In the absence of not yet developed (and not necessarily feasible) storage technology, wind and solar are nearly useless in most places. Nuclear obviously has its problems. Coal, oil and natural gas are abundant, and provide the vast majority of the world’s energy.
Sadly, a few people in the scientific community have driven the world insane with ancient fears about CO2.
GISS trend shown in red. GISS 2011 shown in green.
Their forecasts have failed miserably, but they won’t let go. Too much money and reputation is at stake for them and their friends. So they find a hundredth of a degree here, and a hundredth of a degree there – enough to justify in their own minds meaningless and incorrect pronouncements about the “hottest year ever” “hottest decade ever” “changing climate” “extreme climate.” They blame their failures on “big oil money“and “second hand smoke.”
Anything to keep the funding alive. The energy needs and mental health of the world be damned.
I wonder what they’ll do when the temperature turns down about 1 C, due to the PDO/AMO swing and the low solar cycle.
Blame it on CO2!
Steven,
Bringing up the mental health aspect is an excellent point. As I have said here and elsewhere, I didn’t pay much attention to all this man-made global-warming hoopla until Climategate and then got hooked. It was good to know man-made global warming was shall we say, exaggerated, and leave it at that; but people still passionately believe that the tiny fraction of CO2 that is man-made adds enough to the tiny fraction of CO2 in our atmosphere to destroy the planet. The only explanation for these people is madness.
With trillions of dollars at stake, it’s not easy to let go. The colder it gets, the louder they shriek.