Sunday 5 December 2010

Climate change - ostriches and a train crash


"For January–October 2010, the global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.63°C (1.13°F) above the 20th century average of 14.1°C (57.4°F) and tied with 1998 as the warmest January–October period on record."

"Sitting here shivering at the end of the coldest late November in living memory (well, in this living memory at any rate) it's somewhat surreal to contemplate the assembled panjandrams of the climate alarmism industry sunning themselves in Cancun while delivering apocalyptic pronouncements of the doom that will befall us should a sufficiently draconian regime of carbon control be imposed upon the world."

Under the title 'Rhetoric and Reality on Climate Change' the Heresiarch kicks off a discussion on whether it would be better to give up any attempt to limit man's climate impact and just start learning to live with the consequences.
"Advocates of action to forestall global warming" are we learn in a "state of desperation". 

It's strikes a disappointingly sceptic tone, but is an interesting read - not least for stating the obvious, that politically we globally don't have our act together.  We are all on board the same train.. and we are heading full speed at the buffers.

Now the little guy at the back of the carriage has tried.. "er, excuse me, but maybe we should slow down?" (many times)..  and the train drivers union has called a meeting to discuss what to do..   And now it's too late to stop the train... we are going to crash.  And the little guy is standing on his chair shouting.  "Use the f****** brakes". 

Hitting the buffers slowly will always be better than charging at them full speed.  Learning to live with the consequences is clearly a something we need to do...  but what we have to live with depends very much on how hard we manage to brake the train. 

Full speed ahead is not the right answer...


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