Global Warming

[Don Wittenberger]

No muskyhunter, I don't buy the natural cycles argument, and neither should anyone else. That argument can be debunked in a few seconds. Natural climate cycles occur over a span of thousands of years. Temperatures have been measured with instruments and recorded for about 150 years , and scientists have methods to determine determine what they were considerably farther back. The rise in average mean global temperatures coincides with mankind's use of fossil fuels from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution forward, with the highest average temperatures recorded within the last 20 years, and nearly all recent years have been way above the historical norm. There's a clear correlation there, and a clear cause-and-effect relationship between carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, and rising temperatures.

Our species, like all others, depends on this planet to support us. If we do things that alter that support system, nature doesn't care. Extinction or drastic reductions in populations of various species, including ours, are potential consequences of alterations in the planetary ecosystem. What the scientists are telling us is that global warming is likely to:

1) Raise sea levels. Because a large proportion of the human population resides at or near sea level (about 50% of all human live within 50 miles of a coast), rising sea level and the consequent inundation of low lying coastal lands will displace large numbers of people, who will have to find somewhere else to live. But there's no land on the planet that isn't spoken for by someone or other, so this displacement and its accompanying large population migrations will inevitably lead to conflicts between people forced to move to new land, and the people already there.

2) Alter rainfall patterns. This means some areas will become more productive agriculturally, but other lands currently used to produce human food supply will become less productive and in some cases unproductive. There are some additional issues here, operating independently with, or tied into, global warming: Deforestation and desertification.

3) Change ocean currents. These currents are a main driver of global weather patterns. In particular, melting of the Greenland ice cap could change both the temperature and course of the North Atlantic Current and its warm, south-flowing counterpart, the Gulf Stream. This has the potential to affect weather patterns and agricultural productivity in North America and Europe.

Global warming is a complicated subject, and one that's difficult to explain. Scientists, as a rule, aren't very skilled in explaining technical subjects in terms that most people can understand. Al Gore is a politician, not a scientist. He's a spokesman for the scientific community in the same way that Michael Jorden is a spokesman for Nike shoes: It's very common in our culture for well-known public figures to endorse products, candidates, or ideas because people listen to these folks. A politician like Gore also has the communication skills required to explain the issue in understandable ways. (Jordan doesn't write his ads; that, of course, is done by highly skilled advertising professionals.)

Criticizing Gore's lifestyle is a non sequiter. It has nothing to do with the issue, and is a clumsy attempt to distract and change the subject. The scientific facts would be the same whether Gore got involved or not. Bashing Gore doesn't add anything constructive to the debate, nor is it relevant to the issue. But for the record, how many of you even know where these allegations about Gore's "private jet planes" come from? Al Gore does not own a private jet. He's wealthier than your or me, but not that wealthy. Here's what's behind the rightwing propaganda made several trips on private corporate jets to roughly a dozen campaign appearances in New Hampshire and other Northeast states. Presidential candidates can't fly on campaign trips on commercial airliners for several reasons. First of all, security issues. Second, they need much more than one seat; they have a large number of campaign staffers and reporters accompanying them on these trips. Third, the airlines don't necessarily fly to where they need to go, when they need to go there. Presidential candidates usually have very busy schedules that often involve being in several cities in one day, and the only way they can do that is by private aircraft.

Gore has also been criticized for his 25,000 square foot house. Particularly, his critics like to point out how much power his estate consumes. Let's keep a couple of things in mind here. First of all, it's not just a house, but also an office park that houses the staff of a major public figure -- the same as Edwards' 28,000 square foot "house." Second, the Gores say they pay extra to get some of their power from "green" sources, and Gore claims his household/office is, in fact, "carbon-neutral." I haven't investigated the validity of that claim, so I'm not prepared to comment on it.

Perhaps less well-known is the fact that George W. Bush's Texas ranch is a model of alternative energy and environmentally friendly design. That's great as far as it goes, but in Bush's case, it apparently doesn't go any farther than his ranch. I can't tell you whether Bush invested in those features because he personally believes in them, or as a publicity stunt. But far more relevant to the rest of us than his eco-friendly residence is his not-so-eco-friendly policies.

