07-05-2006
I'll use this space to take issue with a July 5, 2006 Washington Post column by Robert J. Samuelson. He claims that global warming is primarily an engineering issue, and mocks the philosophical and leadership side of the question. I basically agree with the engineering argument, but the moral crusade (leadership) has to come first, correct?
JFK -- "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..."
Going to the moon was an engineering problem primarily, but JFK's motivation and leadership was essential and came first. Also, a gas tax, if it lowered consumption (which I think it would), would have a significant effect in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2), because it would also boost the transition to renewables (by allowing them to compete on price with fossil fuels), not just help reduce the amount of gas burned.
It is true that unless all countries work in the aggregate, mankind can have no effect but to intensify global warming; but that's true of a lot of things, such as AIDs and the avian flu. If one or more countries decides to do nothing about incidents of avian flu, then their inaction will greatly spur its spread and/or mutation.
Here is an another example: driving a hybrid, using compact fluorescents, doing errands on a bike, and other measures have absolutely no effect on global warming, which is actually getting worse as I'm doing these things. It is perhaps making me and the family feel more virtuous, educating the children, but nothing else.
I have already figured out, however, that my hybrid driving alone in 2006 will emit at least 1956 pounds less of CO2 compared with last year, based solely on burning 100 fewer gallons of gas (in addition, the hybrid is a lower pollutant emitter per gallon of gas consumed compared with my previous car).
If 10 million other drivers did the same thing in 2006, however, that's 19,560,000,000 fewer pounds (10 million X 1956), or almost 10 million fewer tons, of emitted CO2 that year. So only the aggregate measures and behaviors are relevant. Anyone want to join me?