Climate 'Change' Update
It's a fact that the earth's atmosphere has been slowly and gradually warming (about 1.6 degrees F in 100 years). But, intriguingly the warming has apparently "paused" in the past decade or two. Meanwhile carbon dioxide levels, although still quite low at 380 parts per million, have continued their gradual ascent.
In my blog "Global Warming Made Easy" I've presented data about the extent of warming and the extent of sea-level change. The post is mostly raw data but I make a point that warming and sea level change is very gradual (1/10th inch per year) and does not appear to be catastrophic. I also mention there that the cost of mitigating the effects of sea level change is orders of magnitude cheaper than attempts at carbon capture and sequestration. See here. In subsequent blogs, I've indicated that molten salt Thorium reactors may be the carbon-free answer to the future of global energy. Thorium reactors are being tested commercially in Norway and soon in China---even though America invented the technology.
The real danger to earth's inhabitants is the extreme cost burden of trying to capture carbon dioxide spent to avoid fairly mild consequences. Worse, so-called "cap and trade taxes" and "carbon trading" schemes are all about taxing and thereby ruining the world's economy and that these 'measures' won't do anything to reverse the warming. As you've surmised, global politicians are the biggest danger to the health and well-being of earth's inhabitants!!
Not only are politicians the biggest danger to earth's inhabitants, but the climate scientists are slowly discrediting themselves by their inability to "process" actual data that global temperatures are not increasing recently (appear to have "paused") and that their models are wrong. Worse, the scare-mongering continues but is thankfully receding.
But Al Gore, nearly a US president, is continuing to spout his extreme climate-change scare tactics despite the fact that global temperatures are failing to confirm the dire and direst predictions. Here are some quotes from a speech at Harvard in February 2013:
Gore stated that consequences of global warming are compelling and devastating...
“The dangers we face are almost unimaginably dire,” Gore said. “My hope is based on the history of our experience as a species.”
Gore said that the warming climate has destructive effects on human health. He noted examples of climate change that have influenced insect behavior and, therefore, the spread of diseases such as West Nile virus.
Gore continually stressed the urgency of the current situation, appealing to the audience with analogies. “We’re using the atmosphere as an open sewer and it’s functionally insane,” Gore quipped.
Now global warming is helping to spread the West Nile virus?? Oh my God! Worse, Harvard is supposed to represent our best and brightest intellects, but Al Gore's nonsense gets an audience?
Actual Climate Data Vs Climate Models
Here's some recent data about global temperatures compared to the climate model predictions. Mind you, billions and billions of dollars have been spent (invested??) at academic institutions to fund 'scientists' who are trying to develop the climate models. I guess when job security is on the line---that could explain the reluctance of scientists to admit partial failure after billions and billions have been spent! A small amount of modesty and humility is also indicated as the climate is quite a complex thing and defies easy prediction. Humility is a quality that you will find from true scientists---people who will admit that they don't know everything.
Figure 1 Global Temperatures Versus Various Climate Models
Figure 2 IPCC Climate Model Predictions Versus Recent Measurements
Figure 3
Upper Troposphere Temperatures Were "Supposed" to Rise and Create a Runaway Temperature Scenario. The Earth's oceans were predicted to "boil." There is no evidence of that "theory."
I support continued research in the area of "climate change." It would be incredibly foolish to NOT study these issues. I also call on our nation's scientists, our nuclear industry and our government to re-invigorate our research and to test commercially the intrinsically-safe Molten Salt Thorium reactors as a path forward since we have decades of Thorium fuel already stock-piled.