It usually boils down to money.
1) Money saved after substantial investment in energy savings - long term payoff, sometimes not there.
2) Money earned by pushers of cap-and-trade carbon credit schemes, producers of "green" products, and everything else that the lobby groups push for.

The folks from point 2 like to argue point 1 to the general public. A great deal of the public buys it at face value. It is what it is.

No, you're not calling me out at all. I think it's a great question, I'd love to know the answer myself. Indeed, how is it possible?

Well, that's definitely a strange comment... So you are going to throw your future into the hands of some "scientists" making mysterious calculations that are far and above any of us commoners questioning it? I understand your passion for the climate I think, but I don't understand the apathy...

Regarding my former engineering job, I did a little bit more than sell catalytic converters at Pep Boys. Before working in the power industry, I was working as a stress analyst on turbine blades and disks. Apparently this isn't quite as elite as climate science, but I was working with stress analysis modeling software, we did have to understand the mathematics and engineering concepts behind the code, and we did have to validate it.

Since the black magic that is climate science is apparently beyond my intellectual grasp, please explain how it is possible and wise for us as a society to hinge our future on unverified mathematical models?

"some scientists", "mysterious calculations"? That's a politically charged and loaded question and you know it. That apathy lies in your denial, not in my concern.

Again, your former career does not a climatologist make.

As for "black magic", again, you're putting the cart before the horse. You should learn from Obama's decree about integrity in science policy.

(BTW; I didn't compare your former job to selling, I compared it to replacing......big difference.) (and, I'm not cutting on your expertise in THAT field. I am just saying that it is not climatology)

I'll tell you what, stay out of my personal business and I won't have a chip on my shoulder. Pretty simple. If you find it makes you feel good to turn your lights off on earth day, knock yourself out. It's none of your business whether I do that or decide to host Holley 4 barrel muscle car day at my house.

Actually, since your muscle car pollutes the air I breathe and doesn't contribute to society, it is my business. I will continue to vote for candidates that would eventually make you (or me), i.e., buy carbon credits for such an extravagance.

Just to comment on the original point of this thread, as other people stated who cares about this Al Gore guy and other associations that promote actions towards a cleaner environment? Really it's about doing the right thing and if most people on APC are pilots then we should know what the RIGHT thing to do is. I would think most pilots have enough integrity to do things that not only help themselves. Heck we have no clue what consequences might result from our actions in the now. But how hard is it make a simple little sacrifice so that someone might have a better life one day? All I can think of is my kids and their kids and my friends kids. I will pass on one day and not be affected by much of what's going on, but them. Well that's a different story.

I get these blank stares from incoming crews when I carry a recycling bag off the airplane full of releases, newspapers and other large paper articles (not a large bag) to drop off in the various recycling centers at just about every airport I fly into. I wouldn't consider myself a "tree hugger" as they call it but I do make an effort to do things that could better someone's QOL one day. It's just really funny that so many people on APC and other places seem to think that QOL is limited to days off, hours worked, and how they are worked and we will go to a great extent to make sure we recieve that exceptional QOL. I'm willing to bet that our children and grandchildren will be bargaining for quite a bit more than that one day just because someone thought they were prooving a point by leaving their car running, using energy as in-efficiently as possible, throwing everything away, etc. All just to spite this tool we call Al Gore. Hopefully one generation will figure it out that yeah, it's not our problem, but sure is their problem and we have a significant amount of control over it. Just remember that next time you hug your kids goodbye when you are off to a trip.

I agree, I was not a former climatologist - never said I was. But as a person that has a science education, I am using logic to do my best to understand the following scenario:

Climatologists are using unverifiable mathematical models to predict our future over the next several decades. Logically, this makes no sense to me. Am I therefore expected to just throw up my hands and say "well, them climate scientists must know what they're talking about, so I'll just close my eyes and enthusiastically pay some carbon taxes".

Sorry man, but it just doesn't wash... I guess fortunately for you, you can sleep easy knowing that the political machine agrees with you. I have no doubt that society is heading in the direction that you want it to.

Well, that's definitely your right as a US citizen, but until such a law or tax passes, it's my right to do smoky V8 burnouts and is in no way affected by your desires. So sorry, it ain't your business. Not yet anyway.

No, so sorry for you. It is my business. Again, nobody is their own island and our actions affect our surroundings.