[extropy-chat] The great global warming swindle

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On 4/6/07, Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wrote:
>
> On Apr 5, 2007, at 4:49 PM, Rafal Smigrodzki wrote:
>
> > On 4/5/07, Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com> wrote:
> >
> >> > I find it is quite relevant to bring such personal, moral
> >> arguments to
> >> > bear here, since it is a moral, not a scientific discussion.
> >>
> >> The important part is scientific and serious so I find these personal
> >> argument tedious and utterly irrelevant.
> >
> > ### I don't see an important scientific question here. Global warming
> > is real. No scientific controversy here. Whether it is anthropogenic
> > or not is still a matter of scientific debate (I think it is, at least
> > in a large part) but it still doesn't matter to me. What matters is
> > the economic impact, and the cost-benefit effects of various courses
> > of action - and Mr Gore is a living example of how not to do
> > cost-benefit analysis.
> >
>
> Then we would better employ our energies thinking of workable
> solutions and how to get them implemented, yes?
>
### By all means! Especially if there were problems that would need to
be addressed. But, since the predicted net effect of global warming on
the US economy is a gain of about 50 billion dollars over the next few
decades (after adding losses from increased cooling loads, minor
losses from the few inches of rising ocean levels, and adding gains
from reduced heating bills and greatly improved agricultural output),
I feel no pressing need to find solutions.

Rafal