I'm not a climatologist, but I am a scientist and I'm still on the fence. There's evidence either way. The problem is not the science. The problem is that people, even prominent scientists, are not allowed to argue against it without risk to their reputation and career. Like the video says, if you disagree with what global warming activists say, they ostracize you and accuse you of being an industry stooge. MANY climatologists still support the cyclical warming/cooling theory. One thing is certain though, the vast majority of people who study this don't agree with Al Gore and his 20foot rise in oceans. Even the UN thing only proposes a mild increase. And the thought that there is not debate in science anymore about it is not correct. There is most certainly debate.

That said, I still support the idea that we should improve our technology to lessen our effect on the planet in general. The fact is that we ARE working on these technologies already. We don't need to create a green religion to make it happen. Panicking about this sort of thing can be problematic. Take ethanol for example. Whoops. How much money has gone into promoting that goof?
On the up side, wind/river/tidal generators are on the rise and new brilliant ideas are coming out quickly.

The biggest thing people don't think about is which is true:
High CO2 --> High Temp.
High Temp. --> High CO2

This video displays that consideration very well. The ocean contains a profound amount of CO2. Heating water decreases the amount of gas you can dissolve in it. Warm an ocean and you get a CRAP TON of CO2 pumping out (orders of magnitude higher than human CO2 release).

good post.

I'd like to see his alleged proof that ethanol production requires as much chemical energy as it produces...

The vapor pressure of ethanol at 24C is 57mmHG, which is about 7.3% of an atm. The flammable limits of ethanol in air are 3.28% - 18.95%. With that much alcohol exposed, poor ventilation, and no candles, there's a danger of an explosion. Keeping the candles lit all around actually makes her safer by burning off ethanol in a controlled way before it can reach levels that would cause an explosion.

yeah you still have to power the compression station or whatever, but it focuses all (most) the polution on a point source which is more easily cleaned/filtered/dealt with than a million sources of pollution. still it doesn't really work outside city use, but it would be good for cabs. last time i checked Mexico city bought a shit ton of these things. anyhow, we'll probably just get ethanol in the states since hydrogen will never come into play and we don't just drive in the city so compressed air is out. we really should go back to electricity, though.

I love how the global warming alarmists equate skeptics with Holocaust skeptics. I also love how they claim that skeptics must be "paid by the energy lobbyists" when in fact "Big Oil" is the one benefiting from all this Kyoto-inspired legislation -- they get heaps of government subsidies to monopolize otherwise economically detrimental industries such as ethanol, wind, and solar. But nevermind that -- the world is melting! Well, at least since the Little Ice Age. So the world is getting warmer since the last ice age -- wow, how terrible. Hey, it's also been getting a lot hotter since December. Does that mean we are all going to die? Oh yeah, the media was all hyped up about the "Global Cooling" scare in the 1970s, but I guess they did a good job making you forget about that.

The fact is that nature, not man, emits well over 90% of greenhouse gases and were we to limit our emissions, the difference would be imperceptible and would only lead to an economic recession, with all the money going to the big energy companies. During the 1970s, manmade greenhouse gas emissions were going up while global average temperature was going down. By far the strongest correlation with global average temperature is the heat emitted by the Sun.

If you don't feel like doing the research yourself, you get can the jist of the Green Scare from "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism", a book I highly recommend to my watermelon (i.e., green on the outside but red to the core) friends.

Here comes the double talk express:

* McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks. (Indeed, McCain has now hired Falwell’s debate coach.)

* McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

* In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June, he abandoned his own legislation.

* McCain used to think that Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.

* McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.

* McCain gave up on his signature policy issue, campaign-finance reform, and won’t back the same provision he sponsored just a couple of years ago.

* McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

* McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

* McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

* And now he’s both for and against overturning Roe v. Wade.

Regarding ethanol, everything I've read says that to create ethanol actually creates a net loss in energy. Plus, the amount of corn required is fairly ridiculous.

As I understand it, the best alternatives right now are diesel and biodiesel.

no need to get all alarmist there, joe! co2 is actually being used in studies as a potential treatment for sleep apnea! co2 is virtually harmless ... as anyone knows, a pound of dry ice sublimates into 8.3 cubic feet of co2 ... those boys used no where near one pound of dry ice.

further more ... carbon dioxide pellets when submerged in ethanol-water solution undergo rapid sublimation, releasing gaseous mixture of aerosolized ethanol with the sublimated co2 acting as a submersion medium. Subsequent inhalation results in diffusion across vascular membrane and direct uptake of the ethanol.

oh no .... we better all stop drinking carbonated bevers such as soda and beer ... sparkling wine .... even pop rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(cocaine is still uncommonly used for nasal surgeries in some states in the USA, and commonly in many other countries; I only know this because I have a friend who's dad is a pharmacist.)

As to Wumpus' comment questioning the sanity of abusers, cocaine is a powerful stimulant that can also induce a phychotropic euphoria.

Now, why would anybody enjoy feeling euphoric AND full of energy?

(yes, this is simplifying the point a bit much, but as a serious aside I have friends who use caffeine and nicotine daily, and an over-achieving friend who drinks ethanol heavily and has admited to trying cocaine whilst intoxicated. these people are all professionals or graduate pre-professionals.)

... so, the only thing I can fault this video for as a PSA is that it is preaching to the choir. coke-heads don't care whats in coke as long as it gets them high. I mean, people lick excretions off the back of toads to get high...

OMG, the ethanol corn guy clip, around 3:20 - yes!!!

I never actually saw it but read about it - while working near an ethanol plant.