Pio, a stroke of genius <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />....did you ever read a Modest Proposal by Jonathon Swift?...

Yeah, Bob, its tricky. China's not really socialist anymore anyway. Developed nations are also as bent on economic growth as ever, and they are coming from a much higher base. Australia has already signed a $$$ deal to supply coal to china for the next 20 years. Developing countries are predicted to suffer a lot more from climate change than we will, though.

I need to point out that I am not a geologist but I did take a course once called "Petroleum Geology for non-Geology Majors" and, at the end of the course, I got a certificate so technically I am a certified non-geologist.

One of the things I learned is that geology is based on the principle that the present is the key to the past. So geologists study processes today to project what happened long ago. I also learned that the entire science of geology, theory of the earth and geology of the solar system (and universe for that matter) is based entirely on the geology of Jamaica.

Geology professors always apply for grants for summer research and, for one reason or another, they have rationalized that virtually all geology can be studied in Jamaica so they spend their summers there. I don't know whether that creates any bias in their research though.

I've been away from this thread for a few days. Gray, thank you very much for the post about what the controversy is and what the science underneath it is. It helps me tremendously.

For those who would like more information about the move "An Inconvenient Truth," here's a link to Dr. Jeff Masters' blog on Weather Underground. He normally provides analysis of hurricanes and other tropical weather patterns, but the tropics are quiet right now, so he posted a review of the movie instead.

Here's a summary quote from the review: "In brief, Al Gore has the right idea--climate change is an urgent issue that we all need to get more education on, and his thoughtful movie is a welcome addition to the usual array of mindless Hollywood summer fare. However, the movie has flaws. The presentation of the science is good, but not great--I rate it B minus. The excessive details on Al Gore's life make the movie too long, and his insistence on using the movie as something of a campaign ad detracts from its message."

One nice thing about the review is that it shows the Keeling Curve, which is something we all may want to look at more carefully. I know only as much about it as is in the blog -- GC or someone who knows more, could you say a little more about it and why it's important?