But I'm glad I read this thread because this is, oh heck I'll just say it, it is like a laboratory and it demonstrates so well on a small scale why it is so hard to get us people to do anything constructive to save our planet. Thank you for your time. John
Thanks John. I appreciate your comments and I think after being involved with this thread almost from the start that I can say 98 percent of the posters are very much interested in salvation for the planet. All that is happening is we are trying to get at the truth of what will/can provably do that if there is anything we are in fact able to do.
Really the whole thing started out about the hype/hysteria over GW. I have been in business management most of my adult life. Early in that career, I could be swayed because of inexperience an naivety by dramatic emotional appeals to deal with problems (sometimes very real, other times very imaginary) in the work process either mechanical or human resource related. As a result I learned to take a "step back, wait a minute, let's sleep on it" approach when someone comes to me with doom and gloom, one sided stories or a closed, thick paper folder I would never have time to go through for analysis. Sadly I have purchased expensive equipment/processes that performed no better, marginally better or even much worse than the old ones. Even greater sadness do I feel when it came to human resource issues in those early days. Sad because I was manipulated into letting go good people because I couldn't see past the private agendas of ambitious sometimes ruthless people.
As a result I learned to take things with a grain of salt when the red flags of agenda are clearly present. Yes Abaddon, even agendas on the critical side of the GW issue!
Most of the back and forth I have had with Abaddon is role playing. At least on my part. I believe in the middle of the road approach on this one as I believe that is where we and the science will ultimately end up. Also because personally I care very much for the earth's natural resources, environment and my community responsibility. One of the issues brought against me when I was removed from the JW hierarchy well before finally being DF'd was over my efforts to get my book study group involved in the community and be better citizens. One way was to pick up garbage over a couple of Saturday mornings in the spring, another was to shovel driveways, pick up prescriptions or run other errands for shut ins etc. I also pay extra for green power and my business goes out of its way to encourage safe environmental solutions, reduce, reuse and recycle.
But there again I was able to use my experience when the industry I am in went hysterical over the environment. I remember the claims of saving the planet by buying this product or eliminating this or that. Many companies jumped on the band wagon with "Environmentally Friendly this" and "biodegradable that" which are absolutely useless catchphrases. The same things are being said about solutions to global warming too. I remember what I learned about being sceptical and now apply it to the many arguments being put forward as well as "earth friendly" solutions being promoted to replace fossil fuels. We don't want earth friendly replacements, we want safe, sustainable, practical, worthwhile/worthy solutions.
A prostitute is friendly but is hardly safeand hardly long term sustainable. So before we rush headlong from the frying pan into the fire lets make sure our next steps are well thought out. This is not as easy as finding something to replace the propellants in Lysol spray or lemon pledge!
Abaddon wants to debate, like in debate class. I have chosen the devils advocate role on this one, as it reminds me of the time I was given pro abortion to debate in my high school debate. At the time and place an unpleasant prospect. Especially being raised a JW! At any rate I understand many of the arguments Abaddon raises although he still has not proved or established anything that reasonable scientific doubt and alternate theories cannot at present still account for or explain. So as the devils advocate it would not be right to roll over just yet, especially when someone clearly dismissive of contrary opinion who has shown a God Complex in his constant appeal to his own authority or pseudo expertise.
Abaddon, has dismiss FOS and CO2 science as junk/crank science and I reject Real Climate project, Exxon secrets etc. along with all of the other scientists who are dismissive of constructive critique and debate as a purely defensive mechanism. I wonder if I can be permitted to post sobering information from someone who clearly supports AGW, but by his own accord is only 2/3 convinced from the science which he says has not completed the scientific process/requirement from theory and hypothetical to proven and established yet.
That is Richard A. Muller
In one of his papers on Ice Ages and Global Climate change he discusses the pattern of our earths long history in a gradual meaningful way.
I wish to post the graphs he use to illustrate the difficulty we have as humans when it comes to knowing how best to tamper with the complex, monstrous task of "SAVING THE PLANET"
Here is a general recent view of climate that has roused the current debates about GW in general and AGW more specifically.

This graph clearly shows an upward trend and even if we go into a downward trend over the next 20-25 years, the upward momentum will still be present.
I have said a lot about the Mann et al graph and the contention and controversy it has produced.
What happens if we step back using similar data to Mann et al. (only proxy data exists prior to 1900), but instead of looking at 1000 years, lets look at the start of the Greco/Roman age of mankind that dates back more than 2400 years.
Does it not make sense that we should go back to such a relevant Genesis of our age, as opposed to the dark ages which is totally arbitrary, statistically short and inappropriate to say the least?

What happens if we step back even farther using similar data again to what Mann used but instead of looking at 2400 years, lets look at the start of the agriculture age which was about 7000 BC.
Since our civilization is at stake, should we not go back to the start of it, as opposed to some other arbitrary point?

What starts to emerge as far as a picture of the true nature of climate variance when we zoom out to take a snapshot of 2400 years or 12,000?
Does the name calling, brow beating or chest beating start to diminish? Shouldn't it?
None of this argues for or against AGW. It is just a collection of graphs that as far as I know is not challenged or disputed.
Now what about 100,000 years?

Or 420,000 years?

Now 3,000,000?

I have searched and can find nothing critical of Muller, his credentials or aspersions about who he sleeps with. So I wonder if his comments with pass without cheap shots from Abaddon or anyone else.
Muller wrote the following in 2003/2004 when the Mann et al. hockey stick graph and the Soon, Baliunas, Macintyre debacle was still raging.
He had this to say after giving benefit of the doubt to the motives of all involved:
It was unfortunate that many scientists endorsed the hockey stick before it could be subjected to the tedious review of time. Ironically, it appears that these scientists skipped the vetting precisely because the results were so important.
Let me be clear. My own reading of the literature and study of paleoclimate suggests strongly that carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels will prove to be the greatest pollutant of human history. It is likely to have severe and detrimental effects on global climate. I would love to believe that the results of Mann et al. are correct, and that the last few years have been the warmest in a millennium.
Love to believe? My own words make me shudder. They trigger my scientist's instinct for caution. When a conclusion is attractive, I am tempted to lower my standards, to do shoddy work. But that is not the way to truth. When the conclusions are attractive, we must be extra cautious.
Frank75