Assuming global warming is real, what can we do about it?

Question

Should we do anything about it?

Answer 1

It is real, and there is nothing we can do about it.  Global temperatures will eventually increase to 3-4 degrees Celsius above current levels.  Weather patterns will shift, sea levels will rise (a little).  Fortunately, it will probably take 100 or more years so we have plenty of time to get ready for it, as long as we stop waisting time and money on hand wringing, finger pointing, name calling and futile attempts to stop it.

Answer 2

Emission has nothing to do with global warming. The impact is only 5%. The best way is freezing the sea.

Answer 3

Buy more tank tops.

Answer 4

The chief thing is reducing fossil fuel use, by alternative energy (nuclear, solar wind), and conserving energy.

The longer we wait, the more expensive and disruptive this will be to do.  Global warming is like a big rock rolling downhill.  The longer you wait to stop it, the harder it is to stop.

Here's a detailed plan, which is practical and affordable:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/worl...

http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg3.h...

Answer 5

Invest heavily in alternative energy sources.

Educate people to save energy, especially Fossil fuel energy.

Plant the world with as many trees as possible.

Invest in methods to recapture and Bury CO2 from the Air and water.

Educate people to have less children.

What we should not do is sit on our butts and claim there is no real problem.

Answer 6

bugger all

Answer 7

Yes of course we should do something.  

We have already placed the ecosystems of earth in danger, even without global warming.  Species have been going extinct at a rate 100-1000 times the background rate over eons.  That includes the big die offs of the dinosaurs etc.  

  The same changes, as being recommended to slow global warming, are necessary anyway.  

We have the technology now to ramp up change to alternative energy.  What we lack, so far, is the political will to do what's needed.  

  It's like pulling teeth to get legislation passed to renew the alternative energy tax credits that expire this year.  What's being asked for is $18 billion in tax credits removed from the oil companies to pay for 10 years of alt energy tax credits.  So that would be $1.8 billion for all the alternative energy industries -solar, wind, geothermal, etc.  per year. Meanwhile subsidies and tax credits to the oil and gas insustries are estimated as high as $80 billion per year.  Coal and Nuclear are also heavily subsidized.  

  

  People are afraid that making these changes will harm the economy.  The exact opposite is true.  Our addiction to oil has an estimated $800 billion per year in hidden costs in the U.S.  That includes the subsidies above, military protection of oil shipments, health and environmental costs of pollution etc.  This figure would add $8 to the price of a gallon of gasoline.  

Alternative energy and new technologies are economic oppurtunities that will create jobs and boost the economy.  Ultimately, it will be much cheaper.  Dependency on foreign oil has a multitude of problems.  

There is one proposal to convert the electric grid to solar, using concentrating solar thermal and concentrating photovoltaic power plants in the U.S. Southwest.

Scientific American- Solar Grand Plan

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-so...

Electric cars would make total sense with a clean electric grid to charge them.  

  http://blogs.business2.com/greenwombat/

Has a bunch of stories about the solar thermal plants being built in California and Arizona. Scroll down.

  Here's what Ausra, one of the companies, says.

"Solar thermal power plants such as Ausra's generate electricity by driving steam turbines with sunshine. Ausra's solar concentrators boil water with focused sunlight, and produce electricity at prices directly competitive with gas- and coal-fired electric power."

"Solar is one the most land-efficient sources of clean power we have, using a fraction of the area needed by hydro or wind projects of comparable output. All of America's needs for electric power – the entire US grid, night and day – can be generated with Ausra's current technology using a square parcel of land 92 miles on a side. For comparison, this is less than 1% of America's deserts, less land than currently in use in the U.S. for coal mines."

Kind of dispells the myth that solar can't contribute substantialy to our energy needs.  They say that 1% of the Sahara desert could power the whole world.

  We have all kinds of other alternative energy that can add to the grid.  

  Bioplastics are being developed which are made from plants.  Non food crops can be used.  We now use something like 10% of our oil for plastics, much of which we then immediately throw away, wasting resources and polluting the earth.  Bioplastics can be compostable,  sustainable and carbon negative from start to finish.



  We need to limit deforestation.  We should legalize industrial hemp growing and use it to make paper, and lots of other useful products.

  

  Wind farms produce cheap electricity.  

Solar panels are improving rapidly and their cost is coming down.  Widespread use would make a big impact.  Thin film solar cells will make all kinds of applications possible in the next few years.

  We would be better off if we weren't so materialistic. Contentment is wisdom, we need to learn it.  To see what I mean, watch this short video.  

The Story of Stuff

  http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Answer 8

1. Reduce emission of green house gasses through issuance of a law that prohibit it with big "teeth" to bite on people who violate it.Implement the said law with extreme prejudice

2. Development of alternative fuel that is harmless to the athmosphere and banning the use of fuel derived from oil.

3. Banning the use of fossil fuel specially coal

4. Re-forestration program with bigger fund, with congressional approval

5. Prohibition of smoking in public places and banning the planting, processing and sale of tobacco.

6. Issuance of recycling law and implement with extreme prejudice.

This are the major ones that needs to be addressed if we want to avert Global Warming, assuming it is real.

Alvin