The Left: Moribund.

[ahinton]

The problem there is that, as long as some go on claiming the jury to be still out on that one, it provides a let out to those who want no action to try and mitigate the (undoubted) effects of global warming to be taken.

It doesn't necessarily follow that this has to be the case - and, indeed, it's important that the differences be properly understood lest we risk some of the wrong kind of action being taken. I don't think that the jury is out on the principle, to the extent that some climate change occurs naturally and some is man-induced and, until the individual effects and the differences betwen them are fully understood and recognised and until any necessary adaptations are considered and implemented, the most appropriate solutions to the problems caused by climate change (and it's also worth bearing in mind, as I suggested earlier, that climate change does not only bring problems) will not likely be found and put in place.

[Serial_Apologist]

It doesn't necessarily follow that this has to be the case - and, indeed, it's important that the differences be properly understood lest we risk some of the wrong kind of action being taken. I don't think that the jury is out on the principle, to the extent that some climate change occurs naturally and some is man-induced and, until the individual effects and the differences betwen them are fully understood and recognised and until any necessary adaptations are considered and implemented, the most appropriate solutions to the problems caused by climate change (and it's also worth bearing in mind, as I suggested earlier, that climate change does not only bring problems) will not likely be found and put in place.

What alternatives await clearance on the resolution of the natural/man-made question? I am not aware of any that do, or need to. Extra insulation, wave power etc do not themselves impact on the environment - or am I missing something?

[ahinton]

What alternatives await clearance on the resolution of the natural/man-made question? I am not aware of any that do, or need to. Extra insulation, wave power etc do not themselves impact on the environment - or am I missing something?

All that you're missing is that until we know for cetain precisely what human acitivites have precisely what causes and where in terms of climate change AND we know equally well what aspecgts of climate change are occurring naturally and where, our ability to deal with what we can deal with - i.e. only the human input aspect - will be less clear than needs to be the case. You are broadly correct in saying that extra insulation and other such efficiencies as well as using non-fossil-fuel generated electricity and the like have little adverse impact upon the environment and I'm all for encouraging that, but even if all fossil fuel burning ceased altogether across the planet we would still encounter climate change.