Despite increased population and energy use, the rate has slowed to three more light bulbs per 100 years, rather than increasing to the five bulbs that were in the most popular climate forcing scenarios. Credit for the slowdown belongs in part to the public, legislatures, and businesses that phased out chlorofluorocarbons. Also methane and carbon dioxide growth rates slowed, for reasons that are not well understood and are perhaps only temporary. Immediate, economically wrenching, constraints on energy use have negligible effect on climate forcings. But the other extreme, denial of the greenhouse problem, is equally foolish.
Climate change is real, and it is a complex problem.
Climate will change in the next few decades, regardless of our actions. But we can slow the planetary experiment as we develop better understanding. We need bi-partisan common sense strategies to encourage greenhouse benign technologies that continue the positive changes in our long term energy use trajectory. This is good for business and it will provide us the option to eventually stabilize climate, thus maintaining a healthy planet for humans and bears. References Hansen, J.E., M. Sato, A. Lacis, R. Ruedy, I. Tegen and E. Matthews, Climate forcings in the Industrial era, Proc.