Some people hold that the threat of climate change is so great that we need to fundamentally change the way we produce and use energy. What's your response to this view?
Climate change is a natural phenomenon. Climate keeps changing all the time. The fact that climate changes is not in itself a threat, because, obviously, in the past human beings have adapted to all kinds of climate changes.
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This interview from PBS's Nova program is from March 12, 2000, but is still helpful today. It presents Dr. S. Fred Singer's controversial views about global warming. The interviewer asks detailed questions that refer to factual evidence and opposing viewpoints on this topic. Dr. Singer responds with thoughtful arguments on all points, though they are not well sourced in his comments. So far, I remain doubtful about several of his claims, such as the one that global warming is good for mankind. I'm troubled by the fact that he is one of the very few scientists to hold such viewpoints, which makes him suspect to me. Besides this raw interview, I would like to see more research on Dr. Singer's background, how he is perceived by his peers, as well as comments from independent sources about his qualifications (see other Nova interviews with opposing veiwpoints at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/debate/). But overall, this interview is a good introduction to a different perspective than the one I have formed so far on this topic.
