24 September 2008
Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
Posted by admin under: Uncategorized .
I read a lot of blogs and articles dedicated to environmental issues. Frequently, a topic that evokes heated debates is whether or not global warming is real, and whether or not it is caused by human action.
Readers: I am interested in your opinions! (I have my own ideas, but I will wait a few days to post them so I don’t influence anyone’s comments.)
A few guidelines: any insults, flaming, trolling, etc. will not be tolerated. This is a heated issue (that’s the second time I’ve used that adjective. Get the joke? Har!). If you’re being a jerk, I will warn you. After that, I will cavalierly and cheerfully delete your rudeness while drinking mint juleps and eating bon-bons. (Ok, not really about the mint juleps and bon-bons part. But I will TOTALLY delete any rudeness. Seriously).
I look forward to your responses!
6 Comments so far...
nathan Says:
25 September 2008 at 7:51 am.
Fiction.
There is a cyclical trend in warming/cooling.
“Fake” science keeps moving the temperature gauges to parking lots and parking garages just off a busy interstate highway system.
admin Says:
8 October 2008 at 10:20 am.
Since no one else has taken the bait, I will give my opinion.
I believe that global warming is real. However, I agree with Nathan that global temperatures are naturally cyclical. I think the jury is still out on whether or not human activities are making the temperature change worse. Unfortunately, the debate has moved from the realm of pure science into politics, which definitely taints and research and makes it difficult to separate the gold from the dross.
That being said, I absolutely believe that human activity is seriously damaging the natural world. Waste, harmful chemicals, deforestation, air and water pollution, all of these things are destroying the world in which we live.
So rather than focusing on “global warming” which has become such a political hot-button, we should be concentrating on a holistic approach that focuses not on whether or not our activity increases global temperature, but reducing the overall impact that human activity has on the environment. Once we do that, IF indeed our activity is increasing global temperature, the global warming issue will have been alleviated by our care for the world around us.
Kelly Says:
10 October 2008 at 7:34 am.
Okay, I have to post a thought. What has been proposed to the third world countries out there to enable them to do their part? Having lived in one I can tell you that they are utterly clueless, and the vast majority of the American people would be shocked to see how little regard they have for the environment. Trash of all kinds littering every street, public transportation systems with absolutely no emissions regulations, and a multitude of other things. I have to tell you that having seen these things first hand makes me wonder if my effort is really worth anything at all. Every time a public bus takes off in Guatemala (and believe me there’s A LOT of them) a cloud of black smoke comes out of the exhaust pipe. Is my giving up bottled water, or using energy-efficient bulbs really going to combat what other countries are doing to work against me? Now, before you have a conniption Todd I fully know that this doesn’t excuse me from my responsibilities. Just something I wanted to throw out there.
admin Says:
13 October 2008 at 2:30 pm.
A conniption?! What makes you think I’m high-strung?
To answer your question, though, it is important to educate those in developing nations about the importance of lessening our impact, while at the same time ensuring they have the resources to do so. That being said, industrialized nations like the US contribute MUCH more to the total environmental impact than most third-world countries combined, simply because the volume of pollution, resource use, etc. is so much greater in developed nations.
Make sense?
Kelly Says:
13 October 2008 at 3:09 pm.
Yes I understand that completely. But many of these countries are playing catch-up to the likes of us, and are making major environmental blunders along the way. My question was is my small part going to make that much difference considering the blatant disregard millions of others appear to have. (even though I realize it’s not really a matter of disregard, it’s more a matter of lack of information) I guess there isn’t a real way to get my question answered, just something that nags at the back of my brain.
admin Says:
16 October 2008 at 7:53 am.
I guess I see it as leading by example. Much of the rest of the world is becoming increasingly Westernized. Many cultures are being replaced by American culture. They do what we do, want what we want. If we model sustainable living, maybe they will too.
But that’s only half of the equation. As you mentioned, they need to have the knowledge of how to do all of this, and how their negative choices affect the environment. And they have to have access to the necessities of life! It’s hard to care about a tree when your children are hungry.
