Two very different viewpoints on the economic effects of reducing CO2 emissions

[blizzard1024]

I came across this article on WUWT...the blog that many hate yet does have some valid stuff at times

and junk other times IMO. It is LONG but basically states that reducing CO2 emissions would

devastate the world's poor and make it harder for the poor in the U.S by raising energy costs.

 

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/01/13/we-have-met-the-1-and-he-is-us/

 

The premise is that cheap energy is beneficial to all and gives us the living standard we enjoy. 

 

Then there is another view point which states that it would be easy and beneficial to the

economy for all to get away from fossil fuels for energy. This was in a talk given

by Jim Hansen. It is very good and sums up the main points of AGW, CAGW pretty well

and then discusses an approach that basically taxes big fossil fuel energy companies

based on carbon emissions. These taxes are then returned to the U.S people which

more than offsets the cost of rising energy prices. My only concern would be whether this would 

bankrupt energy companies or not. Would our energy supply be reduced to what the

third world has?? Not sure here. Anyway see link below. If nothing more it is a good

overview of the whole climate change issue and science from a "warmists" viewpoint. 

 

[blizzard1024]

your first link is broken, and posting WUWT links here is demonstrates nothing but an ignorance of legitimate climate change discussion.

It illustrates differing viewpoints and the extent of how different they are.  I would be interested in opinions

of others on this. Thanks for catching the link. I fixed it. 

[blizzard1024]

Wilis Eschenbach is a massage therapist, with a BA in psychology.  there is no reason to spend time on his opinions in a forum focused on science.

Ok. But I have seen this same argument used by others too. I don't believe this is just his opinion alone. Access to cheap energy is

beneficial to humans and if we make it hard to get cheap energy it crushes the worlds economies with the poor people

suffering the most. That is the assertion in a nutshell to spare you from reading it. It is very long. Hansen's idea is

interesting and supposedly endorsed by some economists as he states.  I doubt we will see his idea occur because it 

heavily taxes big energy companies that rely on fossil fuels.