Is It Just Hot Air?

The debate on global warming is, shall we say, heating up? Ominous warnings seem to be coming in from everywhere these days. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report last week claiming at least a 90% probability that rising temperatures are due to increased carbon emissions, while a “call to action” was heard at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, stating “in the last five years the situation has gone from bad to worse.” Many agree that we have the technology and talent to deal with it, but wonder if we (in the U.S., at least) have the ambition.

Yet before we get ahead of ourselves, there are scientists who remain skeptical that greenhouse gases (human-caused) are the major source of global warming. They argue that this warming is due to natural cycles or other variables, such as sunspot activity. While the number of these skeptics is shrinking faster than the polar ice caps, we shouldn’t forget that a majority opinion is no warranty of scientific truth (ask Copernicus). And ideological claims (“they’re all paid off by Big Oil”) are no substitute for fact-based discourse, even if the big clock is ticking.

So, a couple of questions for this esteemed business community:
1. Are you convinced that human activity is causing global warming? Why or why not?
2. If yes, what would make the biggest impact in reducing CO2 buildup?

John OLeary posted this on February 5, 2007, in News.
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