So, about the whole climate change “debate.” You know, the one where some people think that there’s nothing to worry about, it’s all a hoax, and that drilling for more fossil fuels, cutting down rain forests, and chopping off the tops of mountains in search of coal are good ideas. Where releasing a climate change report on the day after Thanksgiving, when “no one is looking” will hide the facts and realities. The fact is that the planet is warmer now, and has been getting warmer nearly every year for decades, and that the polar ice caps are melting, which causes sea levels to rise, which will flood coastal cities soon. Those things are inarguable. Whether they are the result largely/entirely of Man-made activity is the only thing even slightly in question (though >95% of scientists don’t seem to have any doubt or question). This seems to me like living in a house that is clearly on fire, and arguing over whether the fire was started by a human, or by lightning. And leaving stacks of newspapers around the house…while it’s still burning…you know, because, we have always liked to read old articles from time to time, so why change now just because Nature has started another fire? (The newspapers being analogous to the continued drilling for oil, btw, you know, for those who live in “Denial-ville,” and miss subtle references.) Umm, can we maybe put the fire OUT first and THEN worry about what started it? And I don’t know, maybe, scan in those articles and get rid of the paper, since, you know, paper burns really, REALLY fast?
The upshot: aside from the obvious need to reduce carbon emissions, we can actually make it profitable to switch to new, cleaner technologies. Did the candle industry continue to expand after electricity came along? Did kerosene lamp stocks continue to soar after streetlights were invented? Did horseshoes keep selling once cars were mass produced? So why do we think that the Exxon-Mobils, ConEdisons, and Koch Industries of the world are “owed” continued profits now that we actually have the ability to drastically reduce fossil fuel usage? Why do we keep drilling, fracking, pipelining, etc, when solar, wind, geothermal, hydroponics/vertical farming, electric vehicles, and countless other innovations are right here in our midst? And the funny thing is, those fossil fuel and utility companies could actually reap the biggest profits. They’re cash-rich. They have infrastructure for days. They have political connections up the wazoo (to get themselves situated to capitalize on the “new economics” of renewable energy, which clearly will require governmental regulation, industrial standardization, etc). And they have a high-tech workforce already in place. What’s the downside? Other than acknowledging that they were, you know, wrong, lying, and potentially killing us all with their climate change denials. But hey, I’m willing to let bygones be bygones…once the fire is out! Just sayin’…