Originally Posted by
MaxQ
Hi Tom,
Modest steps is indeed the absolute best I hope for.
It's why I wrote that I expect mankind to do nothing to mitigate the increase in carbon emitted.
Taking the steps required would involve great economic hardship and suffering. It is conceivable we would have to remake the worlds economy.
Not taking the steps required will eventually cause great economic hardships and suffering, possibly to the point of a massive die off. As I mentioned, how this will play out is impossible to predict. What the time period will be and how fast it occurs I wouldn't hazard an opinion. But as Scotty used to say.."Captain, I can't change the laws of physics".
Nature is indifferent to what we wish for.
We are indeed riding the tiger and everything we do, or don't do, has a downside.
Even if we burn every drop of oil, there won't be enough to cause a feedback loop that results in runaway greenhouse effect. These fears are way overblown for political reasons. Our evolutionary branch in history happened when CO2 concentration was ~2000ppm, today it's ~400ppm.