- Basically, my objection to major legislative action to curb climate change isn't political exactly. It's that the measures that would have to be taken to actually have a meaningful impact on the climate would have to be more heavy-handed and extreme than the situation warrants. I'm not as convinced as Rod that the potential impact of climate change is catastrophic. Part of that is just my upbringing; my grandfather's a geomorphology professor emeritus at Cornell. Whenever climate change would come up in conversation he'd always point out that the earth, in terms of geological time, is in a relatively cool period at the moment. That aside, it seems hard to measure the cause and effect relationship between carbon caps and climate change.
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:03:00@RL_Miller Is there any evidence that a gov't program to curb carbon emissions would have a meaningful impact that could be measured?
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:16:40@RL_Miller But if one existed its impact couldnt be measured well. You'd be punishing taxpayers and businesses tilting at a massive windmill
- — RLMiller (@RL_Miller)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:27:42@j_arthur_bloom Cal is beginning the experiment. We know how much carbon we emit. Check back in 5 years to measure effect, economic health.
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:43:14@RL_Miller Depending on how onerous the tax is, the economic impact will be more or less (but always bad), climate impact impossible to say.
- — RLMiller (@RL_Miller)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:43:21.@j_arthur_bloom Cal can, and already does, measure its carbon emissions. Do you doubt that carbon emissions cause temperature to rise?
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:51:35@RL_Miller My point was that even at the national level, the impact of such a program would be tough to measure. In one state, impossible.
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:55:39@RL_Miller Do you think implementing a bunch of taxes will avert our doom? If doom is coming, better to be doomed & free than doomed & taxed
- Notice, this didn't actually address the question.
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:57:00@RL_Miller Sorry, that was sassy. But seriously, 'we made good laws in the past so this law must be good too' is not an argument.
- — RLMiller (@RL_Miller)Wed, Nov 14 2012 21:57:21@j_arthur_bloom I think we have a decent shot at transitioning to renewable-based economy; am simply worried we can't do it fast enough.
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 22:00:43@RL_Miller The extension of that argument is "...so we need a bunch of taxes and cronyist green energy subsidies or we're doomed."
- — Jordan (@j_arthur_bloom)Wed, Nov 14 2012 22:02:27@RL_Miller There are a lot of free-market environmentalists who don't think the answer is turning more money & power over to the gov't
- — RLMiller (@RL_Miller)Wed, Nov 14 2012 22:02:06@j_arthur_bloom really tired of business crying same "wolf!" every time anything enviro is proposed. After a while, credibility is lost.
Trying to Get a Straight Answer on California's Carbon Caps