Ken Caldeira experiences "Macabre Indifference" when doing the rounds, lecturing to those interested in environmental issues.
We're prepared to continue sending 2 million people a year to early graves, alter atmospheric chemistry and acidify oceans, because it would reduce our standard of living by a tiny amount
Stop buying birthday and Christmas presents for your grandchildren and give them a better planet to live on instead !
Caldeira on Climate Science and Choices
To paraphrase:
If you asked a room-full of people - If your present energy system did not dump waste into the atmosphere and the oceans and a cheaper energy system was available that did do that, would you choose to save a tiny amount of your income to adopt the new system? The result would be - "...almost nobody has ever come up and been willing to take that trade..."
Ask the question in reverse - meaning would most people give up a tiny amount of their income for an emissions-free, less polluting system? The result would be - "...they're reluctant to do that..."
Caldeira on Climate Science and Choices (Pt. 2)
"...we can act ethically, when acting ethically is cheap, but when acting ethically is expensive, we tend to cut corners.
And so, having cheap, feasible, alternative energy technologies, that are environmentally benign, seems central..."
And this is what Ken Caldeira and James Hansen are prepared to go public about:
'To those Influencing Environmental Policy But Opposed to Nuclear Power'
