I think there is a point that is being missed.
So far, I think we all agree that the current predictions of our future climate are based upon models. And those models may not be as accurate and reliable as we’d like them to be. So there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the whole “global warming” concept could be completely wrong and humans will be just fine.
However, the “stakes” on our prediction are high. If our models are COMPLETELY wrong or if there is some source of data that we have no way of knowing about and adding in to our predictive models, then maybe we’re all just fine and this “global warming scare” is a laughable waste of time. Or, on the other extreme of outcomes, our predictions are actually underestimating the outcomes of global warming and we have a “runaway greenhouse effect” and life on this planet undergoes a mass extinction, possibly eliminating the human race.
Now I think that both of those “extreme ends” of the spectrum of possible outcomes are unlikely. But I also think that humanity should err on the side of caution. If we (as humans) have to spend more money, time, and effort to implement measures to stave off a possible disaster, then so be it. And if it turns out that the disaster wasn’t going to happen after all, so what? In that outcome, we’re all still here and alive. But if we say, “Oh, maybe it won’t happen” and do nothing, we are banking on that chance that the current models are completely incorrect. And if our gamble is wrong, then we’re screwed.
I think it is in the best interest of humanity as a whole to continue to pursue methods of power generation that don’t pump more ancient carbon into the atmosphere. I think it is in our best interest to reduce (and ultimately eliminate) our dependence on fossil fuels both in developed and also in developing regions of the world. I think that even if everything the climate models predict turns out to be completely incorrect, we would be better off on this planet if we still do what we can to change how we use resources.
Put simply, if climate change is “wrong” but we bet that it is “right”, the end result is that humans are still around and prospering. If climate change is “right” but we bet that it is “wrong”, then we’re doomed.
