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Originally Posted by GGG
The commitments made at Paris which won't be met by anyone don't sufficiently reduce emmissions to prevent catastrophic warming. There isn't the political will anywhere to do it. And with Oil Prices where they are there is no economic incentive to do it either. The delta in cost to stop global warming increased significantly...
The other side of it which I have not seen analysed is is preventing global warming actually a net good vs bringing people out of poverty with the use of cheap energy. Saving lives by investing in clean energy is a very expensive way to improve global standard of living.
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There's certainly a 'let them eat cake' ring to the West's carbon crusade. "These people can't get their rice to market using diesel trucks? Why not use a hybrid?"
Not to mention ignorance of the crucial role carbon-based fuels have played in the food revolution of the last 60 years that has almost banished famine - a revolution largely unnoticed in the West because we have no cultural memory of hunger and famine ourselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by heep223
Everyone who is passionate about climate change, are you willing to cancel that vacation because it adds to your carbon footprint? Pay 50% more for food that hasn't been trucked up from California? Take the bus to get groceries instead of drive?
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That's the crux of the matter. Changes substantial enough to make a difference are politically impossible. Are you going to be the politician who mandates a 200 per cent surcharge on air travel? Or a 100 per cent tariff on imported produce?
Quote:
Originally Posted by heep223
The big untold story in my view on this, is even if N America, Europe and Japan made all these sweeping changes to address climate change...it's not nearly enough. The problem is that the vast majority of the global population doesn't give a rats ass about the planet, because they're just struggling to get by day to day and feed their families. It's the hierarchy of needs - developed countries care, because we have our basic needs met. Until the rest of the world is in the same position, nothing will change.
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But even once you have your basic needs met, people will feel entitled to take those air travel vacations, drive to get groceries, and buy food imported from all over the word. We won't even give up our luxuries, so how can we expect the develop world to forgo the advancement from poor to middle class altogether?