Bill Curry: Fiddling as the Planet Warms

[marmar]

from HuffPost:




Bill Curry
Fiddling as the Planet Warms
Posted December 3, 2007 | 11:00 AM (EST)



Ten years ago I got caught unawares during a TV debate on global warming. Midway through the show, the industry funded science denier I was debating unveiled a new argument. It was so daft I mistook it for a joke, thus appearing disrespectful when I meant to be congenial; proof again you can't be too careful on TV.

The global warming debate was already a decade old then. In 1988 the UN had drawn worldwide attention to it by forming the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (IPCC) Many scientists were skeptical but as data poured in the doubters dwindled to a lonely but well heeled band, mostly in the pay of the oil and gas crowd.

At first they claimed global warming wasn't real. Later they switched to saying it's real, but it isn't man made. By the time of our debate they were testing a bold, new pitch: Global warming-- it's real, it's man made... and it's good for you! As I said, the first time I heard it I laughed.

I still hear global warming may improve life for those shoveling too much snow; that it will cut heating bills and extend growing seasons. I wonder: when we achieve the world's longest growing season, will we be acing out Sudan or Chad? I love sunshine as much as the next guy, but it's a lot less useful absent water and topsoil.

The energy industry's most effective argument is that moving to renewable energy hurts our economy. It's a lie. The short term transition cost is well below even the medium term cost of our continued denial. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-curry/fiddling-as-the-planet-wa_b_75084.html

[jimlup]

1. Thanks for the article

I've seen this arguement starting to be the line deniers use in forum debates (not DU). The "global warming is good for us" line starts with how great warming was for farmers in Greenland when the climate warmed, etc.

Debating the deniers is a stupid game of wack a mole. The only problem is that they've managed to confuse the public pretty well. Now the average joe believes the global warming debate is something like the y2k debate or something.