Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Columbia Climate School green entrepreneur Kevin Webb explaining his goal of converting the climate sinners and restoring Little Ice Age CO2 levels.
Beyond Climate Change: What Happens Once We Control the Global Thermostat?
BY KEVIN WEBB |DECEMBER 14, 2021
As flooding subsumes Toronto, NYC experiences its greatest single-hour downpour on record, Oregon continues to blaze…
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I get to speak from a privileged position. For the past several years I’ve been investing in startups that have positive ecosystem and climate impacts. Some are working on electrification and efficiency, to reduce the need for oil and gas in the first place. Others are finding ways to capture oceanic or atmospheric carbon dioxide efficiently, so we can not only stop emissions, but have a chance to return our atmospheric levels to the ~280 parts per million (PPM) that almost all of human civilization has known until recently.
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Personally, I’m bullish. My underpinning rationale is as follows:
- Climate change will get worse before it gets better. This is news to no one who’s paying attention; the world continues to increase atmospheric CO2 by the day, which traps more of the sun’s heat. This in turn disrupts the weather patterns, watersheds, ocean currents, and more that humanity has built civilizations around. Even if we stopped CO2 emissions today, these impacts will take decades, possibly centuries, to play out. (All the more reason to get to net-zero emissions ASAP.)
- This means every year will bring new converts, who not only believe in climate change, but believe they must personally be involved in solutions. Writers, politicians, artists, engineers, investors — the world needs wholesale change, and there’s room for everyone to bring their skillsets, values, and perspectives. Nations and companies that neglect these voters, employees, investors, regulators and customers will do so at their peril.
- We need to run the clock backwards. The CO2 levels of the “Goldilocks period” most of humanity has existed through (roughly the past 10,000 years, which saw the development of agriculture and cities) will look increasingly appealing compared with the coming several years and decades ahead. (On principle, I believe 280 PPM should be the benchmark CO2 level).
- Technology is here. More will come. Building technology to slow, stop, and reverse climate change should be good enough to drive consumer and corporate adoption. It’s not. Between inertia, subsidies, and legacy infrastructure, today’s entrepreneurs and technologists must actively make offerings that are better. Doing so is far from easy, but when transitioning makes sense not only ethically but financially, it starts to feel inevitable.
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Personally I’m bullish we’ll continue pumping CO2 and greening the Earth. And the climate crisis movement will fade away once even hardcore believers realise it is all a big nothing burger.
“Views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Columbia Climate School, Earth Institute or Columbia University” which is/are ??????
Isn’t GISS part of Columbia University?
Don’t worry about “climate change”! Bill Gates has a plan to stop CC now! He is going to murder 5 Billion people with phony “vaccines”… You’re Welcome “useless eaters”! He is going to “convert” you believers into compost!
Oh please. Bill is simply not capable of doing that. You give him way too much credit.
He is evil enough, but needs someone else to do the work, just like with everything else he is credited with.
He talks about “converting” unbelievers.
More evidence that even those behind it think of global warming as a religion.
Only subconsciously; they’ll never admit that it’s a religion, because they view themselves as being above that. They deride religion out of the same mouth they preach from.
“…while environmentally and socially responsible investing has ballooned to $30 trillion a year.”
WOW! I wonder where he gets that!? So many weasel words in there.
he looks like someone suffering terribly from the climate crisis
Climate Derangement Syndrome, CDS.
I thought pets were a climate sin? Oh, not for those doing good works, but for all others yes.
“Converts”….sounds like Jim Jones
“every year will bring new converts…”
Well isn’t that special. He’s got that old-time Climate Religion.
I’m interested in what evidence there is that in a chaotic multiple input system like climate that after changing one variable, in this case CO2., that turning that variable back to its original state will turn the system back to its original state.
Also CO2 is not the only variable we’ve changed.
So this scheme is bound to fail even if all variables are set back to the original state.
What happens if the oceans continue to outgas CO2, and it can’t fall below, say, 400 ppmv?
I got as far as… “ What Happens Once We Control the Global Thermostat?”
Clearly, the author is completely bonkers. I would say his delusions will get worse before they get better.
Nah. He’s just a slimy little market developer for junk tech. He will say ANYTHING to sell. Even if it makes him look “bonkers.” He does not care. All he cares about is: $$
A promoter of Junk Education which teaches Junk Science. And gaining wealth at taxpayer expense through “investments” in worse-than-useless crap nobody would give you a nickel for absent government mandates and subsidies.
Well said, AGWiNS.
Kevin has a high opinion of alarmist abilities and understanding, which demonstrates he is delusional. And he is so sure of himself. That’s the funny part.
Eh? Toronto is a large city that experiences local floods from time to time. But, I’ve heard nothing about the city being subsumed. Did I miss the news reports?
Kevin also said Oregon was burning. Actually, Oregon is currently getting lots of rain. Kevin needs to keep up.
