Blog action day!

So it's Blog Action Day, and this year's topic is climate change. Okay, there's an issue with serious pie-making capacity implications. Honestly, nothing else really matters if we screw this one up too badly.

There's a great article over at Grist about why this debate is so often portrayed as a liberal/conservative fight rather than one over science and other policies. Short version, climate is the ultimate externality. In modern society, EVERY transaction involves a carbon cost, even reading this blog, and so EVERY transaction must be subject to external regulation to insure that the cost of that transaction is born fairly.

As such, there will be an impasse for as long as people can get away with it. That day, however, seems like it might not be far away. Galhran points out that quite a lot of "gun butter" is about to go into making the Navy a more sustainable force. The Coast Guard, looking forward to being called into help with the flooding, changing storm patterns and general humanitarian disaster that is a changing climate, is actively engaged with the global community on the subject.

There are a lot of small things we can all do to help out, whether we're worried about changing temperatures, ocean acidification or just saving money (and thereby sticking it to the current US administration!). You can support the Pickens Plan, and help ensure that the US "poops where it eats" in terms of energy generation (note, I think this is a very good thing). Ride a bike to work, the store or, especially, the gym. Turn lights off, and replace old bulbs with CFL's and LED's when possible. Look into Smart Grid efforts and see what you can do to support local efforts in this direction.

The scientific debate on climate change, and carbon emissions in general, is over whether the status quo is only McDonald's every couple days, or as bad as a diet of hot dogs and slurpees. Either way, we could do better, and there are plenty of good reasons to take these steps for personal and national economic gain. So, think Green! Or, if you prefer, think Cheap! The world you save will be your own.