Perhaps the sky is falling, too! Who/What is NSIDC? How long have they been in business? From where do they obtain funding? Who is the article writer? His/her credentials? Education? I no longer believe everything I read. I hope Insurance Journal checks authenticity and credentials before it prints junk like this!
Jamie Wilson
Thursday September 29, 2005
The Guardian
Buy State of Fear at the Guardian bookshop
Michael Crichton’s latest novel, State of Fear, is an action-packed thriller in which the hero is a scientist who discovers that climate change is all a fraud. The novel has sold well, but it was still something of a shock yesterday to find its author as an expert witness testifying on global warming in front of the United States Senate.
My, my, I love the lead in to this article that basically implies you are in the minority and obviously stupid if you have just not accepted the unproven THEORY of global warming. Weather patterns change & flex, but environmental extremists only like to wave their global warming flag when the weather fits their argument. When we experience a harsh winter and colder than normal temperatures, the global warming groupies are mostly silent and those that are not, somehow manage to twist it so that these weather patterns are also the result of global warming. There are so many holes in the global warming theory that if it were a ship, you would not have time to untie it from the dock before it would sink.
Looks like the ostrich crowd is alive and well. What will it honestly take to realize something is seriously askew with the world climate? People bursting into flames or CAT 6 hurricanes? No matter how much the science community says otherwise, you science hating Bushies will deny this till the bitter end. Tell me, what facts would change your mind on Climate Change? For example, if you could truly show me these were mere temporary blips on the climate screen, I would not worry about it any longer. Trust me, I wish it were not true. I would love to go on living life guilt free and conservation-less, it is so much damn easier. Life ain’t always so easy folks. Get used to the fact that fossil fuels will diminish one day regardless, and we might as well start doing what we can NOW, while maybe we can make a difference. Of course, for the religious nuts among you, it’s “use or lose it” before Armagedeon hits. As for the “diminishing few” such as yourselves however, keep driving your SUV’s and wasting energy. Fortunately, you will become a diminishing “fewer” as the years march on.
The negative comments posted show clear ignorance of most of the American People who have clearly been brainwashed by the current administration. I’m no scientist, but the article was stating facts based on observations that show a clear decline in the Arctic sea ice cover.
You can do a google search to find out who/what NSIDC is and who Mark Serreze is, uh duh.
Observations are clearly indicating that the Arctic is warming and the idea that the Arctic will warm further if the sea ice melts away makes complete logical sense. The mistake made in the insurance
journal article is one of saying that if the Arctic ice cap were to melt (which is the sea ice), that it would result in wide-spread flooding. Just as ice cubes melting in a glass of water does not change the water level, nor will the melting sea ice cause sea level to rise.
It’s the melting of the glaciers and ice sheets that will result in sea level rise.
Get a clue people!
As a formerly trained scientist, I find your comments just plain ignorant. Just because some local college students and wannabees (under a reasonably credible leader) puts some figures together does NOT prove a theory. While the story makes interesting reading, it’s flamboyant. Four years in the history of this globe certainly does not show a trend. Frankly, it’s not even a blip on the radar. And what does politics (who cares) or religious beliefs have anything to do with it? Even fools believe there is a God! And, why is it the responsibility of the US to fix the world anyway. Get real and logical.
You are so logical Bill, from now on you shall be called Spock. You certainly know more about global warming than the bulk of the world scientific community. Unfortunately, politics does have something to do with our National response to this trend. As does religion. That is logical, don’t you think!
Like I said before Jeff, what WILL it take for these folks to think something is wrong? Have not the droughts, heat waves, floods, melting ice caps, etc. signaled something might be up? Nah, we are all just falling for an international hoax. Yeah right.
What I find, as a non-scientist, most amusing is that for years now the “environmental lobby” has been held responsible for the seeping of the “precautionary principle” into risk management and government. Yet, oddly, it seems that it’s the global warming sceptics who apply this principle most liberally. There’s about as much evidence that the development of energy-efficient transport, homes and workplaces, together with “cleaner” electricity generation, will cause catastrophic economic damage as there is that human activity is accelerating the demise of the current ice age – so cannot those who constantly hold up the spectre of potential recession as the inevitable result of investment in new technologies be argued to be the worst scare-mongers of all? We are surely all waking up to the fact that fuel is only going to get more expensive over coming decades; so what do we have to lose?
