Never a truer word...
Patrick wrote: "So James, you are confronted with lots of changed evidence. None of it is disputable."
Well, if nothing is disputable, it does not really make any sense to discuss it, does it?
But you forgot to say what is it that you think is indisputable: Papal infallibility? The superiority of the white race? That the earth goes around the Sun?
Miles wrote: "the U. S. uses about 25% of the world's nonrenewable energy supplies to maintain our industrialized society. Given the finite resources of oil, coal, and gas, how can every 6% segment of the world's population use 25% of the energy?"
It is not easy to parse those sentences, but 1) the US does not use up 25 per cent of the world's nonrenewable energy supplies each year, it uses up 25 per cent of the world's nonrenewable energy supplies that are drilled each year (what the ratio of drilling to reserves is disputable) 2) it is given that the resources of oil, coal and gas are finite, but the size of the reserves is very large 3) if every six per cent segment of the world's population use as much energy as the US, then that sum would represent 6 per cent of the energy, not 25 per cent. 4) the US also represent around 25 per cent of world output (thugh that took a dip recently) 5) greater energy use would engender greater energy efficiency 6) greater energy use would encourage energy supply innovations (already the European Green Parties are key promoters of nuclear energy - funny old world!)