Thursday, June 15, 2006

How to upset a climatologist

Ask them who debugged their models..... Fantastic stuff.

My view on "climate change" is that it comes down to a value judgment: do you believe that the jaw-droppingly poor people of today should be kept poor in order to reduce the risk that the human race may die out sooner than it might have? If so, sacrificing economic growth and prosperity today (and hence reducing the number of people that are lifted from poverty thanks to trade) is the right thing to do. If not, it is clearly the wrong thing to do.

The problem is: how can we weigh the balance? Perhaps climate change will affect us far more savagely and quickly than many expect? Perhaps it's a mirage. Accurate computer models are critical if we are to come remotely close to guessing right. If they're wrong, our leaders will make the wrong decisions. Dangerously wrong decisions.

HT: Devil's Kitchen

1 comment:

Devil's Kitchen said...

Richard,

Quite right. And we already know that the models are wrong, on several points. Unfotunately, the world is not due to reassess the model until 2013.

DK