Global Warming: Benefits & Repercussions

(3 Minute Read)

Weather continually changes — daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. We all look forward to changes in seasons, partially because of the weather changes.

Weather also changes on a larger scale than the yearly pattern. Some centuries-long periods of earth history have been colder than today; others have been warmer.

Are there benefits to a warmer climate? Americans who move south for the winter certainly think so.

What are the repercussions of trying to resist climate change by man-made efforts? Are there negative consequences of attempts to alter weather?

Global Warming Benefits

There are many major benefits of warmer weather trends. Warmer weather lengthens growing seasons. Higher CO₂ levels accelerate plant growth. With increased CO₂, leaves of plants lose less water, so the plants can grow in drier climates. Animal life, which depends on plant life, flourishes correspondingly. All these factors make food more plentiful, reducing food prices and helping alleviate world hunger. This is a major benefit of warmer weather.

Additionally, warmer weather makes colder regions more livable. Ten times as many people die from severe cold as from severe heat, so warmer temperatures save lives and fuel. This is a major economic benefit of warmer weather.

As man releases carbon from gas, oil, and coal into the atmosphere, the carbon is recycled into more abundant plants and animals. Future generations will enjoy an environment increasingly lush with flora and fauna as this recycling of carbon continues.

Here’s a Rebus puzzle that relates to the idea that additional warming increases plant life. Can you figure out what this Rebus puzzle represents? Try to solve the puzzle before you look at the answer below.

Repercussions

Many nations agreed to attempts to reduce man-made global warming in 1997 with the Kyoto Protocol. This treaty mandated reductions in fossil fuels in order to reduce CO₂ emissions. It required a 30% reduction in U.S. fossil-fuel use by 2010, thereby making energy far more expensive. This would drive up costs of every human activity and consumer product, severely retarding economic growth.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated costs to implement the Kyoto Protocol would run $1 trillion/year — costing 3,200,000 American jobs and doubling electricity prices. Due to its horrific expense and unproven benefits, the Kyoto Protocol was never ratified by the U.S. and over 150 other countries. Canada ratified it but withdrew in 2011 due to its expense.

The Kyoto Protocol’s energy rationing and CO₂ taxes will especially impact the poor, directly affecting heating, cooling, and transportation costs. Two billion people lack standard electrical conveniences like refrigerators and lights. Four million children under five die annually of lung infections from air pollution by dung fires. Six million die annually of intestinal diseases from dirty water. The Kyoto Protocol will negatively impact these numbers by making energy much more expensive.

Yet implementing the Kyoto Protocol would only reduce temperatures a negligible 0.2°F by 2050 — meaningless for preventing the supposed catastrophes of global warming. The temperature reduction is so small it would be swallowed by annual temperature fluctuations and would have no significant impact on consequences.

Climatologist Richard Lindzen was the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In May 2001 in testimony before a Senate committee, he said, “Should a catastrophic scenario prove correct, Kyoto will not prevent it. If we view Kyoto as an insurance policy, it is a policy where the premium appears to exceed the potential damages, and where the coverage extends to only a small fraction of the potential damages. Does anyone really want this? I suspect not.”
(Richard S. Lindzen, Testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, 2 May 2001)

The Kyoto Protocol costs five times the expense of providing hygiene and clean water to all who lack them worldwide. Appropriate funding for proper hygiene and clean water would annually prevent 2 million premature deaths and 500 million serious illnesses, says the World Health Organization.

Malaria, malnutrition, heart disease, and cancer are much graver threats than global warming. For billions of people, dirty water and inadequate energy sources are far more significant crises than global warming. Most would actually welcome warming.

Will fears of global warming be used to restrict family size? Britain’s Optimum Population Trust urges limits on family size, claiming that each child’s CO₂ output is equivalent to 620 transatlantic flights.

The economic costs of implementing the Kyoto Protocol are staggering, and it provides only negligible temperature reductions while making energy much costlier. Money spent on global warming won’t be available for water, hygiene, and electricity. Which investment is better? Shouldn’t we focus resources on solving problems that we can affect?

It is important for man to be a good steward of the earth. This was part of the responsibility the Great Creator assigned to Adam when He gave him charge over all the earth (Genesis 1:26).

Thus my intent is not to discourage true stewardship. But I think that the measures advocated by the proponents of the global warming theory will cause substantial harm to mankind and to the earth. I believe that good stewards of the earth should sensibly evaluate the claims regarding man-made global warming and the mitigation proposals. I think most will conclude that the claims are false and the mitigation proposals are counter-productive. Thus I think that good stewards should oppose the global warming movement.

Subsequent posts on Global Warming will cover global warming analysis and what the Bible says about global warming.

Questions to Ponder

1. Is it difficult to be open-minded and to consider new information regarding global warming claims?
2. What practical step can you take to alleviate food and water shortages among God’s created image-bearers?

Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.

Rebus Puzzle Answer: Make hay while the sun shines.
[May+K hay W+aisle the sun Sh+eye+Ns]
(Click Rebus Puzzles for links to blog articles with a Rebus puzzle.)

For Christ and His Kingdom.

This post is part of the Global Warming series.
Read the prequels:
Global Worming?
Candle Warming
Global Warming
Global Warming: Climate Facts

Read the sequel:
Global Warming: Analysis

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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday February 20, 2019 A.D.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11)

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