Global Warming

Global warming:  one of the most divisive left-right issues of our time.  Let’s have a look:

The left fringe screams at us… “The sky is falling, and soon!  We must do something now or we’ll all perish!  Only 10% of global GDP, and we can save the entire planet!  Ban light bulbs!  Ban cars!  There are no other solutions!”

The right fringe counters with a rather incoherent set of statements… “Um, (1) No it’s not, there is no evidence of global warming whatsoever, and (2) even if there is, it’s not conclusive, there’s still scientific disagreement, here’s our list of 100 scientists who disagree, and (3) okay, so even if 99% of actual climatologists agree, we can find 5 who faked their research, and (4) even if you just look at the real research, there’s no evidence that it’s caused by man, and (5) okay, so maybe some evidence links global warming to mankind, the earth can heal itself so who cares, and (6) even if all of our other statements are wrong, what’s the matter with warming up Canada and Alaska a little bit?”

So what’s the problem with a little political screaming?  Well, all the noise keeps us from getting to the real issue, and to some real solutions.

First, a short primer on global warming:  the Earth is getting warmer.  Much of this is due to the actions of man (pollution, burping cattle, clear-cutting of rainforests, over-farming).  Some variation is also due to natural solar cycles.

Regardless of the underlying cause, global warming could bring us much more trouble than warmer summers in Saskatchewan.  If the ice cap on Greenland melts, we could see the possible interruption of thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic Ocean.  Such an interruption might be almost like turning off a switch: there one day, gone in a few months or years.

Without warm surface water in the North Atlantic, the west-to-east winds traveling from Canada to Europe go from wet and warm (why Rome has weather like Florida, and not New York) to cold and dry.  Scandinavia and Scotland would freeze.  Crops throughout Europe would fail.  It’s happened before for other reasons (1816 was known as the “Year Without a Summer”), but when it’s due to the interruption of thermohaline circulation, the effects can last for hundreds or thousands of years.  The Earth took over 100,000 years to recover after a similar event , the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum.

So the threat is real, and there’s a lot of pieces of evidence that we’re near or past the tipping point already (clathrate gun, anyone?).  But is the solution really radical rethinking of all of our usage of fossil fuels right now?  15%, or 10%, or even 5% of global GDP spent on this is not politically possible, barring imminent individual deaths.  It just ain’t gonna happen, people.  And sticking our heads in the sand and pretending it isn’t happening, or claiming the Earth will fix itself, that’s just as bad.

So what do we do?  Boats and squirtguns.  Really, not kidding.  It's called Cloud Reflectivity Enhancement.  Ocean-going boats, spraying ocean water in the air, creates clouds.  The clouds absorb heat and reflect sunlight remarkably well, and the cost would be measured in billions (with a B) instead of trillions (with a T).

But…  the left won’t have it, because it doesn’t change our habits, and doesn’t change the cause.  And the right won’t do it, because they won’t spend billions (with a B) on something they swear isn’t happening in the first place!  This political Catch-22 won’t likely be broken until it really is too late.  Sadly.