Tuesday Science Blogging

The Viscount was thinking about climate change science and has noted that it is striking how many people still believe that accelerated human-induced climate change is false. The evidence is all around us. While some have recognized that there are areas in the world where cool temperatures seem to prevail for longer periods, the overall trend of planetary warming is such that the global temperature has risen approximately 1.4 degrees F in the last century. What is certainly obvious to the Viscount is that while there is a general warming trend, there is also greater climate variability. Temperatures fluctuate more, precipitation varies more, and storms and droughts are more severe. But what to do about all of this? There are really only four choices. First, we can require the use of less greenhouse gases. Second, we can tax or in some way economically make the use of greenhouse gases desirable (such as the whole cap and trade approach). Third, we can mitigate the impact of greenhouse gas production through carbon sequestration or storage projects. These are great ideas, but represent just a tiny fraction of the emissions produced. Finally, we can geoengineer a major project that would somehow transfer heat out of our atmosphere into space or within the earth.

Of course, we can also just dance while Rome burns. Humans quite regularly make poor individual choices on environmental issues that concern a large group of people. For evidence, one must read Jared Diamond's Collapse to ascertaing the full impact of poor human thinking on environmental issues.