When it comes to the infamous global warming debate, Washington stands to benefit from winning the argument.  In more ways than one, the US federal government backs global warming advocates not because its the right thing to do for the Earth and for a sustainable future, but because it’s smart business.  The resulting scenario is a case of cops and robbers with all the lines blurred and grayed beyond sensible recognition.  At the heart of the matter is the scientific fact that many scientists now agree on – global warming is a myth and not a man-made phenomena.

Windfalls to Special Interests

However, lobbyist for clean coal, ethanol and other alternative energy sources often suggest otherwise to top Washington officials wielding the power to make or break global warming matters.  This means the control of financial windfalls from global warming initiatives is subject to tacit relationships between legislators and special interest groups. These relationships stand to benefit most from the view that global warming can be reduced by capping CO2 emissions – the so-called major cause of global warming.  The more seasoned the relationship, the greater the windfall.

Wall Street Speculation

Speaking of cap and trade, it just so happens to be a purposed solution for man-made global warming that has failed in Europe due to rampant trading of carbon permits – trading that was not  anticipated but was definitely forseeable.  Now, Washington and even some state governments are scrambling to carve out a solution that excludes Wall Street – but not all of Washington believes this is beneficial.  The current cap and trade auction scenario is based on the assumption that the free market can best take care of inequlities among the biggest CO2 emitters, but I do not agree.

Higher Costs for Tax Payers

For one thing, the capitalists of Wall Street may still be of the ludicrous notion that Washington  owes them a favor or two despite recent bailout bliss.  Windfalls to specials interests plus Wall Street speculation can only mean one thing for tax payers, increased costs.  In the form of higher taxes, the increases create pure dividends for Washington.  In the form of rising energy costs, they represent indirect dividends that ultimately go towards scratching the backs of the alternative energy lobbyists.  Then, the cycle starts all over again – Washington dividends, taxpayers’ doom.

Simple Cost Benefit Analysis

I must admit even with all the facts in front of me, I still was not convinced.  That is, until I sat down and did a simple cost benefit analysis using one piece of legislation proposed in December 2010 called the Clear Act.  The Clear Act is predicted to create jobs in green manufacturing and construction.  I ask at what cost?  Lets say the US aimed at reaching Kyoto protocol targets by 2012.  It’s estimated that 2.4 million jobs could be lost and $300 billion in economic output as well.   Can the Clear Act’s “cap and dividend” approach really make up for such deep costs?  I think not.

Cap and Dividend

With monthly checks of $1000 to $6000 going to taxpayers, cap and dividend approaches may seem like appealing alternatives to the Washington dividends likely with cap and trade scenarios, but I’m not convinced.  I know that the special interest lobby-Washington dividend cycle will continue to grind out negative consequences for taxpayers.  For most of us, it will take more than  a few thousand per month to keep up with its savage pace.  This is thus the design of a crooked and fallen system where one of the biggest scams of the century pays hefty Washington dividends.

For a very long time, politicians and scientists have said that the average temperature on our planet is rising every year and we should change our way of life style in order to preserve our world for future generations. On the other hand, there is a different group of scientists who affirm that global warming is a myth. Some even go so far as saying governments and authorities know this, but still support it because it distracts the voters’ attention. This debate has always got my attention and I started researching more about it.

What amazed me was how a group of scientists showed how the most reliable sources of temperature data are gathered from the satellites. Their data is gathered from all over the globe, not just from particular areas; it is very accurate and there is no room for human-error. And what do their studies show? That there is no global warming danger.

Previous studies supporting global warming have been gathering data from land-based stations; this particular research method can be inaccurate and only covers a small part of any area, so it is quite hard to make error-free conclusions. I was quite surprised to learn that several of these stations were positioned quite near towns and cities; this particular localization brings so many confounding variables to the table. As well all know, just because statistics can show that something is significant, it does not mean that it can be generalizable to the whole planet.

I recently read articles about how the efforts made by our government to reduce greenhouse gases are very expensive and so far do not provide good results. I can’t help but think about how all the money our government is investing is ending up in the hands of big companies that are connected with clean energies business. Can you imagine what that will mean for you and me?  The average tax-paying citizen will have to contribute even more with even higher taxes to balance the reckless economic decisions. One can clearly see how a small group of people has so much to gain from the mass hysteria caused by global warming.

What if climate change is really happening? Could it really be our fault? Global temperatures have been going up and down throughout Earth’s history; there were times in the beginning of human civilization when it was warmer than it is now. We adapted to decreases in temperature, I am quite certain we can adapt to anything our future brings us.

In my opinion, global warming is just hype. Our government seems to support it, but we have to ask ourselves, why are the authorities so reticent when it comes to looking at the whole picture? I think we should not just believe everything we are being showed. I question issues that are presented to me like supreme truths. In the end, we all know that people in power will do almost everything to reach their ends. Information is our power and knowledge about our geological history can lead us to the truth.

Emissions trading, also known as the global warming market or cap and trade, is an attempt to control pollution and emission levels by giving traders economic incentives for lowering their rate of emissions. There is a lot of money now in reducing emissions, saving the planet, hugging trees, and so on. Al Gore himself commented on the bonus features of “An Inconvenient Truth” that you need to “follow the money.” When you dig deep enough, you’ll see that energy companies are still getting rich on this, even though it would seem that oil companies could only lose money in a campaign to lower emissions.

Carbon trading is a scheme that was proposed by Goldman Sachs, and has now made it through the White House and the Senate. It’s based on putting a cap on the emissions that a particular business is allowed to produce. Oil companies understandably aren’t thrilled about that, but they are still making some green by being closely tied in with financial and investment firms. So who really gains from this new carbon emissions trading system? Again, it’s the financial companies like Goldman Sachs who make the most on it, just like usual. The rich get richer and the poor get taxed. In 2009, the entire carbon emissions trading operation of Constellation Energy was purchased by Goldman Sachs.

Al Gore isn’t getting left behind either. He owns a company called Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers that deals in venture capital. They provided the capital for a firm that produces the equipment needed to get the most efficiency out of energy grids, and guess what happened next? Out of $3.4 billion given out by the U.S. Department of Energy, Al Gore’s little company Silver Spring got $560 million. Al Gore is well on his way to becoming the first billionaire from carbon trading.

Of course everybody remembers Enron, the infamous energy trading company that went down for embezzlement. They were among the first to capitalize on the global warming market. It’s easy to see how closely intertwined the government and the corporations are on this, and it isn’t difficult to pinpoint why a lot of wealthy people could stand to gain from the continuing idea that global warming is real. I mean, Al Gore, one of America’s most famous supporters of global warming, is now filthy rich because of it.

The Kyoto Protocol was the treaty that put a cap on carbon emissions for the first time, and was supported by many famous political figures. If you didn’t know, Ken Lay, CEO of Enron, Al Gore, and Bill Clinton all held meetings at the White House to discuss the Kyoto Protocol before it was made official. Ken Lay and George Bush were once friends as well, although Bush refused to sign the Protocol for unknown reasons.