The Iron Yuppie

New proof that man has caused global warming via the TimesOnline

Isn't this the very core of the scientific method? You observe something. You hypothesize what the cause is. Then you test the hypothesis. If you believe that, then man has caused global warming.

Actually, that's a bit of a stretch. First let me say that I believe that man HAS caused global warming, and that we ARE in a period of weather destabilization because of the effect we (as a population) have had. But that said, the problem with this and many other pieces of research which depend on models of this sort is that, as the mutual fund folks like to say, "Past performance does not indicate future results." Yep, this model correctly predicted the past 40 years of climate change. But the only proof of this is making a prediction today and seeing if it come true in the next 10 or 15 years. Which is exactly why we (as a population) have such trouble doing anything that involves action beyond the next fiscal year. We're a very short sighted lot; Johnny in 15 years can figure out his own problems, I want my job shoveling toxic waste now! Whenever it comes to things like this, I generally try and behave with the principle that one person doing something means nothing but a hundred million people doing something means something. Yep, the additional CO2 I caused to be spewed into the atmosphere by throwing one additional plastic cup away is probably damn near zero. But a hundred million people doing the same is a real problem.

Whether or not we need government regulation to step in and help a hundred million people not do something is a blog for another day.