P.S. – as I said, I’m not a scientist, but any schoolchild knows that melting pack ice does increase water levels. As the ice is compacted, oxygen is forced out (causing it to take on a bluish tint) then when it melts it is able, once again, to hold oxygen – thus increasing its mass and, molecule by molecule, sea levels.
OK.If I’m Spock (a compliment), you be Dobbey and serve your master, who or whatever it is. But look at it this way. Our world has been around billions of years and YOU think it’s credible it will all go away in 45 years? And you think that’s reasonable. Maybe in another 10 years things will change and we’ll be starting another ice age,and then we can blame the democrats and atheists? Good luck! I’ll probably be dead by then anyway due to the heat!
Oh my God…what is the deal here? The global warming crew has everyone saying that CO2 is causing the temperatures to spike and we’re all going to flooded, burned alive, blown away and die. this is just insane. Their are normal hurricane cycles that adjust without man’s help and, historically, temps have always gone up and down-there’s nothing we can do about it if it is happening so these alarmist clowns need to shut up!
Bill, exactly what type of formal scientist training have you had? Did you go to
Naysayer University? The University of
Phoenix? Were you home-schooled underneath
the right wing of a mother hen?
Yes 4 years may not seem like a lot, but if
you would bother to do a little homework,
you would find that NSIDC is funded by
NASA and thereby is the US foremost authority on changes underway in the Arctic. You would also realize that
the current Arctic sea ice conditions have not been observed in at least a 100 years and if the current trends continue and the Arctic sea does disappear in the summers, that would be something the Earth hasn’t seen in over a million years!!!
Are you going to be the last red-neck to leave the coastline before the hurricane hits?
Give it up. You just can’t argue with the right wing nuts…
They say its not real science…then you show them real scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center of the U of Colorado are making judgements based on real data…NOT GOOD ENOUGH! …Because some oil company scientist says its bunk.
When the data is SHOVED in their face…well, then they say the warming is actually a natural cycle, that we couldn’t have prevented, anyway. No need to change.
These people will never be convinced by any arguements. They hold THEIR opinion above all, but the most obvious facts.
If everybody had been paying attention to “Global Warming” in the 1990’s as I have, you would know there are several credible, government (and foreign country) sites where scientific information can be found on the THEORY of global warming. It isn’t like it just popped up a few weeks ago, and it ISN’T necessarily atmospheric – sea surface temperatures have been steadily on the upward rise for decades – check NOAA sites and do your homework. While remaining skeptical is fine, keeping your mind open to the POSSIBILITY might save your life……
We should remember what disasters teach us – they come without warning. 9/11 taught us some things, and so has Katrina. The basic elements are – know your area weaknesses (earthquake? flooding? snow? heat?), have a plan to evacuate if things get out of hand, know what to do if you lost power for days or weeks and overall BE PREPARED. Expect the unexpected. The wooly mammoths that have been found frozen with food still in their mouths should say something – sometimes change isn’t gradual.
Mentioning “global warming” in the 90’s would have gotten you laughed out of any serious scientific discussion. I don’t see scientists laughing anymore. While the CAUSE is open to debate, there are far too many observations being made to not believe our global climate is changing. Next year might be ‘normal’ but then again – maybe it won’t be. Be prepared.
I had always heard that the hole in the ozone layer was a major factor in global warming, but I thought I just heard that the hole is in fact getting smaller. So what do we blame it on now?
I myself am skeptical on the theory, but winters around here have been unfashionably warm & dry over the past few years. I remember as a child having snow piled so high that I could build tunnels throughout the whole front yard. Lately I have hardly had to shovel.
On the other hand, the last 5 years, summer has been abnormally temperate. We used to have several days that were over 100 degrees and haven’t had one of those in nearly 10 years now.
Read Bill Skepticals message again – He said he was a “formerly” trained scientist, which means he is no longer trained. Maybe you should go back to school then BIll. The fact is, there is real life evidence of global warming.
The real issue is whether it is a natural occurring trend, or caused by our actions. If it is caused by our actions, some might suggest we need to make changes.
