It has turned into a money making operation, hasn't it? And, of course, a very "convenient" political football. The people crying about global warming seem to forget that the planet has had cooling cycles and warming cycles for eons. Then you have morons like John Edwards who jumped on the bandwagon and at the same time builds a gigantic house.

Great post, love it!!! You make too much sense for global alarmist sheeple to understand. Easier to be told what to do than think for themselves.

Plant trees.

Floridian, although I am concerned about Global Warming and the future of our planet, I also have said many times that I'm not sure what we can really do to stop it. I am mainly concerned about doing the right thing to preserve its beauty and to keep our water clean and our air healthful. (i.e., keep our beaches beautiful, stop polluting the water) But I agree with you that many people are profiting from this, especially when I see $8 light bulbs at Ace hardware. I burn (1) 40 watt bulb at night. I don't think that's heating up the Earth.   
(ps: Yes, Konane. We need to plant more trees! But we can't compete with those who are tearing them down in rainforests faster than I can type this comment.)

This situation is no different than what happened during the few years preceding that dreaded disaster to end all disasters, Y2K. People spent fortunes "protecting themselves," and others made fortunes by making sure we were kept in a fearful state and selling us things like bottled water, MRE's and chemical suits at grossly inflated prices. The same thing happend in the months following 9/11. It didn't last as long, but some people made a lot of money by convincing many of us that another attack was imminent.
     Americans are afraid of what they don't understand, and spending money at it, whatever "it" might be at any given moment, somehow makes us feel more secure. We're a capitalist nation, and we always have been; from the moment we get out of bed in the morning, we look for opportunities to make money. Unfortunately, the best opportunities are borne of people's deep-seated fears. We buy homes to shelter us from the weather; we buy insurance in case we die or have an accident with our cars; we buy home and vehicle security systems because, let's face it; we're afraid that someone will steal our cars or will break into our houses, maybe even when we're at home! We buy guns because we're afraid of being accosted by violent criminals; we buy special software that allows us to keep an eye on our youngsters when we're away, because we're afraid something terrible might happen to them while we're not watching. We buy and install steel entry doors and put deadbolt locks on our windows. We stick little plastic plugs into our outlets at home, and we put locks on our cabinets because we're afraid of what might happen to a toddler who touches or opens them.
     Spending money on all of these things does NOT guarantee that that the dreaded event will be arrested by the product or service we've purchased. However, once the check has cleared the bank, we like to pretend that it does. We breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Well, I don't have to worry about that anymore." The simple act of spending the money makes us think, it makes us believe, that whatever it is we were trying to prevent can no longer happen. The kids will be okay because I can see them; I don't worry about having an accident because I have very good insurance; you'd have to have a tank to break into my house. The point is, we feel invulnerable the from very moment we get the receipt. But accidents happen, and security is never airtight. Insurance companies simply refuse to pay for the most exasperating and nonsensical reasons.
     Like it or not, anything Americans consider to be a political or societal issue will generate millions of dollars for those who know how to exploit it. Whether Global Warming is a legitimate concern remains to be proven unequivocally. Until it's proven or disproven to the satisfaction of all, it will continue to feed the coffers of its promoters.
     Personally, I think it's a non-issue. If the planet is warming due to excessive greenhouse gasses, then the damage is done and the die is cast; there is precious little, if anything, that we can do at this point to overcome 150 years' worth of air pollution. In the Navy, we called such an endeavor "Pi$$ing up a rope," and I believe our valiant efforts to save the planet from ourselves will be no more productive, although I'm sure it will dispose of lots of money.
     I agree with floridian; I'm sick of all this nonsense, too, but we must choose our battles carefully. There's some wisdom in the old saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." My advice is to find something Americans are afraid of (how hard can it be?), and shake it in their faces until they scream. Then, tell them you'll take it away if they give you ten dollars each. After they've paid you, tell them you can keep it from coming back for the unbelievably low price of only five dollars a month (each). If someone fails to maintain his subscription, take the thing back to his house and threaten to leave it on his porch if he doesn't pay up.
     In a very short time, this stuff probably won't bother you so much.
     
     Jim

Justx ..... there is never any guarantee that taking a particular action will absolutely yield a specific result. However there is enough hard data which says trees are a proven earth shader and cooler. Regarding planting trees, I think the "hundredth monkey" analogy is applicable.

If decimated rainforest areas turn into Gobi desert-like climates then looks like those people will have to adapt to living in circumstances they created. Can't say they haven't been informed otherwise for several decades.

Think the reluctance about doing something may be trying to re-establish what was, rather than doing what makes sense and going forward. Change is difficult for many but like Jim695 pointed out, throwing money at a problem is only a feel good approach.

Expecting $$$pecial intere$$$t (remember it's bankers who control business and industry through lines of credit) bought and paid for politician$$$ to come up with sensible answers is also like the Navy comment Jim quoted.

Sources tell me that duct tape and plastic sheeting will protect me until expert help arrives. ;-)