I will readily admit that human induced global warming is a very vulnerable theory. The periods of time used to measure the phenomenom (centuries) are statistically insignficant when compared to the age of our planet. After reading a bunch of scientific literature on both sides, I tend to think that we are responsible and if we don't make an effort to curb our emissions there is a risk that things will take a turn for the worse...maybe I won't see it in my life time...but my daughter might...or maybe her children. But then again...does it really matter? What's the downside to reducing our CO2 emmissions? Most critics will tell you that it could spell economic disaster for the US. Talk about a %26quot;chicken little%26quot; reaction. The US economy overcame the effects of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act. CRCLA, TOSCA, RCRA etc...why do republicans have such little faith in our ability to weather CO2 emmission control? Bottom line, the biggest threat to the US economy is China and India. And let's face it, our economic strength lies in our innovation and not necessarily in duplication (read production)...so let's innovate CO2 control and alternative energy...in every way imaginable...and sell it to the rest of the world. Here's a fact....oil is finite and one day alternative energy just becomes plain old... energy. Wake up people...this is not a potential drag on the US economy....but one of our greatest opportunities. So many of the republicans on this issue are eager to mention terrorism as more worthy of our national attention and resources. We all know how terrorism is funded...I think about it every time I go to pump....so any theory...no matter how far fetched or unlikely or unprovable...that is going to support the development of alternative energy is...at the end day...a net benefit. In my mind the middle east suffers from a serious case of relevancy...let's change that ASAP. For those of you republicans that might have a problem with pursuing policy using %26quot;chicken little%26quot; tactics...don't forget about the WMDs you so readily sold...poor Colin Powell...forced to construct a house of cards (card by miserable card) in front of the UN...talk about getting sold out. But wait...I'm a democrat and I'm glad we went to Iraq...and I don't think we should leave any time soon? Why? Because look at the effect...we created a theater of conflict far form home...and let me tell you...it's much easier for an angry syrian to sneak over the Iraqi border under the cover of night then it is for the same syrian to get a visa, a plane ticket to the US and a terrorist cell taking applications. (There's also the issue of moral responsibility...you can't go to some other county...turn it on it's head...and leave) So all of you angry republicans...shut up about global warming...take a minute and think it through...I mean all the way through. You sound silly when you say %26quot;there's no way of proving it%26quot;....of course we can't prove it...that will take a few million years....but disproving it is equally impossible. And the silly links you send around...created by pundits for pundits...stop already. %26quot;The growing momentum of dissenters%26quot;...so stupid I can't take it. So maybe it's not true...so what. What's the downside? God forbid we teach our children a little stewardship...it might not be global warming...but there's one thing I can guarantee...unless we change our current frontier attitude towards our natural resources we will eventually screw up our planet. Finally...what if it's true...what if in 30 years we have really screwed things up? Have fun explaining/stammering to your grandkids about how %26quot;we needed definitive proof%26quot; and I suggest you hide the old photos of you in the Hummer.
Does it really matter if global warming is the result of human activity?
Teaching stewardship is a great thing to do regardless of your belief about Global Warming.
If you assume GW is false, you still care about CO2 emissions because those emissions are directly related to your energy COSTS. So your business or your pocketbook will be better off if you pay attention to this.
If you assume GW is true, you need to then decide to what extent the human activities contribute to the imbalance. If you conclude that we are doing any of it, then we need to curb our emissions.
But I'll note at this point that attending to CO2 emissions is %26quot;good%26quot; but your reasons will be different.
So those that are %26quot;fiscally conservative%26quot; will be interested in working on the problem, as well as the %26quot;greenies.%26quot;
QED -- do something about CO2 now. Either way, you'll be happier!
Does it really matter if global warming is the result of human activity?
Global warming is a hoax.
and you expect us to actually read all that with such a stupid title?
no cause in 10,000 years we will be blamed for global cooling
That's kinda my point. All we can do is what we CAN do. We NEED to convert to renewable resources. Global Warming will take care of itself. It did so back in the Middle Ages, and many times before. Let's just do what we can, what is practical, and what is environmentally responsible.
I see you are new to Answers. Lots of us will just go on by a long Post, without reading.
I didn't read yours, just checked to see if you are new.
Well I read all of that, although it was a lot. I agree, you make some excellent points. Why so many...dot dot dots...? I think it's important to protect our environment, whether global warming is real or not, and I doubt that carbon dioxide emissions can be good even if they aren't contributing to global warming (which they may be).
The only thing I disagree with is that it can't be disproved. Disproving is the easy part. With any theory, all you need is one piece of contradictory evidence, and it's all out the window (or you at least have to adjust your theory). However, you can never prove anything, because there is always the chance that that piece of evidence will show up. I like the example about swans. You can say %26quot;All swans are white%26quot;. That's your theory. You can find a trillion white swans, but if you find one black one, your theory is disproved.
Slight global warming is occurring right now, but I believe it is a part of a normal and natural cycle of the earth's existence.
Unfortunately, it has become the dogma of the Democratic Party leadership. They need to find a palatable reason to gain control over the economy and government, one that people will feel too cowed to refute.
very long but good point ,I feel th same
WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME
Irresponsible Agriculture , expanding populations and its effects are the planets biggest enemies.
This text only covers some aspects of Climate change ,i.e.effects of deforestation and subsequent man made desertification ,because of irresponsible farming using chemicals ,over pumping carbon aquifers,over grazing ,wild fires (because of slash and burn gone out of control).