Ideologues who don't want to deal with energy or environmental issues sometimes try to portray this as an all-or-nothing thing. They want you to believe environmentalists want us all to go back to living in the stone age. That is sheer nonsense. Energy efficiency and environmental protection cost less and raise economic productivity over the long haul. What we are really talking about is cleaning up emissions, not shutting down power plants or taking away people's cars. What motivates polluters to keep polluting is not that polluting costs less -- it doesn't, it costs more -- but the fact they can shift the economic, health, and other costs to others (taxpayers, society at large, etc.).

Back in the '80s, some people ridiculed Gore for proposing a 50-cent a gallon additional gas tax to encourage people to drive more fuel-efficient cars. That was when gas cost a buck. If we, as a nation, had gotten serious about fuel efficiency back then, our petroleum consumption would be significantly less today, and there's a darn good chance we would not be in the supply crunch we're now facing. But Gore's idea got slapped down, and when gas prices temporarily retrenched the American public reverted to its old gas guzzling ways, and where are we now? Three dollar-plus gas, staring at four-dollar gas. If you're one of those who laughed at Gore and energy conservation, you can't say you didn't ask for it.

[Don Wittenberger]

My last post dropped part of a sentence. It should read: "Here's what's behind the rightwing propaganda about "Gore's private jets." During the 2000 presidential primaries, Gore made several trips on private corporate jets to roughly a dozen campaign appearances in New Hampshire and other Northeast states."

Sorry if that confused anyone.

[muskyhunter]

Don,
You know........its all a big money making . No matter how you look at it.Someone supports it. Someone gives money to support it. Global warming, Terrorists are going to get you. Avian Flu, tainted food, Iran is going to nuke us, freekin' religion,mad cow disease. A freegin meteor could come and whack the earth like Barry bonds hitting a tainted home run....you can believe what you want to and who you want to. Its continually beat into your head.....FEAR...FEAR this...FEAR that...be afraid? All I want to do is live a fear free life.Were gonna go when we're gonna go! I don't get caught up in all this mumbo jumbo.Life is really too short.
All I know is that it takes alot more than a piece of t.p. to wipe my butt. Thanks Cheryl Crow for your great advice on saving the planet.Makes me wanna go out and buy her over priced cd made of plastic...which might be recycleable. "All I wanna do is have some fun"...I mean "is go fishing.." and Gore might have been a good President...another great debate for someone else...I am done!

[littleriver]

Don, Don, Don.... this debate isn't about Al Gore's lifestyle or even Cheryl Crow's toilet paper fetish.. and you can't blame "everything" on this vast right wing conspiracy...

it's about the science of "human caused" global warming..


scientists around the world are starting to speak out as loudly as they can and what they are saying is that the "human caused" portion of the global warming thing is propoganda.. not science...

in fact the only scientists who buy into "human caused" global warming anymore are the ones who need to take that position in order to get their next research grant....

some references.....


www.oism.org Dr. Art Robinson is very outspoken on this subject and a "credentialed" (unlike Heidi Weiss, or whatever her name was, on the Weather Channel) and he's done some good work in this area.... at this website you will be able to see the "Global Warming Lecture"... you need to watch it Don.. it addresses all of the issues you bring up in your post and it was made by a "credentialed" and respected scientist.......

there is a link at this site to the JaJolla Project.... this project was basicly a process of preparing a statement (e..g the global warming initiative) and convincing over 17,000 credentialled scientists and engineers to sign it.... from this link you can actually scan through the names and credentials of all the signators... The wording of the The Global Warming Initiative says that what we are now being fed by the media about Human Caused Global Warming is total bunk........

there is also a good video out in england named the "Great Global Warming Swindle"..... it got zapped from the URL I had been watching it on, but it is something to watch for in the future.........

Keep researching this issue Don and don't be afraid to tune in to links that you think might tell you things you don't want to hear........


scientists are starting to speak out and they aren't saying things that the "global warmers" want us to hear.....