Q&A: Roger A. Pielke Sr.
MJ: So which environmental problem should we be most worried about, on a global level?
RAP: With respect to human impact on the climate system? I think first we need to identify which of these problems has the largest effect on drought and flood patterns. Because of human input of aerosols, from biomass burning in the tropics, from industrial activity, it's spatially concentrated. And what we found out was when we compared the effect of these aerosols in altering wind circulations versus the effect of the greenhouse gases affecting wind circulations, the aerosol effect was 60 times greater. That number could change, but the bottom line is it's a much greater impact, because the greenhouse gases are more spatially dispersed. And in fact, if one is concerned with CO2 addition, which I think is justifiable, it's actually not global warming that people should focus in on, but the biogeochemical effect of added CO2, because it's a fertilizer. And plants respond differently.
I don't think we know the consequences of what we're doing. But our footprint on the environment is more than just CO2: It's nitrogen deposition, it's the other black carbon, the aerosols, it's land-use change. And so we put all of these things together and say, "How can we come up with a policy that reduces our impact on the environment?" Because we don't know the consequences.
MJ: So what does that mean in terms of energy and climate policy?
RAP: Energy policy and climate policy should be disconnected from each other. There are overlaps between the two, and the trouble is that people are using climate, mainly CO2, to invoke energy policy. I think that's a very bad way to go about it. In terms of energy policy, which I'm not an expert on, you have to consider each energy source in terms of its pros and cons. The way it's being done now, it's just sort of one dimensional—it's just assuming that carbon dioxide is the biggest threat to mankind, and I think that's really an absurd oversimplification of the complexity of the issue.
Posts
2 comments:
Interesting post. Climate change is only one of the many issues of concern awaiting the next American president. With the earth’s temperature increasing and with pressure mounting for the creation and use of more viable energy sources, there is much to be done. Yesterday, we published a quick guide entitled “Seven Things You Need to Know About Climate Change.” Please check it out at http://publicagenda.org/blogs/voters-survival-kit-seven-things-you-need-know-about-climate-change. As part of our Voter’s Survival Kit we also produced an excellent non-partisan guide on climate change at http://publicagenda.org/citizen/electionguides/climatechange. Again, excellent piece!
Sorry to break it to you Billy, but your survival kit is full of misleading half truths which are based on poor assumptions or are outright falsehoods.
Post a Comment