[extropy-chat] The great global warming swindle

[Eugen Leitl]

On Fri, Apr 06, 2007 at 09:05:42AM -0700, Samantha Atkins wrote:

> > ### 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

I've heard some estimates that total world GNP is to take a 20% dive
due to global warming. Looking at Collapse, it appears plausible.
Precipitation shifts->crop failure->famine->migrations->wars, etc.

Notice that I have no idea whether this is true, and don't have
any personal interest debating the minutiae. To me, personally,
waste of energy is an earmark of both poor stewardship, and primitive
technology. I like neither the former, nor the latter.

While I can't match Gore's 4 k$/month electricity bill (if it not be 
apocryphal), our ~720 EUR/year are rather excessive.

> > 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.
> 
> 
> Predicted by whom and with what biases?  There are many possible  
> scenarios and many of them are not so rosy.  How much would a few  
> Katrina-like storms cost?  How much for major drought? How much for a  
> Katrina or larger storm hitting the oil and shipping of the Gulf more  
> directly?  $50 billion?  Pocket change in this time of $9 trillion in  
> admitted deficits.    Are you willing to bet on your scenario to the  
> extent of saying nothing needs to be done?
> 
> And what happens to the rest of the world?

S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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