Global Warming: Is it Real, or is It Important?

I recently caught sight of an add from the Heartland Institute in my Adsense banner box. "I wonder what this is?" I asked myself, and then proceeded to check it out. Apparently they are a group of free market advocates, who don't believe global warming is real, that smoking isn't all that bad for you, etc. 98% of their advisory staff are either economists or lawyers, and a search of their organization would appear to indicate links to Exxon & Tobacco firms. I'm not going to say that their views are skewed, but let me at least put in my two cents worth on the Global Warming debate ...

First off, I think it's real and most of it is man-made. Even Mr. Griffin said as much, but unlike Mr. Griffin I think it is becoming a problem with which we must deal.

Second off, even if global warming were not an issue, there is the bigger problem of national security and our dependence on oil. Frankly, I'm not all that keen on getting the life blood of our economy from countries that provide so many fine examples of respect for human rights: honor killings, honor rapes, executions of infidels, suicide bombings, terrorism, abductions of foreigners, decapitations of said same, etc. and most of it in the name of religion.

Thirdly, if we don't start moving away from oil usage, either through government driven or private enterprise driven initiatives, I suspect we will encounter an economic 'hard stop', not unlike when a train comes to the end of the rail and hits the bumpers there. At that point, my intuition tells me, all hell breaks loose.

Personally, I'm thinking we're pretty close to getting practical, all-electric vehicles soon. I also suspect that nuclear energy will make a comeback -- this is because when people are sitting in the dark in their cold houses and unable to pay the bills because 'work' has closed, they won't be thinking to themselves "at least we don't have to worry about that 'dirty' nuclear energy". No, they'll be crying out for it.