The United States' CO2 emissions from all sources combined - transportation, energy, industry, construction, etc. - has declined for many years running.
The biggest emitter of CO2, by far, is China.
The projected biggest emitters of CO2 in the next 20 years are China, India and the African continent.
So how exactly are the United States and Europe going to stop climate change??
According to Obama and Paris by giving them billions, if not trillions, of dollars to "stop doing it". Like giving money to dictators ever actually works for what you intended it to do....
But don't let reality get in the way of good intentions.
Again, I have been one of the few conservatives here that strongly believes in climate change and global warming. I actually consider myself a conservationist. I despise big game hunting. I think our national park service is one of the greatest things any President ever did (thanks Teddy!). I think we have a pretty good balance, as a country, of environmental regulations and free markets (it waxes and wanes, but overall it's pretty good). I'm glad we have clean air and clean water. There are certainly parts I dont' like. I think some environmentalists go way overboard. We have a tendancy to spend 90% of the money to save the environment chasing the last 10% of problems that probably aren't needed.
But the answers are not stopping energy or making energy more expensive or making energy a product that gets tax revenue to artificially keep the price down.
Every scientist agrees U.S. policy will not impact CO2 emmissions in the big picture. We produce 15% now. In 10 years we will produce 10%. No amount of change inside the bordersof the U.S. are going to impact global CO2 that much.
We should be the EXAMPLE of how a country can produce $20 trillion in GNP and produce only 15% of CO2 (and going down per capita and down per GNP dollar). Instead, the left has decide we are some boogey man and bashes the U.S. and it's policies relentlessly. I can't stand that.
Southeast and South Asia are going to destroy this planet. Not the U.S.A. 50% of the world population lives within 2000 or 2500 miles of Hong Kong. The produce 50% of CO2 emmisions. They produce 75% of the world's polution. 80% of the plastic in the ocean comes from there. The population densities and lack of sanitation are breeding grounds for new bacteria and viruses that will likely kill millions of people (and possibly the human race). Asia provides 95% of the financial market for poaching and killing of endangered species. Asia is where 75% of all extintions are occuring.
Again, how is all this the U.S.'s fault? Asia has always had a cultural problem with it's environment. There is no concience in Asian civilation to conserve. They use and use and use. They populate and populate and populate.
We talk on here all the time about "cutural differences". Blacks and Whites. Asians and Westerns. Muslims and Christians. But whenever a white, western, Christian says "I think our way is the best" or "try to emulate us because we are succeeding", we are labeled a racist with lack of repect. Every criticism of Black culture with respect to the family unit, every criticism of Muslim culture with respect to Sharia and human rights, any criticism of Asian culture with respect to overpopulation and environmental concerns gets met with some sort of leftist propaganda of "racism" and "cutural insenitivity".
Is white, Western culture perfect? Of course not. And we certainly have room for improvement. Laying criticism is not the same as declaring one is perfect. We seem to have forgotten that.
There will be no enivonmental revolution or world change until Asia changes. Nothing we do in America or Europe will matter.
That's why the answer is adaptation and preparation. People will die due to weather (it has always happened). Hurricanes will happen. Flooding will happen. Always has, always will. We will rebuild and every time we rebuild it will be stronger and better and more resilient. Hopefully, species adapt and ecologies change. Those that don't will die off. Those that do will be successful. Will we lose beautiful and wonderful species and environments? Yes. But others may evolve that are just as beautiful. I hope cultures around the world embrace conservation and national park ideals like America. I hope we can protect some environments. I hope we keep DNA and look for ways to keep species alive when feasible and smart.
In many ways, the U.S. is the world leader in this ideology but yet we are made to feel guilty and that we don't do enough. I just get so tired of the U.S. as the bad guys over and over and over again from the left. It's mentally tiring to have to defend myself to them. And I refuse to do it anymore. I'm proud of America. I love our history, warts and all. I love what we have done and accomplished and protected. I love that we are moving forward. The world may burn according to Tibs, but I don't think America will. That's not what I see at all.
