Friday, August 18, 2006

U.S. & China Causing Most Climate Change Will Suffer Least

University of Chicago Professor Cass R. Sunstein writes in The Wash Post today that the U.S. and China are the greenhouse gas behemoths but will suffer the least negative consequences of climate change. The prof says Africa and India will suffer most from increases in malaria and premature deaths respectively. His solutions are an appeal to 1) moral obligation and 2) environmental innovations are less expensive and more beneficial to us than projected. Right. Good luck with those appeasls.

First Prof Sunstein, although America is a moral country (see Red States), capitalism trumps morality at the end of the day and the quarter - - at least in the U.S. And although we don't know where Buddhism fits in with China's new and dynamic economic drive, we know both nations will do nothing that slows their economies. Of course, Prof Sunstein is right about innovation.

A combination of hydrogen and electricity producing fission plants and hydrogen fuel cell plug in hybrid electric vehicles (fuel cell-battery hybrid) could make big energy, economic and positive environmental impacts in both countries. Unfortunately, companies are making record profits with traditional fossil fuel and internal combustion engines. And both countries have more coal than they know what to do with. So our pratical solution is ADAPTATION to the changes that will come from climate change.

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