>>>> Perhaps a better way of thinking here would be to decrease our pollution FIRST - then come back in 20 years and see how well we did.
>>
>>I agree and history shows that that approach usually makes sense.
>>Our cars are a great example. Whether or not the monsters we drove before US laws mandated lower emissions were pollutants, in retrospect it just makes common sense to drive smaller cars and use fewer gallons of gasoline.
>>My caveat is that we can consider human cost with these mandates.
>>If we're going to create massive disruptions in the way people earn a living we should weigh that factor in evaluating the desirability of change.
>
>There would be a massive disruption if the planet is so trashed that it effects the human population to the point where they can't live where they do now or the air and water quality is so poor that it causes serious health problems. Cars is indeed a good example. Not only ones that use less gasoline - but heck just take a look at catalytic converters - remember seeing the cloud of smog in LA back in the 70's? Just think what that cloud of smog would look like if we didn't h have laws making all new cars have to have catalytic converters. To me the disruptions in the way people earn a living is not enough to outweigh the habitability of the planet for future generations. Ya got to start somewhere, and the sooner you start the better off things will be.

Suffices to say, that if we choose to do nothing (which is an action itself), the problem will "take care of itself" -- granted, whether or not the outcome of this will be something we'll be happy with (or even if we will still be in existence) is a *completely* different story. Example of problem taking care of itself: You sustain a nasty injury. You choose to do nothing, and the wound gets infected. The infection results in complications that eventually results in your demise -- problem solved (i.e. dead people don't seem to have many worries -- at least what one might conclude from lack of any examples of dead people expressing complaints).