Quote from Bogan7:
If your conclusions are true then Sorry and the US is fine why? They may have melting permafrost but much of the US maybe uninhabitable not sure that is a great position to be in.
I agree. This is a situation that does and will affect everyone.
This is my personal view:
The US is in a more commanding position. Reason being, that it is one of the largest consumers of oil and gas. Now we also have India and China (but can they go to other sources of fuel? that is debatable)
So what?
1. Use of fossil fuels is possibly related to global warming. Although global warming could be a natural physical phenomenon; we don't know.
2. However, we have to go to alternative fuel sources, either way.
Had the US ratified the Kioto agreement, it would only have delayed the effects of global warming by 7 years. So ratification of the Kioto agreement was not the solution.
what if the US does a complete switch to environmentally friendly energy sources?
1. The US has the ability to switch away from the use of oil.
2. Newest and best sources now seem to be switch grass (this is possibly two years away).
what happens if and when the US does decide to move to environmentally friendly fuel sources?
1. We have a healthier environment to live in
2. No more oil spils (such as Exxon Valdese and the burst pipelines in Arctic Russia)
3. No more global warming related issues
4. Unlimited fuel supply sources (e.g. corn, sugarcane, switchgrass)
5. No more blackmailing from unstable and Middle Eastern economies that dislike the West
6. No more wars over energy source procurement
7. No need to be all politically correct and diplomatic with hostile economies that the West has to deal with
but there is a down side for US friendly economies such as Canada
1. because the US will not be using the oil and gas, so economies such as Canada have to rely on something else (uranium, timber, tourism maybe?).
conclusion
Firstly, we have the technology to become environmentally friendly now, but will economies that depend on the US to buy their fuel sources, be able to cope and suffiently diversify?
Secondly, how long does the US have to wait. Do we wait until the Polar Ice Caps, Canadian permafrost melt irreversibly, and/or there is a colapse of the Oceanic Conveyor belt, or, do we switch over sooner?