What happens if the coming economic problems stop us from dealing with global warming effectively?

Question

@ liberals fear; No sir, why don't YOU look up the recorded temperatures?

Answer 1

The Masked one speaks reality based truth. Misguided mass consumption is our biggest problem, and America has been maintaining the spree by going upside down in debt.

I can only hope Walmart some how gets caught in the middle, and China forecloses on them!

Answer 2

Disaster! This is a test to see if the world can come together and solve a mutual problem.

Answer 3

Humans will spend 3 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. The choices are help kill ourselves, save ourselves. Today here is what we know:  many of mankind’s advancements cause earth surface to warm, destroy the ozone layer, kill off endanger species, heat cities, and in some way cause more destruction.  Blacktop (roads and parking lots), buildings, air pollution (causes lung and other diseases), deforestation, duststorms (which increase hurricanes and cyclones and cause lung diseases), fires (cause pollution, mud slides, and deforestation), refrigerants (like CFC's), solvents (including benzene destroy the ozone layer raising skin cancer rates) and plastics; cars, airplanes, ships and most electricity production (causes pollution including raised CO2 levels) are human problems we need to fix to keep life on earth sustainable! The federal government needs to adopt a pollution surcharge to balance the field and advance new technologies. We must pay the real price of oil (petrochemicals) including global warming, cleanup and for health effects. But with that we must understand we have never seen what is now happening before. CO2 has never lead to temperature change, but temperature change has led to increases in CO2. The models have to be made as we go along with little evidence! The result is:  change is on the way, we just do not know what changes. But again adding a small amount of CO2 to the atmosphere enlarges the earths sun collection causing warming; increase water in the atmosphere and they form clouds cooling earth but causing flooding. Even natural events are warming earth and causing destruction. The sun has an increased magnetic field causing increases in earthquakes (more destruction), volcanoes (wow, great destruction), and sun spots. Lighting produces ozone near the surface (raising air pollution levels). But humans have destroyed half of the wetlands, cut down nearly half of the rain forest, and advance on the earths grasslands while advancing desertification which increases duststorms. The USA Mayor's have taken a stand and I believe are on the right track, we can have control and can have economic growth. With the peak of oil in the 1970’s, the peak of ocean fishing in the 1980’s, humans must stop procrastinating and make real changes to keep earth sustainable including in the energy debate, finance and regulation. The sun is available to produce energy, bring light to buildings and makes most of human’s fresh water. Composting is the answer to desertification. New dams are the answer to fresh water storage, energy and cooling earth by evaporation, we need many small one all over (California needs 100 by 2012 and has not even started).

President Bush has made a choice of energy (ethanol) over food and feeding the starving people around the world; this is a choice China has rejected. As the USA  uses 65% of the worlds resources, but had feed 50% of the worlds population.

Answer 4

I think that you could turn this question around and suggest that the coming economic problems could go a long way to helping with the environmental problems. As people have less money to spend they will use less fuel and try to buy appliances that use less power and/or cars that use less fuel. With a smaller disposable income there will be less high street spending and therefore less garbage, holidays will be more local so not as many air miles will be flown.

Also  I do not think that less money will be available to research alternative energy because it will become a higher priority to have a more cost effective energy form because people will not be able to afford the alternative that we are stuck with at the moment.

Answer 5

Global climate change will occur with or without our "help." Man's prideful attempts to change the climate will only cause more severe economic problems, unless one is viewing the situation from the point of view of a socialist.

Answer 6

With respect to what direction the climate is going to go--nothing.

The climate is going to do what the climate is going to do no matter what we do.

Answer 7

1)  It doesn't matter the condition of the economy.  By focusing on environmental policy, we sacrifice economic growth, and vice versa.  

2)  What people do about global warming is up to them.  The government cannot force people to use flourescent bulbs, drive a Prius, or stop eating beef.  All you can do is do help the environment and convince others to do so as well.

Answer 8

The climate change is happening now and some people are being seriously effected.  The longer we wait until we do something the bigger the steps we will have eventually to take.