Personally, I dont care why these problems are occurring, I still believe we need to make changes. I believe I have a spiritual obligation to take care of this beautiful planet. Therefore I believe we should practice conservation, and attempt to release less poisons and toxins into the environment. Even if it does not warm up, and even if there are no catastrophic events, I still believe in taking care of the environment. So essentially this is a not issue for me.
Of course, nobody has ever stopped to ponder the question, maybe, in the scheme of things, the globe is destined to worm up. Maybe the ice caps were designed to melt and a given time in global history.
I am always amazed at folks who believe that we humans can do so much to alter the ways of nature. It happens in spite of our intentions, good or otherwise.
I wonder if it is worth drilling for oil in the arctic, must be something up there other than ice that we can use? As far as flooding, the only thing that will make the tides rise is the ice above sea level that melts, everything under the water or under sea level is already affecting the tide level. When the ice in a glass of water melts, It does not raise the level of fluid in the glass, if you have ice that is above the water level, this will increase the level of water as it melts. I am going to go get in my HUGE SUV now and drive to my home in the burbs, where we have few trees left, and I’ll probably cook out on the gas grill and polute the air. Ya’ll hang in there, history reveals that it is a cycle, not to say that somethings we don’t affect the earth, but it happens on both sides of the thermometer.
I don’t think anybody really knows ‘what’ is the cause of warming, just that it is occuring. As science begins to accept the possibility, it also begins to do more in depth study. Science now sees changes in ocean currents, and increases in methane. While years ago it was ‘assumed’ to be warmer air caused by fossil fuel emmissions, now that theory may not be so accurate. It appears that warming may be coming from under the Earth as well.
What I do see is escalation. In the 90’s, the word was “in 100 years” we could see dramatic changes. Then I saw 75 years. Now, it is 55 or 60 years. We know change happens. Here in Montana, we are known as a mecca for dinosaur bones, including eggs. The climate now is by no means hospitable for these types of creatures. Something changed. Was it slow or did it come quickly? Who can say…….
Interesting reading to say the least….I’m not a scientist either but enjoy the discipline of science since I prefer to see things in black and white, be measurable, etc.
I too remember, as a child, snow falling and melting for months on end. Around Chicago, that has not happened in a long time.
The combustible engine has not been around for a long time, a blip on the map when looking at the age of the earth.
All I can say is I hope is that my children and children’s kids have a climate that is similar to what we have today.
By all rights, much like some of the folks commenting on this article, I should also be an \”ostrich\” in denial about global warming (not to mention the relative merits of the Bush administration): white male, raised in the South, brought up in a fundamentalist Christian church, educated and employed in a conservative field (engineering), AND I\’ve worked in the oil industry for a decade.
But I\’m not. It doesn\’t take a logical engineering or scientific mindset to realize that the trend within my short lifetime in the earth\’s temperatures is UP. Even ignoring all the scientific data proving this, I can\’t tell you how many folks I\’ve heard mention that when they were kids, there seemed to be a lot more snow. I\’m in Scotland now, working in the North Sea \”oil patch,\” and driving past ski centers that closed down years ago due to this.
When the phrase is taken literally, \”global warming\” isn\’t a theory – it\’s a reality. The only theory is whether man has helped to cause it. And to me, that doesn\’t even matter. I take a dim view that, even if all 6 billion or so humans were to wake up tommorrow morning KNOWING we are the cause, anything would or could be done about it. If nothing else, in a few years there\’ll be SEVEN billion of us sucking oxygen and spitting CO2 from our various modes of transportation – including simple walking.
Here in the U.K., I am constantly inundated with green \”propaganda\” funded by the government (like everything else seems to be funded by the government here). Radio and TV advertisements about energy conservation, \”campaigns\” to reduce driving and increase reliance on public transportation, \”green taxes\” and road tolls to increase the relative cost of private vehicle ownership, \”turn it off\” messages about inefficient appliance stand-by modes. Green spin said with a frequency you would never hear in the U.S. anywhere.
Here\’s an irony about some idiot\’s earlier comment concerning how the U.S. \”is expected to save the world\” on global warming. The U.K. produces a TINY fraction of the total output of greenhouse gases of the U.S., and yet by any American standard at all these folks are giving their utmost to reduce their carbon footprint on the planet while we \”proudly drive our huge SUVs\” (as per another idiot\’s earlier comment). Have you seen the size of the average European car . . . ?
