Climategate Clear Up

KingDL1 · December 12, 2009

I have been to Europe several times over the last few years for both vacation and business. My wife and I were very close to accepting trading jobs in the Netherlands. I still hold some regret about that decision but I digress. My point is this. To listen to many of you speak you would think that cap and trade must be crushing the European economy. I personally have seen no anecdotal evidence to support this. Life is as vibrant there as it is here. They have suffered from the financial crisis much like we have but the supposed extra weight of the Cap and Trade system did not send unemployment spiraling up-wards. I believe the aggregate EU unemployment rate is slightly lower than ours. (yes I understand it can be difficult to lay off workers in some member nations) On top of this the EU is on target to meet and possibly surpass** the 2012 standards set forth by the Kyoto Protocol with the current existing and planned reductions. To this point the European Union has been a good guinea pig to determine the effects reducing greenhouse gases will have on our economy. Please take a look at this report out of MIT that discusses the European experience and the lessons learned.
MIT Energy Initiative
For me the risk/reward basis tells us that we are better off passing a cap and trade system now than to wait for deliberation to end on the unknowns of Climate Change. To this point our EU example tells us that the economic consequences are close to nil. Let's say that changes and world economies sag as we go forward with greater reductions. Would it not be easier to turn back some restrictions on emissions than it would be to deal with the possible consequences of our finger dragging?
I personally am in the camp that suggests tackling the Climate Change problem will be a growth engine for our economy and not a weight on top of it.
**<a href="http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eea_report_2009_9/ghg-trends-and-projections-2009-summary.pdf" target="_blank">2009 EEA Executive Summary</a>
And of course,
Go Mean Green

Wow I have several friends in the Netherlands and they have a very different view, and the say things are bad enough that Geert Wilders is really picking up traction there, which may or may not be a good thing. The point being it is a radical shift due to plenty of economic factors, you may want to open your eyes a bit next time you are there.

Geert Wilders, loved and loathed

Edited December 12, 2009 by KingDL1

HoustonEagle · December 12, 2009

Wow I have several friends in the Netherlands and they have a very different view, and the say things are bad enough that Geert Wilders is really picking up traction there, which may or may not be a good thing. The point being it is a radical shift due to plenty of economic factors, you may want to open your eyes a bit next time you are there.
Geert Wilders, loved and loathed

My eyes were wide open I assure you.

Not really touching on my points but yes it is hard to find anyone happy with their elected officials in a time of recession. Still tell your friends to keep their spirits up their unemployment rate is half that of the United States.

After reading your web page I must say Mr Wilders makes some of our far right nut jobs actually look sane. Also did you notice that in the polls stated from the article he won second best politician and worst politician. Any chance Fox News was conducting these polls?

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Go Mean Green

Edited December 12, 2009 by HoustonEagle

UNT90 · December 15, 2009

Except, of course, some of these drastic changes people are calling for would condemn millions of other kids:

But those aren't our kids, see? Wouldn't it make us all feel so much better about ourselves if we could only believe that we were saving our kids from evil of others? And, especially if we are saving the whole planet for our children?

Those other millions of kids? Out of sight, out of mind, baby.

Human nature.

UNT90 · December 15, 2009

Al Gore vs. The Polar Ice Cap:

Who you taking?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrPCUWWjh0c...=PL&index=7

GIve me, I don't know, my entire life savings on The Polar Ice Cap.

FirefightnRick · December 22, 2009

'Gore Effect' strikes as Congressional delegation to leave Copenhagen early to beat snowstorm

Leading up to the event, much of the United States was plunged into a deep freeze. Snow fell in Houston, Denver experienced temperatures 30 degrees below normal and 370 new record low temperatures were set or tied in a three day span across the United States.

:lol:

Rick

Censored by Laurie · December 22, 2009

'Gore Effect' strikes as Congressional delegation to leave Copenhagen early to beat snowstorm

Rick

Weather and Climate are now the same thing? Crazy.

FirefightnRick · December 22, 2009

Weather and Climate are now the same thing? Crazy.

Yep, and the colder the weather gets over time, the colder the climate becomes. It has the Man Made Global Warming flat-earthers spinning.

Rick

Censored by Laurie · December 22, 2009

Yep, and the colder the weather gets over time, the colder the climate becomes. It has the Man Made Global Warming flat-earthers spinning.
Rick

69 Degrees in Boston on December 3rd, 2009

Normal high is 46.

I guess even global warming itself has a political agenda...warm up here on the liberal elite coast...hell freezing over in the conservative concrete swamp.

Edited December 22, 2009 by Censored by Laurie