You simply don't know that. Nobody does. You are not looking at the several periods of global climate in which temperatures were much lower than now while CO2 levels were much higher. You aren't looking at the evidence that there were many period of global warming in which the higher CO2 level didn't occur until decades or a century or more later. Nobody can even make educated guesses about what has triggered massive climate change in the past, or what the future holds other than in blocks of time spanning eons. A silly and destructive cap and trade policy to enhance the power of some and the fortunes of others really is like peeing in the ocean and then boldly announcing that every little bit helps.
Here on the high desert of New Mexico we have true desert, rich farmland, alpine zones and lush forests, bitter cold and near tropical conditions all of which were much different some thousands of years ago. We have been lush rain forest and we were once ocean floor. To presume that humankind is powerful enough to have altered any of that happening to me is the height of arrogance; yet, I think there are some sciientific dingbats who probably would have tried had the signs of it happening occurred in their lifetime.
Whether or not humankind has ability to affect the world climate simply by living our lives, civilization is here to stay, there will be a lot more of us and a lot more of it and our efforts will be much more productively spent in focusing on adapting to inevitable climate change instead of pretending that we can play God and control it. I suspect if we ever get to the point where we do figure out how to control it, we'll botch it so badly that we will certainly be doomed.
06 2005
