Ok, guys sorry for the misleading title on this one. It will be impossible to prove anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming beyond a doubt until it is actually too late. This article is for the conservative and libertarian types on here. Conservatives are almost unanimous in their skepticism of the anthropogenic theory of global warming.
Most conservative commentary focuses only on the economic consequences of Co2 regulation, completely ignoring the question of what we should be doing if global warming is in fact happening. I have a feeling that this is because of the slightly paranoid nature of many global warming denial theories. Is it a historically unprecedented, global conspiracy on the part of universities and scientists in a bid to generate grant money? Maybe it is a plot by the left to destroy capitalism using carbon cap taxes? Or it could just be a way for Al G. to make enough money to buy another mansion.
Anyway, I think that most respectable conservative commentators do not want to mix themselves up with conspiracy theories, so they skirt the issue and focus on the economics.
It is very hard to predict the behavior of complex systems with any degree of accuracy. We have a hard time predicting the weather 3 or 4 days in advance, so why do we think that we can predict it 50 years in advance? I don't know, and many climate models have been proven wrong over the years. It is impossible to prove without a doubt that it is happening, but it is just as impossible to prove it's not happening. What I want to get at is why do the overwhelming majority of conservatives doubt global warming?
Conservatives have strong opinions about guns, god, low taxes- and the thermodynamics of complex closed ecosystems?
I want to ask all the more conservative posters on here one question- What if, tomorrow, you were to see indisputable proof that global warming is in fact happening? This is a thought experiment, so please don't tell me why you think it is a false theory. We are going to assume that you know without a doubt that it is in fact going on and that humans are responsible, and that we need to find ways to limit emissions. What are some good solutions from the conservative side of things? If global warming is in fact happening, what are some good, free market, conservative ways to fight it? Again, I'm not looking for denials of the theory here, although there are many valid arguments against it. What I would like to see is some solutions from pragmatic, freedom loving conservatives.