Sunday, July 01, 2012

On Global Warming and the Australian Energy Tax


Ok, I get it a lot of people here are caring environmentalists, so I just going to say. I don't think there is such a strong link for C02-led Global warming to be catastrophic. If we set probabilities on it, I'd state something like this: 1°C warming (p = 80%), 2-6 °C warming (p = < 3 sigma). Now, I don't want to discuss this, because usually the pro-AGW crowd is hateful, vile and often spews a lot of bile. Being equated to a holocaust-denier, is very hurtful and shows that probably a lot of people don't have a clue what the holocaust was (very sad state of affairs there).
On top of that it is hurtful to the victims of the Third Reichs various euthanasia programs against Jews, Gays and handicapped people.
It is no wonder that there is no civilized debate possible, if someone starts the debate by saying stuff like that.

However, if we consider that AGW will cause something like a 1 °C increase in warming. Then policies like these are the worst we can do. In my opinion, this will lead to redistribution that will do three things:
a) make live more expensive in general, while destroying productive jobs
b) destroy environments mostly in poor 3rd/2nd world countries, while allowing rich first world countries to feel good (have you ever been to a nickel mine or a lithium refinery?).
c) further erode the values of self-reliance and self-esteem in poor people, because they will further rely on hand-outs (often they equal shame due to peer-perception).

Imo a vastly superior method to tackle this problem is to generate wealth with those that are most affected by these changes. Since the due date for global warming has been postponed due to a lack of warming in the last decade mostly because of a weakening sun cycle, we have time to use different measures.
After all, we should all remember that  nothing in our society really works without energy-consumption at some level, even the construction of energy-creating devices/plants.

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