John Stossel: Global warming "may be a good thing"

On the February 23 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program, John Stossel claimed that "you can't deny that the globe has warmed" but added that global warming "may be a good thing." Stossel, who is co-anchor of ABC's 20/20, then asked: "And is it a catastrophe, where we have to wreck the lives of poor people and turn our freedom over to [former Vice President] Al Gore and he'll tell us what we can drive and whether we can air-condition our house? And even if he does that, it's not going to make any difference."

From the February 23 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:

Hoser.

I welcome alternative viewpoints on this issue because it is of such great importance to the way we think about and feel about our relatively stable Identity in a relatively stable world (Self-concept & world view). When this dynamic equilibium is disturbed in our on-going self-in-situation adaptation, the Person experiences anxiety or dissonance, which as feed-forward, ellicits exploratory behavior at the perceptual, conceptual, feeling, intending and acting levels, organizing
pleasurable and meaningfull information and avoiding painful, boring or threatening information
and atrophe. Questions such is it warming or not warming and how much, and is this good, bad or indifferent are beginning stage qestions in the form of rheteric and slogans, which must be
translated into operational questions that are answerable with existing scientific methods. This method includes making explicit what our assumptions are so they can be tested. This requires conceptual model building (theory).

Another point of view is that we are presently 18,000 years into the 20,000 year "interglacial warming period" that occurs during the 100,000 year glacial cycles.

In other words, we may be heading for the next ice age. Therefore, global warming may be a good thing.

Unfortunately, the margin for error is a few thousand years, plus or minus.

Ain't science grand?

Another point of view:

There will be 10 billion souls on the planet by mid-century. This is far too many people to depend on the whims of mother nature to provide us with a properly regulated environment. Sidestepping the issue of whether or not WE are responsible for global warming, the fact is that the CO2 is higher than it has been in 655,000 years, and the planet is definitely getting warmer.

IMHO, NO AMOUNT OF GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION WILL BE ENOUGH TO STOP THIS. I am not saying we should not try, but even Kyoto is not good enough. Time to put man's inventive scientific nature to work - - -

We need to develop and launch a reflective sunscreen (in space, it can be unbelievable thin and flimsy) so that we can control the earth's temperature. Why not? Every house has a thermostat. Why not the planet?

Let us not forget that events like Mount Pinatubo can have devastating effects on our weather - - the earth's temp dropped TWO WHOLE DEGREES for two years.

And when Santorini erupted in 1658BC, it caused worldwide winter (and famine) for more than 3 years.

We are nothing compared to mother nature.

I agree Jeff, that we need to think big.

John Stossel: "may be an idiot"

BINGO!



So...If your not in lock-step with "Sir Albert", you're an idiot? There is no room for opposing viewpoints?

This is a very common sensical approach, imo.

I would like to see more of the details. I certainly wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand.

I live with two other adults. The three of us cannot agree on the degree of temperature, humidity or fresh air to be maintained in one house. How are billions of people who live in climates ranging from tropical to arctic supposed to come to consensus on the regulation of a global thermostat?

Through world government. The same world government that will assure that war fades into history, all people are fed and clothed, and that we are united for the benefit of all.

Damn, there goes my alarm clock.

I agree about the need for a more effective and efficient Constitutional Democracy for the world
based on Individual Freedom, Individual Equality and Community where all dimentions of the
social system were democratically regulated at all needed points of control to optimize adaptative operations of the social system. It is true that this is a long term goal and it is
slso true that now is the time to start this initiative.

Spraying more, "stuff" into the air doesn't grab me personally as a likely place to start,
but this is out of my area of expertese.