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Originally Posted by Ashartus
I wouldn't say "nothing is certain scientifically". It's pretty certain that climate changes, and that humans cause at least part of that change. There are still some uncertainties about how much it will change and what the consequences of those changes will be.
You can't leave it to individual industries to change their behaviour, since the most profitable approach is generally to externalize costs on others (e.g. not reduce pollutant or greenhouse gas emissions and let others suffer the consequences - the whole reason why we need environmental regulations). Most people will buy the cheapest product, rather than choosing the company that spends extra money to reduce their environmental impacts. But it's not just the people buying that product that are impacted, but everyone else regardless of whether they choose to support a particular company or not.
The question about what action to take is a totally separate question, and one that isn't a scientific question (but should still be informed by science). Is cap and trade the answer? Carbon tax? Subsidizing alternative energy? Carbon capture? Something else? That's where the debate should be focused.
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Fine. As long as politician's reaction is not knee-jerk ill informed, whether in favor or against doing something about "climate change". I Agree that it needs to be thought through before any actions are taken.