Good points Murco. You have much more knowledge than I gave you credit for on the subject. Your knowledge of biology however, is quite basic. CO2 is not a limiting factor in plant growth. Look at how much plant biomass there is in rainforests. They don't grow so lush because CO2 is in greater quantites there (if anything it would be less due to how much they would consume) they grow lush because they aren't limited by the main limiting factors in plant growth, which are soil nitrogen, and water availability (sunlight may be greatly limiting as well) of course there are many other factors. Anyway, there is no doubt that increased CO2 means increased atmospheric temperature. Its a fundamental greenhouse gas. The reprocussions of it increasing global temperature are many. For example, some places will become much drier and drought will continue, as well as increased desertification. What does this mean? Huge losses in agricultural growth!
As well, an uncountable number of people, particularily in developing nations, live within 1M of sea level. 17 million people in Bengladesh live within that range. I think something like 30% of the entire country is. Is it fair that our emissions will cause so much disaster for an already empoverished people? Rise in sea level happen twofold: melting of polar ice, and by thermal expansion. You'll remember that things expand with increased temperature?
Wait, it gets better.... gues what atmospheric CO2 is coverted to when reacting with gaseous H2O??? CO2 + H2O = H2CO3, or carbonic acid. What does this mean? Acid rain! We have seen the destructive effects of acid rain in many systems. Aquatic life is especially affected by this with the drop in pH for its environment. and its not just CO2, its SO2 and NO2 which also form sulfuric and nitric acid, respectively.
What else? Perhaps average temperatures will rise, but this may equate to a greater variety in temperature ranges, meaning more extreme temperatures will be felt, particularily at the higher lattitudes. Not great for agriculture.
The graph you showed was past temperatures recorded by sattelite imaging. I'm not sure how satellites can record past temperatures for the earth, but other forms of measurment that provide direct evidence of past tmeperatures generally correlate with each other, but all greatly conflict with the satellite measurments, usually you find a warming trend that has continued for well over 100 years, correlated with emissions increase. This warming trend has been far too rapid to be considered just a natural atmospheric trend, we must be having a bearing on it.
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The problem for the preachers of apocalypse is that fossil fuels are the most economical fuels around. No synthetic or "green" form of energy can touch them for efficiency.
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Thats because fossil fuels have had the advantage of hundreds of years of technological development. They are the most cost effective at the moment, so anything that tries to catch up is fighting an enormous uphill battle. I believe hydrogen fuel cell engines can put out over 50 Hp now. Shame that all the "research" being put into them is "funded" by the automotive industry, who all are bastards for resisting change. It probably costs ford a few cents to make a vulcan 3L at the moment. all the shit is there to make the cheap pushrod valvetrain, but at the cost of a little development, maybe reducing thier profits in the short term, they could be on top of the industry, putting electronically actuated valvetrains in... and don't say the technology doesn't exist. Of course, this would mean increase in cost of the final product with such rapid advancement (you made reference to it earlier) but probably not as much as expected. You are quite right when you say that an ecologically sensitive approach can not be done painlessly. But that's the thing that needs reworking, people's ability to deal with the fact that we NEED to give up some of our conveniences (not quality of life though, which isn't measured by material wealth) in order to keep this species afloat and productive for centuries to come. Unfortunatly the free market's fuel IS greed.
BTW, props on the degree.