Not that it matters. The average American produces 10 times the garbage of the average citizen of a third-world country. The same ratio goes for energy consumption. Even though China is currently behind us on that ratio, I\’m sure they will catch up soon as their amazing rate of industrialization continues. And there are a lot more Chinese than there are Americans. . .
If I seem a bit pessimistic, or as I call it \”realistic,\” it\’s because no matter how many green-campaigns are mounted and actions taken by countries who care, like Scotland, they are rendered irrelevant by those countries too eager to \”produce, produce, produce\” at all costs – even those to the environment. And all this in an effort to support unsustainable \”standards of living\” for their citizens, enabling them to consume massive resources and produce the corresponding levels of pollution because it\’s their God-given right to do so.
But if you\’re \”green,\” not all is lost. The basic laws of economics still apply. As resources diminish and more garbage piles up, the costs of the remaining resources, or garbage disposal with fewer available locations, will rise. And those proud idiots with \”huge SUVs\” will be paying more in simple cost-of-ownership. (That trend is already seen in the diminishing sales of SUVs the past couple of years actually.)
So here\’s a question: will the economics play out quickly enough to force even the most die-hard \”ostrich\” to change his lifestyle BEFORE irreparable damage is done to the earth? (because he can\’t afford the huge SUV anymore)?
To me, that doesn\’t matter either. My oil profit-driven paycheck only continues to rise, thank you . . . and I have no kids to which leaving a scarred and torn earth matters.
That\’s really saying something Mr. Jon with no kids. Us Americans are over consuming, freedom loving pigs…God Bless our Messy America! I really hope we get our act together sooner rather than later. We need informative leadship in order to really make a difference.
Any student of physics knows that if floating, and I emphasize floating, ice at the North Pole melts it will not result in any rise in sea levels. This is explained by the Archimedes principles which date back to 287-212 B.C.. When ice floats in water, the weight of this ice is exactly equal to the buoyancy force, which is equal to the weight of the displaced water. If there are problems from melting ice, rising sea level is not one of them.
Perhaps the sky is falling, too! Who/What is NSIDC? How long have they been in business? From where do they obtain funding? Who is the article writer? His/her credentials? Education? I no longer believe everything I read. I hope Insurance Journal checks authenticity and credentials before it prints junk like this!
This is outrageous.
Novel take on global warming
Jamie Wilson
Thursday September 29, 2005
The Guardian
Buy State of Fear at the Guardian bookshop
Michael Crichton’s latest novel, State of Fear, is an action-packed thriller in which the hero is a scientist who discovers that climate change is all a fraud. The novel has sold well, but it was still something of a shock yesterday to find its author as an expert witness testifying on global warming in front of the United States Senate.
There is a NSIDC, look at their website, you would see that not only the US, but Russia is involved in this project.
nsidc.org/arcticmet/
My, my, I love the lead in to this article that basically implies you are in the minority and obviously stupid if you have just not accepted the unproven THEORY of global warming. Weather patterns change & flex, but environmental extremists only like to wave their global warming flag when the weather fits their argument. When we experience a harsh winter and colder than normal temperatures, the global warming groupies are mostly silent and those that are not, somehow manage to twist it so that these weather patterns are also the result of global warming. There are so many holes in the global warming theory that if it were a ship, you would not have time to untie it from the dock before it would sink.
Looks like the ostrich crowd is alive and well. What will it honestly take to realize something is seriously askew with the world climate? People bursting into flames or CAT 6 hurricanes? No matter how much the science community says otherwise, you science hating Bushies will deny this till the bitter end. Tell me, what facts would change your mind on Climate Change? For example, if you could truly show me these were mere temporary blips on the climate screen, I would not worry about it any longer. Trust me, I wish it were not true. I would love to go on living life guilt free and conservation-less, it is so much damn easier. Life ain’t always so easy folks. Get used to the fact that fossil fuels will diminish one day regardless, and we might as well start doing what we can NOW, while maybe we can make a difference. Of course, for the religious nuts among you, it’s “use or lose it” before Armagedeon hits. As for the “diminishing few” such as yourselves however, keep driving your SUV’s and wasting energy. Fortunately, you will become a diminishing “fewer” as the years march on.
