Theme: Externalities

—“Curt: What are your views on anthropogenic climate change?”— The question is not whether the climate is changing (it always does), and not whether we are contributing to it (it seems like we might be), but whether our contributions are meaningful (causing a marginal difference), or whether they are merely noise amidst the normal solar cycles (hard to tell), and whether given that we should be entering another period of cooling (it seems though we are), even if we will raise the temperature, if it’s actually harmful or beneficial. Now, even if that is said we must choose between lowering the consumption of energy, lowering our use of petroleum products, or lowering the size of the population. The evidence would indicate that the most important method of correcting the problem is to convert to nuclear power where possible, and to reduce the population of the planet to the point where we able to consume (convert) as much energy as we possibly can, in order to innovate (and exit the planet) as fast as we can. Or whether we expand the population indefinitely. This is the real debate. And the rest of it’s all lies as far as I can understand. 1B seems to be a good top number for a planet like earth.

—“Curt: What are your views on anthropogenic climate change?”— The question is not whether the climate is changing (it always does), and not whether we are contributing to it (it seems like we might be), but whether our contributions are meaningful (causing a marginal difference), or whether they are merely noise amidst the normal solar cycles (hard to tell), and whether given that we should be entering another period of cooling (it seems though we are), even if we will raise the temperature, if it’s actually harmful or beneficial. Now, even if that is said we must choose between lowering the consumption of energy, lowering our use of petroleum products, or lowering the size of the population. The evidence would indicate that the most important method of correcting the problem is to convert to nuclear power where possible, and to reduce the population of the planet to the point where we able to consume (convert) as much energy as we possibly can, in order to innovate (and exit the planet) as fast as we can. Or whether we expand the population indefinitely. This is the real debate. And the rest of it’s all lies as far as I can understand. 1B seems to be a good top number for a planet like earth.