There is a what and why problem here.

The what is "Global Warming." The scare quotes are due to the term taking as true that which remains to be proven. To remove the quotes, I will use Climate Change, instead.

If Climate Change is driven by human activity, then it isn't particularly arrogant to think we would have the power to change it.

However, the climate is always changing (probably chaotically around strange attractors). The arrogance is to conclude that, suddenly, the why is us.

And even if we have the ability to change the climate, what should it be changed to? What exactly is the proper climate? Ten thousand years ago, the climate of North American included glaciers as far south as Chicago. Or do we want pineapple plantations in Siberia and bananas grown in Nunavut? Why is it that the same people who believe that there are no moral absolutes can then turn around and tell us there's one perfect ~climate~ for everyone?

Just as long as it's rainy in Oregon, snowy in Minnesota, and hot in New Mexico, all will be right with the world.

Since the GCMs don't even pretend to have a model for clouds, they are worthless.

There is probably a reason that the only planet in this solar system with life is also the only one that has variable cloud cover. All the others have either no clouds or 100%.

I call it the Goldilocks Theory of Climate. "Eeew, the 20th century was too hot. Oooh, the 18th century was too cold. But, ahhh, the 19th century was just right!"

Look, the worst case scenario (the one the politicians added to the list, not the ones the scientists propsed), is a two percent change in temperature over a century. I have more variation than that year in and year out, and more instant change walking out my front door. People can adapt to a lot, and that doesn't sound like much of a challenge.

We do have more important problems in the world.

I've read that cyclically we are moving into another Ice age in about 10,000 years, assuming past patterns persist. Perhaps a little climate warming by humans would be beneficial for near future generations. So, what must we do to work the thermostat? Step up capitalistic success worldwide?

The real goal of the chicken littles is central planning worldwide with academic science in charge. Heaven save us.

genecis:

Yes, and the scary central planning would not be done so much on the basis of the predictions of even the gloomiest climatologists, but of the sociologists, economists, etc. who are along for the ride.

Genecis --

The pattern seems to be 10,000 year temperate periods between ice ages. We are now about 10,000 years into the current temperate period.

Unfortunately, the US is very pollution efficient; that is, we generate very little pollution per dollar in the economy. If we decide that we need more air pollution in order to postpone the next ice age, I recommend that we stop the development of a middle class in China and India.

However, given that scientists aren't sure whether and where air pollution will increase or decrease average temperatures, we shouldn't be hasty.

Actually, we are approximately 12,000 years into our current inter-glacial period. Inter-glacial periods have typically lasted about 10,000 years so we are somewhat overdue for another glacial period. Glacial periods typically last about 100,000 years. We've had (it is thought) 10 so far during the last 1-2 million year period called the Ice Epic.

The Earth started cooling off and drying up about 4 million years ago and the Ice Epic started 1-2 million years ago. The Ice Epic should last another 4-5 million years at which time the polar ice caps should go away and we'll return to our normal somewhat warmer, much wetter climate. The current period corresponds to a 45 year old man expected to live to age 90 getting a cold for a month. Meeting such a man and expecting him to always have a cough, runny nose, and other cold-like symptoms for his entire life would be an understandable but equally incorrect assumption.

The Earth would normally not have polar ice caps. Having one would be very unusual. Having two is an extremely unlikely. The south polar cap is due to the continent Antarctica travelling over the southern pole. It will have moved on (unless some major change in plate tectonics occurs) and the southern pole will be exposed ocean to the equator. The combination of no land for snow to accumulate on and open ocean bring in warm water will return the southern pole back to its normal state. The northern polar cap is caused by an essentially land-locked northern ocean that prevents warm, equatorial water from melting the northern polar cap. As the Atlantic gets wider (approximatey 2cm a year), more warm ocean currents will be allowed to flow and the northern cap is doomed as well. This is less clear because Alaska will have flowed into Siberia and predictions on what the northern plates will do are much less dependable.

Bottom line, enjoy our current climate while it lasts 'cause its going to change. Until man can start to control plate tectonics or have a dramatic effect on solar insolation, man is pretty much just along for the ride. (In fact, it was the cooling, drying climate that most likely caused man to differentiate from the other apes in the first place but that's another topic.)