Huh? No one knows what to do about global warming? That's just simply not true. The solution to global warming is quite simple: stop polluting the environment with greenhouse gases. If we're causing warming, the affects will peter out.
This is my main issue with those who want to make drastic policy issues that will affect everyone. Let me use a car analogy to explain what I mean:
If I am driving my car with a lead foot, I will be wearing out the engine faster. There is a solid cause and effect relationship here, and something can be done about it. Hence why I agree with TV that we should focus on things we are certain about.
On the other hand, if I'm at the shop for a routine repair, and am told that I need to spend thousands of dollars to fix a problem they "think" is caused by my driving habits, and if so, the repair "might" fix it, I would laugh and say "no thanks, I need a little more convincing".
Your analogy makes no sense on many levels.
For one, if the problem is caused by yoru driving habits, why is there any fix to be paid for? You're making the alternative irrational to support your conclusion. Global warming would be much more analogous to the first example, where the solution is quick and simple: change habits.
Secondly, if you took your car to every single mechanic in your area, and had 97% of them suggest the fix, would you still doubt that it's a problem?
Thirdly, green technology is a money saver. So for the example to work, it would have to be more like, "I am told that if I spend a thousand dollars now, I'll save three thousand over the course of several years - and I may or may not solve the problem. Meanwhile, while the fix may not fix this exact problem, it will fix other problems that are wrong with your car." I can't imagine why you would turn down this offer, even if you somehow knew their fix to be a "fix." To put this in terms of global warming, and reducing CO2 emissions, greener technology will save us money, and pollute less. Car emissions are still bad, global warming or not.
I admit, my analogy isn't an exact carryover. Before I clarify my position, let me be clear on where I stand with green technology. I do not have anything against green technology and improving our environment. I can't wait to see what new technology will be available for energy sources, whether it be improved alternative sources we know now, or completely new technologies we haven't seen yet.
Whether or not climate change can be controlled by humans, we will eventually move to alternative forms of energy. Fossil fuels won't last forever. The ingenuity of the human mind wants to improve the efficiency and decrease the cost of providing energy.
Back to my original argument, I don't believe there is conclusive evidence that we are the primary cause of climate change (which you implied in your post). The only concrete evidence we have is the temperature record, which we all agree has risen, but is now remained steady for the past decade or so. The only evidence proclaiming doom and gloom is provided by computer models. I don't mean that to discount the usefulness of computer modeling, especially since I'm not fully knowledgeable on them, but I cannot put more trust in a computer model predicting the global climate 10 to 90 years in the future, than I would a computer model predicting the local 5 day forecast.
Like I said before, I think green technology is great, and we are moving in that direction, but it's not happening as fast as you would like. I personally, don't see the need to rush.
So, with your argument, when an obese person goes to the doctor and gets told to change his lifestyle since he otherwise will have a premature death 10 years down the road, the correct answer is "no thanks, that is too vague and too far into the future, I need a little more convincing."?
rumborak
Like I said above, my analogy wasn't the greatest, but it will still fit here I suppose. The difference is that the doctor has seen concrete evidence from the complete life of thousands of obese patients, and that evidence always concludes that an obese patient will die prematurely. The doctor may not be able to predict exactly how long of course, but there is solid evidence (not modeling) that this will occur.