Maybe he was talking about those, er, “mostly peaceful” demonstrations…
Okay, no more snow removal funds or salt for NY and the Northeast for that matter. And henceforth, NYC will be required to build up a curb at all entrances to the subway instead of using the flooding to pine for more federal dollars.
Yesterday is better than today.* Nostalgia for those better days of 300 ppm CO2 when you rode horses or bicycles for transportation and 60% of the world population spent their days trying to produce enough food to feed 90% of the world, sorry other 10%. (*Unless a Republican says it)
Converts is correct, since CAGW it is religious in its practice.
I’ll give him credit – most climate doomsayers won’t give a target acceptable CO2 level. If only there was any evidence that wasn’t generated in a computer that said CO2 will change anything.
More better come if what is here has any chance of ever being that financially attractive solution of which you dream.
Why is there a debate about “climate change”?
Firstly the topic is not climate change but “man made climate change”, well actually, “dangerous (sic Obama) man made climate change” and vitally not a scintilla of empirical evidence or repeatable experiment exists for the notion. I contacted all the main govt agencies (NASA etc) and asked for examples of the above prerequisites and not a bean.
I framed the question as a request for empirical evidence of co2 warming the planet in a meaningful way and nothing – zip, zero, zilch.The UK met office made an attempt but presumably got confused as they cited computer modelled studies regarding the greenhouse effect.
I really am puzzled as to why any debate exists. The building blocks of the entire story are a dubious correlation betwixt co2 and temp rise and a spectroscopy graph showing a partial absorption range of co2. Every weather event, ice decline, drought and reduction in coral trails back to these points. The first fails by assuming correlation always identifies causation – it doesn’t and the second is not a demonstration of co2 warming the planet.
The only question required about this farago is – “show me your empirical evidence of co2 warming the planet”. If the words “here is the requisite evidence you asked for” do not form the initial sentence in reply then tell them they are wasting your time and monies from public coffers that could be used for real problem.
The CO2 level will continue to increase. China, Russia, India and Africa will see to that even if the western world commits economic suicide with their war on fossil fuels. Ignorant people like Kevin might eventually become aware that CO2 has no significant effect on climate.
Anyone paying attention has noticed that water vapor molecule count has been increasing about 7 times faster than CO2 and can account for all of humanity’s contribution to planet temperature increase. Average global WV has been increasing 1.49% per decade which is about twice as fast as possible from just average global temperature increase.
I love the author’s last bit most….green the earth…won’t happen at 280ppm CO2.
From the Columbia.edu article”
So
1) Making Co2 levels static will NOT stop unpredictable weather.
2) Fluctuating Co2 levels are natural.
3) Our job is to geoengineer the planet.
He contradicted himself in the same paragraph! Cognitive-Dissonance Or God like view of himself.
Powerful people perpetuate this insanity.
These minions must think they see some evidence somewhere for their rantings…or just big paychecks and publicity for doing nothing and telling lies.
The whole ‘Climate Change’movement has nothing to do with science or data. It is simply another naive religious cult built on belief and keen to “Bring New Converts” to the fold.
I notice the warning under the comment section says
i.e. if you don’t agree with our religion you will be censored
And the trouble with censorship is ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
How rude! 😉
If “comments that spread misinformation” were automatically deleted, Mr. Webb’s entire post would have vanished into the ether long ago.
Assuming, as it seems the author does, that CO2 is the “control knob” for Earth’s globally average surface temperature, would not a “dialing back” of CO2 concentrations to 280 ppm result in the Earth reverting to the cold and stormy Little Ice Age period? If such a reduction in CO2 concentrations would not lead to cold and stormy conditions, would not one’s logic about CO2 being the “control knob” be faulty? The privations of a cooling world are inescapable in any event.
Seems to me there are several types of AGW believers and advocates. A major group is, of course, those who will benefit from policies and activities designed to alleviate the alleged problems – include here renewables investors, politicians in electorates full of eco-elites and academics/scientist on the CC research gravy train. Another major group that are probably more dangerous, because evidence the whole thing is a scam won’t budge them, are the true believers. XR and other assorted feral activists have invested so much of their own personality and future in the AGW meme that they cannot drop it even when faced with real proof they have been living a lie. At least the investors/careerists will back off if the money dries up and there is no further prestige in pushing it, but fanatics will not let it go.
Personally I’m bullish we’ll continue pumping CO2 and greening the Earth. And the climate crisis movement will fade away once even hardcore believers realise it is all a big nothing burger.
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New York City just banned natural gas in new buildings starting 2030.
I’d like to see people start selling coal fired boilers in NYC, just to show the Climate Fascists how stupid they are being in their attempts to “ban” use of natural gas.
That guy thinks he knows the tune. But apparently doesn’t know the lyrics.
CAGW “converts”…
CAGW is the religion of fools who erroneously think themselves too intelligent to believe in God…
As Bob Dylan said, “Your’re gonna have to serve somebody”…