The negative comments posted show clear ignorance of most of the American People who have clearly been brainwashed by the current administration. I’m no scientist, but the article was stating facts based on observations that show a clear decline in the Arctic sea ice cover.
You can do a google search to find out who/what NSIDC is and who Mark Serreze is, uh duh.
Observations are clearly indicating that the Arctic is warming and the idea that the Arctic will warm further if the sea ice melts away makes complete logical sense. The mistake made in the insurance
journal article is one of saying that if the Arctic ice cap were to melt (which is the sea ice), that it would result in wide-spread flooding. Just as ice cubes melting in a glass of water does not change the water level, nor will the melting sea ice cause sea level to rise.
It’s the melting of the glaciers and ice sheets that will result in sea level rise.
Get a clue people!
As a formerly trained scientist, I find your comments just plain ignorant. Just because some local college students and wannabees (under a reasonably credible leader) puts some figures together does NOT prove a theory. While the story makes interesting reading, it’s flamboyant. Four years in the history of this globe certainly does not show a trend. Frankly, it’s not even a blip on the radar. And what does politics (who cares) or religious beliefs have anything to do with it? Even fools believe there is a God! And, why is it the responsibility of the US to fix the world anyway. Get real and logical.
You are so logical Bill, from now on you shall be called Spock. You certainly know more about global warming than the bulk of the world scientific community. Unfortunately, politics does have something to do with our National response to this trend. As does religion. That is logical, don’t you think!
Like I said before Jeff, what WILL it take for these folks to think something is wrong? Have not the droughts, heat waves, floods, melting ice caps, etc. signaled something might be up? Nah, we are all just falling for an international hoax. Yeah right.
What I find, as a non-scientist, most amusing is that for years now the “environmental lobby” has been held responsible for the seeping of the “precautionary principle” into risk management and government. Yet, oddly, it seems that it’s the global warming sceptics who apply this principle most liberally. There’s about as much evidence that the development of energy-efficient transport, homes and workplaces, together with “cleaner” electricity generation, will cause catastrophic economic damage as there is that human activity is accelerating the demise of the current ice age – so cannot those who constantly hold up the spectre of potential recession as the inevitable result of investment in new technologies be argued to be the worst scare-mongers of all? We are surely all waking up to the fact that fuel is only going to get more expensive over coming decades; so what do we have to lose?
P.S. – as I said, I’m not a scientist, but any schoolchild knows that melting pack ice does increase water levels. As the ice is compacted, oxygen is forced out (causing it to take on a bluish tint) then when it melts it is able, once again, to hold oxygen – thus increasing its mass and, molecule by molecule, sea levels.
OK.If I’m Spock (a compliment), you be Dobbey and serve your master, who or whatever it is. But look at it this way. Our world has been around billions of years and YOU think it’s credible it will all go away in 45 years? And you think that’s reasonable. Maybe in another 10 years things will change and we’ll be starting another ice age,and then we can blame the democrats and atheists? Good luck! I’ll probably be dead by then anyway due to the heat!
Oh my God…what is the deal here? The global warming crew has everyone saying that CO2 is causing the temperatures to spike and we’re all going to flooded, burned alive, blown away and die. this is just insane. Their are normal hurricane cycles that adjust without man’s help and, historically, temps have always gone up and down-there’s nothing we can do about it if it is happening so these alarmist clowns need to shut up!
Bill, exactly what type of formal scientist training have you had? Did you go to
Naysayer University? The University of
Phoenix? Were you home-schooled underneath
the right wing of a mother hen?
Yes 4 years may not seem like a lot, but if
you would bother to do a little homework,
you would find that NSIDC is funded by
NASA and thereby is the US foremost authority on changes underway in the Arctic. You would also realize that
the current Arctic sea ice conditions have not been observed in at least a 100 years and if the current trends continue and the Arctic sea does disappear in the summers, that would be something the Earth hasn’t seen in over a million years!!!
Are you going to be the last red-neck to leave the coastline before the hurricane hits?
Give it up. You just can’t argue with the right wing nuts…
They say its not real science…then you show them real scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center of the U of Colorado are making judgements based on real data…NOT GOOD ENOUGH! …Because some oil company scientist says its bunk.
When the data is SHOVED in their face…well, then they say the warming is actually a natural cycle, that we couldn’t have prevented, anyway. No need to change.
