Man made release of CO2 isn't even a tiny fraction of 1% of all the CO2 that is released naturally by nature. Someone needs to explain to me in a sensible manner how all of the CO2 released naturally in history by nature doesn't have an effect on our weather . . . .
CO2 is plant food. If the release of CO2 from fossil fuels is the root cause of global changes in weather patterns, then please explain to me why my grass isn't greener & my oceans aren't spewing out food to feed the world.
We have NEVER enjoyed a stable climate, why then do we have to pay a tax on the CO2 that we allegedly create???
First off, your numbers are wrong. The research estimates it's around to 3-4%, whether or not you choose to believe it's science or misinformation is up to you. Secondly, the ecosystem is about balance and CO2 emissions are cumulative. 3-4%, not much by itself but as any stock investor will tell you, compounding year on year starts to add up. The explosive population growth and industrial revolution over the last ~120 years has upset the balance.
Using your food analogy, a baby doesn't become Hercules just because you provide an unlimited source of food. If you don't provide the right ambient conditions, the baby will struggle to develop, get sick, and even die. The amount of "food" a plant/baby can take is fixed and climate is changing faster than plants can adapt (warmer/drier summers, colder/stormier winters, etc). Your sea analogy is broken. CO2 is causing the seas to be more acidic, killing sea life, not promoting it.
Europe was originally a wooded continent, from the Arctic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Even after current replanting efforts, less than 40% of that woodland remains. The same can be said for woodlands of the world, if not worse. We can't say "nature handled it in the past" when mankind has drastically changed the playing field and upset the balance.
Whether or not you believe in climate change, there's no denying that extreme weather events (forest fires, droughts, flooding, summer heatwaves, storms, hurricanes, etc) are more common and severe than before. I personally don't believe we understand all factors affecting climate change, but reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned and toxins pumped into the air we breathe cannot be a bad thing.
Mankind should strive to improve, not keep the status quo just because we've gotten comfortable with it. We have the technology to move onto better, cleaner, and eventually cheaper methods. There's no reason why we shouldn't and a few tax dollars in the grand scheme of things isn't worth crying about.
news.climate.columbia.edu
www.nature.com
