Could it be that AGW is real but people in power are twisting it to profit from?

You definitely have a point. Consider the following examples of conflict of interest:

When a member of Congress takes campaign donations from people with large investments in fossil fuel (oil, coal and natural gas) and then votes for continuing the billions of dollars in government subsidies,( tax credits, allowances and loans) to fossil fuel and related industries.

When scientists are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the Petroleum (Oil) Institute to write reports that make it sound like global warming could be beneficial, and omit all the contrary evidence.

When a TV journalist gets a copy of a report that says that experts in climatology who have been studying the statistical evidence of global warming for many years have together issued a comprehensive report that says that we can expect warming of 4 to 9oF by 2100 , the amount of warming depending on how soon we reduce the amount of fossil fuel that we burn, and the journalist interviews one of those scientists, and then gives equal air time to an economist who has not read the report but who expresses the opinion that it will probably be too expensive to switch to clean energy, and shall we also take notice of the fact that oil companies and automobile companies are big advertisers on that TV channel,

All of these financial interests are like a tangled web, wrapped around us and keeping us from escaping from this fossil fueled nightmare.

The way to escape is to get big, big enough to brush away the cobwebs and walk into the light of a vibrant clean safe world powered by clean energy and inhabited by people who have worked together, educated each other, insisted on government action that is for everyone's good and not warped to enrich a few people.

You can be a part of this. Millions of people lobbying with e-mail messages, and visits to public officials can make the difference.

Some organizations that do a good job of providing up to date and accurate information, and that will help you become an active citizen for a healthy planet are:

http://nrdc.org/ http://ucsusa.org/ http://greenpeace.org/

http://350.org/ On Oct 10, thousands of groups around the world will be demonstrating their commitment to a planet with clean energy. Join us.

Other sites for information:

http://globalchange.gov/ US Global Change Research Program

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicin%E2%80%A6 US Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.ipcc.ch/ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

http://dels-old.nas.edu/climatechange/in%E2%80%A6 National Academies

Have you ever heard of Pascal's Wager? How am I supposed to answer this when I have no idea what I would do if that happened because I can't even imagine it? Some people are just not capable of belief or faith without any evidence (note that I did not say "proof" - I said "evidence") for that belief. I actually remember the first time I questioned the idea of God - I was 7 years old and we had just left the synagogue after the services. I asked my Dad - "How is it possible for some big man to live in the sky and we can't see or hear him? Why doesn't this guy talk to people now like he was purported to do ages ago?" From then on, I was not a believer and 56 years later, I'm still not a believer. But even if I was, I wouldn't believe in the insecure, vengeful, and demanding entity that Western society has come up with. I don't see all this as anything more than you wagging your finger at the poor, benighted atheists who don't see things like yu do.

Yes, absolutely. I think that many people will try to use any situation for a competitive or political advantage, and AGW is not special in that regard. That is why people need to learn to separate the science of it from mitigation policy. For the most part I don't advocate any political or economic solution on here, but I do think that people should be aware of the science.

Here's my challenge for you: name a large issue that people *haven't* jumped on and tied to make money from.

It's a free market society. It shouldn't make you suspicious or feel uneasy that some people make money from AGW. From cancer to terrorism to illegal immigration--and everything else that people are concerned about--there are businesses that make billions of dollars from them. Global warming is no exception.

A real business person would never invest their money in something that they knew was a fake issue. The idea that these conspiracy theorists have, that a few elite people are keeping this blatant hoax alive through dollars and political power, is absolutely ridiculous. Paranoia to the highest degree and the belief in the 'superpowerful government'. What would really make me think that the issue was fabricated would be if governments were *not* taking serious action, and businesses were *not* investing enormous sums in it.

BIG NEWS: In a market based solution, profit is the driver... seriously, it's really not it has been hidden to you. The same applies to the toothpaste supply... profit is the driver.

While couldn't the free market deliver good solutions?

Al is not alone and has competitors! Anybody can compete, so what is the point? jealousy of success? (actually his company is not doing that well).

Guess what? without a price on emission there would be NO incentive to reduce PFC emissions or HFC emissions, two very potent greenhouse gases.

SORRY but we tried to directly finance the rescue of rainforest 10 years ago (with your taxmoney) and the money just disappeared... direct financing has partly failed! so let me ask you a question... what is the most important to you:

- that the problem gets solved in a cost-efficient manner, or?

- that nobody makes profit out of solving the problem?

PS: Are you for profit, except when it serves a good purpose? like profit should only be for manufacturing weapons and for oil companies?

PS2: Do you believe people who do a good job at protecting the environment should not be able to make a good living out of it?

PS3: Would you hate a pharmaceutical company if they find a good cure to cancer and make profit out of their efforts?

PS4: Would you rather have talented people well paid to protect your government or making money in health insurance companies to deny you coverage?