Dylan Smith wrote:
snip
In any case, it's a problem that cannot be ignored. It's not just
that
burning fossil fuels is adding CO2 to the atmosphere, it's:

* fossil fuels are not infinite, and indeed although there may be
enough
to outlast everyone alive today, the *cheap* oil is rather more
limited. Our current lifestyles don't just depend on oil, they
depend
on oil that is very cheap.
* we are having to depend on hostile nations for energy supply
* the damage will not be reversable, at least not in our lifetimes.

I agree wholeheartedly with your first two points. The economic and
political ramifications of relying on cheap oil are not good for
anyone. Of course, the way most economies work, alternatives will not
be exploited until the oil becomes more expensive than the alternative.
I can easily see a day when oil at $500/bbl will result in everyone
flying high-tech solar powered airplanes (*note aviation content!*) and
heating their homes with solar supplied hydrogen. When oil is no
longer economically feasable, something cheaper will take its place.

As for the last point, I'm convinced that the outcry over "global
warming" is just another round of a familiar hysteria. There is ample
anecdotal evidence on both sides of the issue, as seen in this thread
and all over the Internet. The planetary climate is so complex that I
have serious doubts about anyone who says that they underdstand how it
works, what it will do in the future, and why. The earth has been
through warming and cooling cycles for most of its existance, with the
last mini-ice age ending in the mid 1800s, prior to the industrial
revolution.

I'm old enough to remember that in the 70s, "climatologists" were
certain that the earth was fast falling into another Ice Age. In the
U.S. the hysteria was such that they even held highly publicized
Congressional hearings on the topic. The result? Recommendations that
billions should be spent to research the problem and save us from an
icey doom. This latest round is sounding all too familiar.

For the record, I don't know if man-made greenhouse gases are
seriously impacting global climates. From what I've read on the
subject, I'm not convinced that anyone else does either (with the
certainty that they claim).

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)