Water and air polution ,such as caused by
industrial contamination ,the contaminating effects of the cities(the internal combustion engine) ,are other stories.
All of these are also man made ,such as the high industrial chimneys pumping contamination into the clouds and the burning of tires,some of this polution has been found in the ice in the polar regions.
There are natural cycles in the planets life
but a lot is influenced by mans existance ,this is increasing with overpopulation,putting strains on Natural resources and increasing contaminations .
The thinner ozone layer helps to speed this up. This is caused mainly by air polution ,also as a result of mans actions.
In North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss , desertification and some have died as a result.
Now many animals are becoming sick because of changes in temperature .
Vital links in the food chains are disapearing affecting other species further along in the chain .
We are witness to a mass exstinction ,for the first time since the dinosaurs.
Of the earth's estimated 10 million species, 300,000 have vanished in the past 50 years.
Each year, 3,000 to 30,000 species become extinct.
Everything is happening so fast it is not possible to monitor things any more.
The Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year.
Most of the desserts are as a results of mans actions.And they are increasing .In the dinosaurs days ,there were few desserts.
Collectively this planet is drying up .
Each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss
There is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate Agriculture.
Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.
Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people, are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.
This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.
The farmers that are left have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil(because of desertification and irreverible erosion)
Over the last half century,
Population growth %26amp; rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million
In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise. .
RISING SEAS
The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.
This does not affect the sea level ,because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,and the Glaziers is potable water lost forever and rises the sea levels.
Are We responsible ?
Is it the Sun?
Is it God who wants to punish us?
Is it Gaia who wants to clean some parasitic infestation?
Is it a Natural cycle?
Who cares ? that is not important any more
WHAT IS important -is that we are gonna be in trouble
WHAT CAN WE DO????????????????
The best we can do as individuals is be more responsible ,in our own neck of the woods
Organise well publicized clean up parties ,talk on the radio,hold citizan meetings, get the shools involved to plant trees and listen to environmental awareness talks.
If you do any cleaning up ,leave signs behind saying who cleaned,why and ask people not to start dumping rubbish again ,leave a hole or bins ,in case people come back with trash ,and they always do.
We have done a lot of comunity cleaning and if you dont leave alternatives or try to work on peoples guilt feelings (some people actually have those ,but not many) ,than your efforts are a waste of time.
That is what we do in Mexico.
POSITIVE ACTIONS
Print Tshirts with slogans ,hang posters all over the place (with recycled paper if possible).
Classify trash, take out all the organic waste and make compost with it ,the worst you can do is throw it with the trash,or burn it .
70% of contamination is due to organic waste that is mixed in with the garbage .
and it is just as bad in the sewer where it helps to breed rats and in the landfill it poisons the ground .
This is the easiest to take care of .
First of all we have to clasify trash ,at least keep the organic to one side ,like in a plastic bin with a lid .
If you got a few meters of ground ,you only need 1 or 2 square meters in a shallow hole ,(in the shade) ,that you can wet now and again .
Where you dump everything that is organic .
Toilet paper,bones vegetable cuttings ,eggshells,
deadbodies ,excrement ,cardboard,leaves,
shredded paper,old clothes (if they are organic),
Cover regularly with leaves or a piece of plastic,
to keep humid and to hide any smell .
REGULARLY spray some water over it ,but do not saturate it or the worms will die or leave.
The worms will decompose the wastes, turning it into beautifull black soil for the garden of flower pots .
If you are in a apartment ,if you have a balcony get a big plastic bin drill some holes in the side and lid ,
and add a few buckets of sand now and again to put over the trash ,you should realy stir or move the stuff at times to airate it ,and ensure that the decomposition is even ,keep moist
this rubbish does not get big very fast and the thing works for a long time with out getting full
----------------------Some more Positive thoughts
Global warming cannot be stopped but being friendlier to our Environment cannot be bad and maybe we buy some time.
If you want to help the planet ,plant a tree every week ,if everyone on the planet did we we would be able to slowdown the destructive processes.
Reduce carbon emisions,and they are already working on that ,by alternative forms of energy We need more regulations on carbon production.
Dont use aerosol cans,
Dont burn trash
Limit water use
Recicling wastes.
AGRICULTURE must invest in
Waterharvesting projects ,(such as thousands of small dams).to redirect over ground waterflows from the rains into the ground to supply subteranian water supplies.
Assist the capture of carbon and the production of water by promoting Reforestation.
The world bank pays large subsidies for reforrestation to capture carbon and the best tree for this is the Pawlonia .
Agricultural education and improvements to follow the principals of sustainability and soil management
GOVERNMENT
The protection of existing forrests.
Stop building more highways,
Urban planning to include vegetation
Stop building cities encourage people to return to the land to conduct their business from there ,which now has become possible thanks to the internet.
More environmental or land ,design to prevent bush fires,such as--fire breaks .
More dams,regulations and control for public behaviour.
Alternative effeciant public transport to discourage the use of the internal conbustion engine.
SCHOOL SYSTEMS
Education to motivate people to auto sufficiency by building more home food gardens.
Education on environmental awareness.
Education on family planning ,to curb overpopulation.
Here are a 100 more ways
http://www.eco-gaia.net/forum-pt/index.p… Source(s) Lester E Brown is the director and founder of the global institute of Environment in the United states .he has compiled a report based on all the satalite information available from NASA,and all the information that has
come from Universities and American embassies WORLD WIDE ,
his little book--a planet under stress , Plan B has been trans lated into many languages and won the best book award in 2003
