The American Spectator

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(Page 4 of 15)

David Shoup br> Iraq /p> p> Although Mr. Tucker's thesis that nuclear power is the only rational way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is correct, he has overlooked the traditional California solution to eliminating pollution from power production. From the green California perspective, all significant sources of power are unacceptable -- coal, oil, and natural gas pollute and nuclear is nuclear, after all. Therefore the solution is not to build power plants and instead to import power from Canada or other states. Therefore, under the Schwarzenegger initiative, we can expect California to shut down traditional power plants, reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and add a few more decorative windmills, decorative solar panels and, perhaps some decorative geothermal plants. (These plants are too expensive for significant use in power production and have serious environmental impacts when sized to produce the requisite amounts of power.) However, their main focus will be to import more energy from out of state. It is cheaper than the alternative energy sources and lets Californians feel good about themselves while criticizing other states for not being as green as they are. br> -- John Hockert /p>

"I would prefer to face facts, however, and admit that carbon emissions are having a measurable impact on climate..."

Ok, here are a few:

p> http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20332352-601,00.html; br> http://www.globalwarming.org/article.php?uid=116; br> http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200508/s1436502.htm; br> http://www.skepticism.net/articles/2002/000033.html. /p>

That last entry by Brian Carnell is particularly interesting, in that the patterns we are seeing today are equivalent to patterns seen in tree ring studies of the Medieval Warm Period, 1300s to 1600s. That period was of course evidenced by a feudal agrarian society that if anything was reaping carbon from the atmosphere in their caporal pursuits. Last time I checked the history books, Edward III, Charles IV and Robert the Bruce had not taken up the habit of driving SUVs yet. That global warming is occurring I will not deny, but to subscribe that it is chiefly of a manmade origin I will not agree too. Not when the biggest gorilla in the room is being ignored -- http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/resource100.html. If someone can develop a means to turn down the sun I am all ears.

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