These people will never be convinced by any arguements. They hold THEIR opinion above all, but the most obvious facts.
If everybody had been paying attention to “Global Warming” in the 1990’s as I have, you would know there are several credible, government (and foreign country) sites where scientific information can be found on the THEORY of global warming. It isn’t like it just popped up a few weeks ago, and it ISN’T necessarily atmospheric – sea surface temperatures have been steadily on the upward rise for decades – check NOAA sites and do your homework. While remaining skeptical is fine, keeping your mind open to the POSSIBILITY might save your life……
We should remember what disasters teach us – they come without warning. 9/11 taught us some things, and so has Katrina. The basic elements are – know your area weaknesses (earthquake? flooding? snow? heat?), have a plan to evacuate if things get out of hand, know what to do if you lost power for days or weeks and overall BE PREPARED. Expect the unexpected. The wooly mammoths that have been found frozen with food still in their mouths should say something – sometimes change isn’t gradual.
Mentioning “global warming” in the 90’s would have gotten you laughed out of any serious scientific discussion. I don’t see scientists laughing anymore. While the CAUSE is open to debate, there are far too many observations being made to not believe our global climate is changing. Next year might be ‘normal’ but then again – maybe it won’t be. Be prepared.
I had always heard that the hole in the ozone layer was a major factor in global warming, but I thought I just heard that the hole is in fact getting smaller. So what do we blame it on now?
I myself am skeptical on the theory, but winters around here have been unfashionably warm & dry over the past few years. I remember as a child having snow piled so high that I could build tunnels throughout the whole front yard. Lately I have hardly had to shovel.
On the other hand, the last 5 years, summer has been abnormally temperate. We used to have several days that were over 100 degrees and haven’t had one of those in nearly 10 years now.
Read Bill Skepticals message again – He said he was a “formerly” trained scientist, which means he is no longer trained. Maybe you should go back to school then BIll. The fact is, there is real life evidence of global warming.
The real issue is whether it is a natural occurring trend, or caused by our actions. If it is caused by our actions, some might suggest we need to make changes.
Personally, I dont care why these problems are occurring, I still believe we need to make changes. I believe I have a spiritual obligation to take care of this beautiful planet. Therefore I believe we should practice conservation, and attempt to release less poisons and toxins into the environment. Even if it does not warm up, and even if there are no catastrophic events, I still believe in taking care of the environment. So essentially this is a not issue for me.
Of course, nobody has ever stopped to ponder the question, maybe, in the scheme of things, the globe is destined to worm up. Maybe the ice caps were designed to melt and a given time in global history.
I am always amazed at folks who believe that we humans can do so much to alter the ways of nature. It happens in spite of our intentions, good or otherwise.
I wonder if it is worth drilling for oil in the arctic, must be something up there other than ice that we can use? As far as flooding, the only thing that will make the tides rise is the ice above sea level that melts, everything under the water or under sea level is already affecting the tide level. When the ice in a glass of water melts, It does not raise the level of fluid in the glass, if you have ice that is above the water level, this will increase the level of water as it melts. I am going to go get in my HUGE SUV now and drive to my home in the burbs, where we have few trees left, and I’ll probably cook out on the gas grill and polute the air. Ya’ll hang in there, history reveals that it is a cycle, not to say that somethings we don’t affect the earth, but it happens on both sides of the thermometer.
I don’t think anybody really knows ‘what’ is the cause of warming, just that it is occuring. As science begins to accept the possibility, it also begins to do more in depth study. Science now sees changes in ocean currents, and increases in methane. While years ago it was ‘assumed’ to be warmer air caused by fossil fuel emmissions, now that theory may not be so accurate. It appears that warming may be coming from under the Earth as well.
What I do see is escalation. In the 90’s, the word was “in 100 years” we could see dramatic changes. Then I saw 75 years. Now, it is 55 or 60 years. We know change happens. Here in Montana, we are known as a mecca for dinosaur bones, including eggs. The climate now is by no means hospitable for these types of creatures. Something changed. Was it slow or did it come quickly? Who can say…….
Interesting reading to say the least….I’m not a scientist either but enjoy the discipline of science since I prefer to see things in black and white, be measurable, etc.
