Death and Taxes.....and Carbon Dioxide!

You can now add one more addenum to Ben Franklin's famous phrase because the scientists at Stanford just came out with a paper directly linking rising carbon dioxide emissions to rising human mortality rates. Now before you knock me off my soapbox with an anti-sensationalist 2x4, this study has many implications. It's not as much a correlation as it is a cause-and-effect relationship, which as we scientists know, is a much stronger case against it.

Now that there is scientific proof (which is the best kind of proof), then we now a a concrete reason to enact laws to regulate CO2 emissions. The easiest way to tighten the proverbial belt is to regulate these emissions by limiting exhaust concentrations in automobiles. The hard way to do it would be to also regulate coal burning power plants, but then where would we get our energy from? I guess the point I'm trying to make is that nowadays in this fast-food eating, Starbucks-fueled, whatever-I-want-I-get utopia that we live in, we're always looking for the quick fix. Sure, reducing CO2 from cars is great, but like the standard light bulb you have in your home, you're talking about a more than century old technology here. There's only so much spit-shine you can put on the hubcaps of that Model T to make it go faster before you start rubbing off the chrome.

I say rather than curtailing old tech, take the time to introduce new technology that has the ability to save the world from itself. It's the new ideas, whether it be new ways to MAKE energy (solar, wind, water) or new ways to SAVE energy (LEDs, flourescents) that will pull us through this century. the technology may not be perfect right now, but when is it ever perfect on the first (or fifth) iteration? Invest in the now. I want to live as long as I can. If only to be able to buy the 15th generation iPhone that plugs directly into your brain....

via [Wired]