Thank you Q&A, but, with respect, I don't post here for your approval or disapproval. And unfortunately I think meaningful dialogue round here is about as likely as between Osama Bin Laden and Donnie Osmond. We come from different worlds. But at least there is an OLO community that may bring some benefit where open minds exist. All the best.

Sorry, Baygon, climate policy is not the same as building a bridge.

Fungo, I was acknowledging a good post from you, that is all.

‘Climate science’ is complex, but that’s not to say we know nothing (we know lots). Baygon and I differ in this respect - I think "our existing physical laws (do) provide an adequate explanation" (of AGW). And John, all scientists are sceptics, certainly in the scientific sense.

In this respect, Humanity’s ‘problem’ (really a symptom) is: the rate of ‘carbon’ being released into the Earth System is more than the rate at which the atmosphere, oceans and terrestrial biosphere can absorb. Raredog mentions Henry's Law, I'll come to that later.

Our problem has much to do with how we use (abuse) energy resources and the impacts that stem from that. We cannot continue this way (with population expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050) without also expecting some unpleasant consequences (on water resources, agriculture, food, infrastructure, town planning, trade, immigration, defence, etc, etc, etc).

You are right; we have to solve this “in a sensible way”. All I can say is that the ‘powers that be’ are trying (they’re not squabbling over the science of global warming like you see on popular blog-sites). Whether we've got the ability to move forward in a positive and mature way is another thing.

I am “vehemently opposed to neo-con right wing think tanks”. I am ALSO vehemently opposed to the extremist left or dark green think tanks. As I tried to explain on another thread (with spindoc); to overcome a global problem we must work together (recognising each others differences).

In other words, it is not a binary problem requiring a binary solution. In my opinion, the 'new right' are not new at all, they are repeating the same old policies (albeit with new spin) that got us into trouble in the first place - with them it is 'business as usual'. It can be argued that the 'left' are doing the same.

Cont'd

Cont'd

Of course economics is not the only 'muddifier'. But as we have seen, in the last 12 months the global economy skirts on a knife's edge. It is just silly to be able to buy oranges (for example) from half way around the world at a cheaper price than what our own farmers produce them, imo.

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Raredog

Have you come accross the book "Global Warming, Understanding the Forecast" by David Archer? Here is a PDF of Chapter 10 you might find interesting.

http://geodoc.uchicago.edu/archer.ch10.perturbed_carbon.pdf

He posted an article on Henry's Law at RealClimate

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2007/11/is-the-ocean-carbon-sink-sinking/

It is sickly incredible how many of our OLO's believe that mankind can't do harm to our planet.

The very fact that Nature has grown forests and vegetation to make use of carbon waste, must show that mankind was on the way to destroy the globe, ever since the beginning of industrialisation.

In fact, all teachers worth their salt, plus their students should know that.