Comments on: Who is responsible for most climate change?

By: Wow

Wow — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 16:03:33 +0000

“The worse things get the more money they make (because they price their insurance higher and higher).”

Of course, there’s no money in the fossil fuel industry, and they don’t mind at all if the reserves are left where they are. No siree.

Which is why PrickA doesn’t think that there’s any conspiracy to delay or refuse the reality of AGW and propping up a denial industry for the benefit of these corporations.

But the INSURANCE COMPANIES, weeeeel, everyone knows they’re rapacious and evil money grabbing private industry (BUT DON’T YOU *DARE* PRIVATISE OR REGULATE IT, GUBMINT!!!)

By: Wow

Wow — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 16:01:13 +0000

“Not companies that burn that carbon for their own use, or to make electricity. Not companies that block RE or block Tesla. ”

But the whinge was that WE (the people, not corporations) are responsible for using up all the oil.

WE
DO
NOT.

By: Wow

Wow — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 16:00:17 +0000

“Wow

The article referenced indicts companies that take crude oil out of the ground for taking oil out of the ground. That appears to be the total analysis.”

Uhm, if we don’t take it out of the ground, how do we burn it in our power stations and transport????

You DO realise that there’s a rather important first step here, right?

By: Brainstorms

Brainstorms — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:37:00 +0000

Zebra, be careful. You’re starting to imply that there is no economic impact to “acts of destruction”. It’s not the zero-sum game people like RickA would have us believe.

By: zebra

zebra — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:56:38 +0000

Brainstorms #19,

Again, it depends. How widely is the risk shared? How much competition is there in the industry? And so on.

It’s all about monopoly and regulatory capture, extending up to the Federal level. If we don’t subsidize flood insurance and don’t provide “disaster relief” beyond rescuing people in danger of physical harm, some areas will simply be abandoned– which is not a bad thing at all.

By: Brainstorms

Brainstorms — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:31:02 +0000

RickA: I just totally forgot that insurance industry customers are all bottomless pits of money and can happily fund any price increases, no matter how big.

It all… just.. makes sense… Somehow.

I’ll sleep better now, thank you.

By: zebra

zebra — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:57:08 +0000

On insurance companies, RickA actually gets this right. There seems to be a misapprehension that insurers wish to reduce costs (e.g. in healthcare); no, they wish to reduce payouts, and of course they wish to reduce competition.

The motivations to actually reduce harm– e.g. auto insurers lobbying for airbags– are not simply determined, they obviously vary with circumstance.

And this brings us to zebra’s favorite point, which is that we must ensure both a competitive (free) market in consumption as well as disincentives (e.g. tax) for producing CO2.

The US Federal government has the ability to do the former in the areas mentioned by others, like RE and electrification of transport, by invoking interstate commerce powers.

By: RickA

RickA — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 02:16:02 +0000

Brainstorms:

As Mr. Buffet pointed out, the insurance industry reprices its insurance annually.

The worse things get the more money they make (because they price their insurance higher and higher).

The insurance industry will not be sunk because of climate change.

Mr. Buffet was lamenting the lack of a major 3 or higher hurricane hit on the USA as the profits were dropping for that type of insurance.

By: Brainstorms

Brainstorms — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 00:35:20 +0000

I’ve long thought that you could simply appeal to the insurance companies for support & pressure. THEY’RE the ones who will lose first. They HAVE to help fight climate change or they’re sunk.

Remember the first thing to implode in the Great Republican Recession of 2008 was AGI — an insurance company.

By: steveP

steveP — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 00:26:04 +0000

Dean @ 14.
Wow. Nice. Very nice. So there is a glimmer of hope out there. Insurance actuaries are no fools. Unlike the bloody gd conservatives and their moronic “yes but” idiocy. I am sofa king sick of the stupidity of polluters and especially the fools and psychopaths who egg them on. Nice article. Thanks.