[pp.int.general] Don't roast our planet

Richard Stallman rms at gnu.org
Thu May 17 06:22:58 CEST 2012


    Yes, pollution is a bigger problem than climate change.. once you read a
    lot about this topic, you notice that human caused global warming is not
    really an exact science.. and that many scientists disagree, and that not
    every of them are paid by the big oil..

Very few climate scientists disagree.  I think you have been misled
by the denialists.  Many of them do not hesitate to make things up.

     and that many people standing
    behind a co2 tax are global money makers as well

That they make money doesn't imply they are wrong.
One thing about a tax is, the money goes to the state,
not to business.  No business stands to gain directly
from a CO2 tax.  On the other hand, the fossil fuel companies
stand to gain directly from not having a CO2 tax and not
doing anything to reduce our burning of fossil fuel.

In any case, you are mixing up two different questions.
One question is whether the problem is real.
Another question is how to address it.

To cite the second question in the discussion of the first is unclear
thinking.  You can't make a problem not exist by arguing against a
proposed solution.  That's analogous to arguing you don't have a heart
problem because there is something bad about pacemakers.  Even if
there IS something bad about pacemakers, that has no effect on whether
you have a heart problem.

						     and that they tried to
    fake the data and put pressure on the scientists who disagree (minority
    report effect)..

Investigations have found no validity to these accusations.

Nearly all real climate scientists agree that the observed heating
is mainly caused by human emission of greenhouse gases.
On the other hand, there are some loud people who say no,
most of whom are not climate scientists.

Suppose there is a chance that the latter are right.  Should we take
for granted they are right, and bet our civilization's survival on
that chance?  That is imprudent.

--
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation
51 Franklin St
Boston MA 02110
USA
www.fsf.org  www.gnu.org
Skype: No way! That's nonfree (freedom-denying) software.
  Use Ekiga or an ordinary phone call


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