I too remember, as a child, snow falling and melting for months on end. Around Chicago, that has not happened in a long time.
The combustible engine has not been around for a long time, a blip on the map when looking at the age of the earth.
All I can say is I hope is that my children and children’s kids have a climate that is similar to what we have today.
By all rights, much like some of the folks commenting on this article, I should also be an \”ostrich\” in denial about global warming (not to mention the relative merits of the Bush administration): white male, raised in the South, brought up in a fundamentalist Christian church, educated and employed in a conservative field (engineering), AND I\’ve worked in the oil industry for a decade.
But I\’m not. It doesn\’t take a logical engineering or scientific mindset to realize that the trend within my short lifetime in the earth\’s temperatures is UP. Even ignoring all the scientific data proving this, I can\’t tell you how many folks I\’ve heard mention that when they were kids, there seemed to be a lot more snow. I\’m in Scotland now, working in the North Sea \”oil patch,\” and driving past ski centers that closed down years ago due to this.
When the phrase is taken literally, \”global warming\” isn\’t a theory – it\’s a reality. The only theory is whether man has helped to cause it. And to me, that doesn\’t even matter. I take a dim view that, even if all 6 billion or so humans were to wake up tommorrow morning KNOWING we are the cause, anything would or could be done about it. If nothing else, in a few years there\’ll be SEVEN billion of us sucking oxygen and spitting CO2 from our various modes of transportation – including simple walking.
Here in the U.K., I am constantly inundated with green \”propaganda\” funded by the government (like everything else seems to be funded by the government here). Radio and TV advertisements about energy conservation, \”campaigns\” to reduce driving and increase reliance on public transportation, \”green taxes\” and road tolls to increase the relative cost of private vehicle ownership, \”turn it off\” messages about inefficient appliance stand-by modes. Green spin said with a frequency you would never hear in the U.S. anywhere.
Here\’s an irony about some idiot\’s earlier comment concerning how the U.S. \”is expected to save the world\” on global warming. The U.K. produces a TINY fraction of the total output of greenhouse gases of the U.S., and yet by any American standard at all these folks are giving their utmost to reduce their carbon footprint on the planet while we \”proudly drive our huge SUVs\” (as per another idiot\’s earlier comment). Have you seen the size of the average European car . . . ?
Not that it matters. The average American produces 10 times the garbage of the average citizen of a third-world country. The same ratio goes for energy consumption. Even though China is currently behind us on that ratio, I\’m sure they will catch up soon as their amazing rate of industrialization continues. And there are a lot more Chinese than there are Americans. . .
If I seem a bit pessimistic, or as I call it \”realistic,\” it\’s because no matter how many green-campaigns are mounted and actions taken by countries who care, like Scotland, they are rendered irrelevant by those countries too eager to \”produce, produce, produce\” at all costs – even those to the environment. And all this in an effort to support unsustainable \”standards of living\” for their citizens, enabling them to consume massive resources and produce the corresponding levels of pollution because it\’s their God-given right to do so.
But if you\’re \”green,\” not all is lost. The basic laws of economics still apply. As resources diminish and more garbage piles up, the costs of the remaining resources, or garbage disposal with fewer available locations, will rise. And those proud idiots with \”huge SUVs\” will be paying more in simple cost-of-ownership. (That trend is already seen in the diminishing sales of SUVs the past couple of years actually.)
So here\’s a question: will the economics play out quickly enough to force even the most die-hard \”ostrich\” to change his lifestyle BEFORE irreparable damage is done to the earth? (because he can\’t afford the huge SUV anymore)?
To me, that doesn\’t matter either. My oil profit-driven paycheck only continues to rise, thank you . . . and I have no kids to which leaving a scarred and torn earth matters.
That\’s really saying something Mr. Jon with no kids. Us Americans are over consuming, freedom loving pigs…God Bless our Messy America! I really hope we get our act together sooner rather than later. We need informative leadship in order to really make a difference.
Any student of physics knows that if floating, and I emphasize floating, ice at the North Pole melts it will not result in any rise in sea levels. This is explained by the Archimedes principles which date back to 287-212 B.C.. When ice floats in water, the weight of this ice is exactly equal to the buoyancy force, which is equal to the weight of the displaced water. If there are problems from melting ice, rising sea level is not one of them.