. This is not something we're trifling with. We strongly believe it's very real. And even IF it's not?
Well, you've changed a few things. Nothing huge. Power comes from a different source. Probably solar panels on your roof, a small wind turbine, and a bank of batteries. Which will all pay for itself within just a few years of you not having to pay an electric bill. Your car is either hydrogen fueled, biofueled, electric, or a hybrid, but you will probably ride a bike or take the bus whenever its practical to do so. The electric-boosted bikes are looking like a great option now. I'm strongly considering getting my own bike retrofitted, even though it's a $1200 price tag.
We here in San Antonio don't mess with IF. We saw the signs. We've been proactive with our flood controls. A lot of it has been at grave fiscal expense - expense that you would probably balk at if it ever came up in a local referendum. But we didn't mess around. The very next year after our flood control tunnels were completed we were hit by the worst flooding in our recorded history. And the tunnels worked perfectly, diverting the flood waters away from our sensitive areas and preventing millions in damages to the shops, hotels, and restaurants that line our river.
We saw IF. We took action. And that action has repaid us handsomely in money saved in costly insurance claims and lowered premiums.
We see IF right now. We're doing our part here. In spite of the booming fracking industry, we're building huge solar and wind farms out here. We get plenty of sun and wind for it.
We're only asking people to consider other options - ones that can even provide dividends.
But IF it happens... Don't say we didn't warn you.
I don't say this out of spite or malice. I say this because I do care. Because I don't want to see people hurt or suffer. Yes, these changes can be inconvenient in the short term. But I strongly believe that the Big IF is too big to flat-out ignore.
Even if it doesn't come to pass, the changes are not going to be as hurtful. Sleepy coal mining towns can become manufacturing powerhouses of wind turbines and photovoltaics without displacing their populations - the production of such things are surprisingly labor intensive, and require a great deal of people to move. The infrastructure for that is in place, too. Rail that was used to ship coal out can be easily used to move massive turbine blades, tower structures, and intermodal containers packed with brand new photovoltaic cells. This is a sustainable industry as it is always pursuing the bleeding edge, and as they do so, localities will want to upgrade.
Petrochemical companies can shift to making fully synthetic polymers and solvents without a single drop of crude oil. Oil companies are already looking into algae farming for carbon-neutral solutions. There are jobs being made and these companies need people to fill those jobs. Better it be the miner who's been on unemployment for the last year than Gunther from Germany - he didn't need to come to the USA, but the money was too good to pass up, and he had a lot of experience with composite materials manufacturing.
Oh. Wait. Trump killed those retraining programs in an effort to 'drain the swamp'. He also killed subsidies for wind and solar energy despite the fact that the oil industry is doing just fine and the coal industry is going to die a slow death no matter what you do about it. He started a trade war with China.
Guess what we ship to China by the boatload?
Coal.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=11791