In a world in which poverty is the greatest social pollutant, any restriction on energy use that inhibits economic growth should be viewed with caution. After Mr. Clinton announced the U.S. greenhouse-gas plan on Wednesday, a spokesmen for the Sierra Club listed the disasters that would befall Americans if the United States did not go much, much farther. They included killer hurricanes on the East Coast, the spread of dengue fever in Texas, massive flooding in the Midwest, and the disappearance of California's beaches. Many environmentalists say that global warming is already causing severe and destructive weather. This, again, is unproven.
Recent data show no increase in the severity or frequency of tropical storms.
Computer models that forecast these things are as unreliable as the ones predicting future temperatures. Even the IPCC, in its 1996 report, found that it was unlikely that there would be a significant increase in tropical storms worldwide. As for rising sea levels, sharply higher temperatures would, indeed, cause polar glaciers to melt. On the other hand, higher evaporation rates would lower sea levels. In the end, gradual, moderate warming might, in fact, be beneficial, lengthening the growing season and lowering heating costs in northern countries such as Canada.