Thinking that we can minimize severe weather through using atmospheric carbon dioxide as a control knob is a fairy tale
By Judith Curry, Dec. 27, 2022, Climate Etc.
There is a growing realization that emissions and temperature targets are now detached from the issues of human well-being and the development of our 21st-century world.
For the past two centuries, fossil fuels have fueled humanity’s progress, improving standards of living and increasing the life span for billions of people. In the 21st century, a rapid transition away from fossil fuels has become an international imperative for climate-change mitigation, under the auspices of the UN Paris Agreement.
As a result, the 21st-century energy transition is dominated by stringent targets to rapidly eliminate carbon dioxide emissions. However, the recent COP27 meeting in Egypt highlighted that very few of the world’s countries are on track to meet their emissions-reductions commitment.
The desire for cleaner, more abundant, more reliable and less expensive sources of energy is universal. However, the goal of rapidly eliminating fossil fuels is at odds with the urgency of providing grid electricity to developing countries.
Continue reading “False urgency of the ‘climate crisis’ gives no time or space to build a secure energy future”