The Myth of Catastrophic Global Climate Change

___If the United States uses costly regulations or other means to destroy the coal power industry, then is the environment cleaner? We have one atmosphere for the planet. If the United States closes or offlines a power plant and China and India (or another) build 10 more at the same time, then is the environment cleaner? Since the Earth rotates, then the atmosphere over China and India will soon be the atmosphere over us.

___China and India have a combined population of 2,600 million while the United States has only 320 million. Are we to deny basic electricity to about 8 times as many as ourselves? The carbon emissions to do just that will dwarf any cutbacks on our part. The accords in Kyoto (2000) and Copenhagen (2010) suggested that the developed nations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fund similar efforts by the developing nations. China and India are listed as developing nations, but they have GDPs of $13.4T and $5.1T and 5-year growth rates of 8.9% and 6.9% respectively. To take on such additional cleanup costs would severely disadvantage developed nations. A reparations logic is used as justification assuming any development came at the expense of a polluted environment.

___The United States is blessed with over a century's worth supply of energy producing fuel. It is irrational to refuse to develop this resource and use it responsibly and cleanly. We have 17 National Laboratories – SRNL in our backyard – we should use them wisely for the good of the people.