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To Carl from Lindenhurst,

That's a good constructive question.

The answer is that there is no magic bullet to achieving sustainability. While climate change is a global concern, the solutions are going to have to be multilateral and mostly local.

Fact is, no matter how hard you try to stop deforestation, you're not going to completely succeed right away. That's why we have to become more efficient with our own energy consumption and emissions.

A little here, a little there, and in the process we'll preserve our own local environments and boost our own economy.

What would be the point of avoiding catastrophic climate change only to have our local cities be riddled with smog and all sorts of pollution?

Why do most Americans have an unfounded sense of entitlement?

Our grandparents fought the Nazis and won WWII to preserve our way of life, but what will we be able to tell our grandchildren?

We toppled Iraq so we could continue to subsidize cheap gasoline to pump into our gas guzzling SUVs? You're kidding yourself if you think the Iraq war was about anything other than oil. We wouldn't be there if the regions main export was textiles...

More and more people from the western U.S., like Bozeman, MT for instance (see below), that were formerly deniers of human caused climate change are now being convinced because it's literally in their backyard.

Those that are fearful of a hit to the U.S. and world economy fail to see that the economy is BASED in the natural environment, not independent from it. Without addressing fossil fuels and resultant greenhouse gases, the even more severe impacts felt by all economies if not addressed quickly will dwarf the cost of adaptation in the future.

Efficiency and conservation are the keys and will cost less now while we segue into a new energy economy.

[For Bozeman, MT, bark beetle infestation-related material click here:
http://climateprogress.org/2009/07/01/global-warming-new-york-times-bark-beetle-west-wilfires/]

solution to climate change- all gore gives up one private jet and/or fried chicken.

Drilling here? Even if we could add 1% or 50% to the world oil supply, oil is not nationally owned here. When you pull up to the pump, where’s the “US gas only” button? There is none. Even if the station says its all US gas, they are lying. It all comes from the same refineries. There is no such thing as US only crude oil refineries. IF you drill for more oil here, your only making more money for OPEC. Please explain how this would be good for us to support companies that literally fuel global terrorism.

If you think drilling for oil in the US will help us, you are lobbying for terrorists.

Mr./Ms. from Langley, VA:

Perhaps you are not aware of the fact that gas in the EU is OVER $10 - $12 per gallon/liter - and has been for many years. I have yet to hear about the peasants begging the 'kings' for help! This is hardly revolutionary, communist nor Maoist.

May I suggest that you go back to school and study science or travel to other parts of the world and expose yourself to other people and cultures.

Calls'em As I Sees'em from Langley, VA

Drilling here? Even if we could add 1% or 50% to the world oil supply, oil is not nationally owned here. When you pull up to the pump, where’s the “US gas only” button? There is none. Even if the station says its all US gas, they are lying. It all comes from the same refineries. There is no such thing as US only crude oil refineries. IF you drill for more oil here, your only making more money for OPEC. Please explain how this would be good for us to support companies that literally fuel global terrorism.

You have been bought and sold by OPEC If you think drilling for more oil in the US will help us.

The real response to Al Gore's lies was that thousands of scientists and several film makers stepped up to combat and debunk the destructive nonsense of the environmental movement.

Scratch an environmentalist and you'll find a Bolshevik or Maoist underneath.

This woman is a liar. The costs are going to be tremendous. Obama during the campaign stated that the price of gas "should be $10-12 per gallon." Home heating oil and gas will be unaffordable, and then the peasants will have to beg the King for help.

Environmentalism is merely a path to a New World Order and the end of democracy and liberty.

Lenny, you really need to get some other voices on the air soon or forever lose your credibility as a professional.

Lenny and guest,

Global warming is a fraud and canard to allow a shift in power and wealth. It is being pushed and funded by a small group of elites who have agendas that conflict with the needs and desires of most people in the West.

Over 31,000 scientists - 9,000 with doctorate degrees in atmospheric science, climatology, earth science, environment and other specialties - have signed a petition rejecting global warming.

According to the petition, “There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing, or will in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.

“Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth.”

The Petition Project www.petitionproject.org has been underway for 10 years. It’s a gradual movement but it was spurred on by the release of Gore’s “documentary” An Inconvenient Truth.

Cap and Trade as proposed by Obama will wreck our economy, destroy American competitiveness and ruin millions of households with greatly increased energy and other cost of living costs. Reasonable estimates indicate that Cap & Trade may cost the average homeowner
$3 - 5,000/year driving people out of their homes.

We need to drill here and now and build many new nuclear plants in addition to building wind, solar and tidal power plants.

Shame on you Lenny for not having a second guest to challenge these lies.

PS - can you ask the guest about her carbon footprint? Does she fly around on a private jet like Al Gore? How big is her house? Is she living in 600 sq. feet or 6000?

Sorry, China does not have lower emission standards for cars then America. That’s completely false. They are at least a decade behind. Nor are they up to snuff with Tier 4 diesel emissions standards for heavy equipment. I can't buy your book now…

Leonard: what Americans will say does not constitute an argument, still less a valid one, for anything, especially given their propensity to say truly stupid things!

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN had an OP-Ed piece the other day that stated that the CO2 emissions from all the cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships in the world is less then the Co2 impact from the loss of tropical forests in places like Brazil, Indonesia and the Congo.

If that is true, doesn't it make more sense to spend money on incentivising the preservation of those forests?

"Well. little Elmer, we shall see."

We can only hope that the USA leads in something other than stupid students who refer to each other with foul epitephs (you know, that WORD).

Good luck.