Last of 3M

This is my final post on the McKitrick, McIntyre, and Mann Issue. Things seem to have wound down. The final verdict is best summed up by this quote(via quark soup, as usual):

"The M&M article is undoubtedly a load of crap, but it served its purpose well: it's in the discourse and will be cited repeatedly by those trying to discredit global warming.......

.....Mission accomplished."

Things like this do enter the public arena, are poorly understood, but are used to defend a position that is without merit. Now, I can't say that I completely agree with the quote. I admit I can't make myself read the more technical things posted on this subject. Whether they are above my head, or are pure nonsense, I can't tell. But, it is telling that no one on the skeptical side will venture into these forums and go point for point with their opponents. I find this is especially true of TCS. Plenty of skeptical articles there, but when someone challenges them on their facts, they never reply.

Unfortunately, the anti-skeptics really don't have substantive answers for the problem. I've seen articles claiming that Kyoto and Kyoto-like agreements will be economical suicide, and I've seen responses that say it won't be that bad. Truthfully, I cannot see how you can increase the price of fuel, without any concurrent reductions in other taxes, and not cause some economic hardship. I don't think the American public will accept austerity measures. Sure, you might get a bill passed like the recent McCain-Lieberman bill(not passed,but close). But, when the pain hits, competing politicians are going to eat the lunches of the bill's signatories.

Renewables are not ready. There are companies that produce windmills and solar cells for a profit, but very little commercial power is produced by these methods. I do not believe that there is a conspiracy against these sources, I just believe that they have energy density issues that have yet to be resolved.

What to do? If the only energy sources we have are harming us, and the future potential ones are not up to snuff. Then I think the best thing to do is push fuel conserving technologies, and carbon sequestration. Also, a major ramp up in alternative energy investing would probably be a good idea. Other than that, just hope that this global warming stuff is overblown, or that it won't be that harmful.

I've mentioned Quark Soup a half dozen times. Since I'm linking FuturePundit many times in this entry, I thought I should point him out by name.

Honorable mention: Ken Miles has posts on this story as well. here and here and here.