Typology Central - View Single Post - Oz TV advises CO2-emitting children to die early

gokartride · 07-09-2008, 09:21 PM

I'm not particularly into the whole "green thing" either, but something is definitely happening. FWIW....the "global warming" terminology is old news..."climate change" is the term being used now as it more accurately describes the phenomenon in question.

The amazing thing is that some folks seriously think the entire thing is the invention of Al Gore and liberals and that's all there is to it. It's really odd that this is a political discussion at all any more considering the science involved and the level of agreement on the basics. Now, the "specifics" will be agrued for the rest of our lifetimes, but the essential effect is pretty much agreed upon, understood, and is considered fact by climatologists.

Every week now it seems a new government agency is releasing its findings on the potential impacts of climate change, the Bush administration did a complete 180 on the issue last year, and even Navy is planning for fleet enhancements as waters surrounding the North pole are projected to become navigable (significant loss of arctic ice).

So what? I don't know really....I can so understand the urge to dismiss the whole thing, but I really, honestly don't think this will be going away. The climate change discussions in Washington (based on all available science) seem to all relate to planning scenarios for the future depending on what happens. A lot of policy is going to be debated and generated in the near future on climate change. Right now the decision is being made as to whether large scale measures related to standard industry practices will be voluntary or regulatory. That means law....and that means change.

Really, the ordinary person shouldn't be too worried or scared into ill-considered action right now...I say wait and see. This issue is so massive that, while individual actions do help, this will involve a major cultural change and involve very large measures such as CO2 sequestration underground. I think for the homeowner, finding ways to save water will pay off regardless of what happens and using less, especially for Americans, will build character if nothing else, so go for it!!!

What I don't recommend it flying off the handle every time climate change is being mentioned. That's become ludicrous, really (although it happens even among my good friends). Congress is dealing with this, major comporations are dealing with this, civic planners are dealing with this, emergency responders are dealing with this....everybody who does not (or cannot) have their head buried in the sand is dealing with this right now. It's better to learn what one can from credible sources and participate intelligently.

A few other points....according to what I have seen, the current trend towards more heat absorbtion in the atmosphere cannot be reversed at this point, only a possible status quo can be achieved. That is sobering as we tend to have this belief that we can fix anything....but in this case it's 50 years too late. Yikes. Aside from rising temps which really only will impact vegitation, and sea levels, and maybe a few other things that we can probably adapt to (at some cost, no doubt), the biggest concern seems to be that a tipping point may be reached in normal weather systems by which more sudden, violent, and more extreme weather patterns emerge, and you know what happens when our frail, fragile infrastructure gets hit with extreme weather....it breaks!!! That, sadly, means losses of life and/or dollars for recovery, and we all know folks who have suffered from this kind of devistation. If things were to go askew somehow, that would be a very difficult pill to swallow.

So, relax.....there is no reason to freak out (and I think a lot of the current "green" rehetoric is a bit too manipulative in this regard). Lots of people are working on this and lots of resources will be poured into things that will make change happen. Maybe you'll see new energy sources, new work patterns, new transportation options, and a whole new range of products come out of this. Maybe your local water provider finally will cough up a nice, hefty rebate program so you can get that water saving toilet you've always wanted. Maybe this is the nudge we needed to rethink how we've doing things given the unprecedented impact our current global society has on natural resources.

I just think it's a waste to spend years of one's life pretending something isn't happening simply because it's become a hot potato in popular mass culture, being spun this way or that on a whoever's whim. Look at the real science....it's fairly level headed...and help move the dialogue towards a more sustainable future. Real change will catch up to us eventually...but it will come at a reasonable pace. Those who are informed will understand it...those who aren't can waste more energy being freaked-out and afraid.

07-09-2008, 09:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
gokartride Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Type: INFJ Location: Texas Posts: 100	I'm not particularly into the whole "green thing" either, but something is definitely happening. FWIW....the "global warming" terminology is old news..."climate change" is the term being used now as it more accurately describes the phenomenon in question. The amazing thing is that some folks seriously think the entire thing is the invention of Al Gore and liberals and that's all there is to it. It's really odd that this is a political discussion at all any more considering the science involved and the level of agreement on the basics. Now, the "specifics" will be agrued for the rest of our lifetimes, but the essential effect is pretty much agreed upon, understood, and is considered fact by climatologists. Every week now it seems a new government agency is releasing its findings on the potential impacts of climate change, the Bush administration did a complete 180 on the issue last year, and even Navy is planning for fleet enhancements as waters surrounding the North pole are projected to become navigable (significant loss of arctic ice). So what? I don't know really....I can so understand the urge to dismiss the whole thing, but I really, honestly don't think this will be going away. The climate change discussions in Washington (based on all available science) seem to all relate to planning scenarios for the future depending on what happens. A lot of policy is going to be debated and generated in the near future on climate change. Right now the decision is being made as to whether large scale measures related to standard industry practices will be voluntary or regulatory. That means law....and that means change. Really, the ordinary person shouldn't be too worried or scared into ill-considered action right now...I say wait and see. This issue is so massive that, while individual actions do help, this will involve a major cultural change and involve very large measures such as CO2 sequestration underground. I think for the homeowner, finding ways to save water will pay off regardless of what happens and using less, especially for Americans, will build character if nothing else, so go for it!!! What I don't recommend it flying off the handle every time climate change is being mentioned. That's become ludicrous, really (although it happens even among my good friends). Congress is dealing with this, major comporations are dealing with this, civic planners are dealing with this, emergency responders are dealing with this....everybody who does not (or cannot) have their head buried in the sand is dealing with this right now. It's better to learn what one can from credible sources and participate intelligently. A few other points....according to what I have seen, the current trend towards more heat absorbtion in the atmosphere cannot be reversed at this point, only a possible status quo can be achieved. That is sobering as we tend to have this belief that we can fix anything....but in this case it's 50 years too late. Yikes. Aside from rising temps which really only will impact vegitation, and sea levels, and maybe a few other things that we can probably adapt to (at some cost, no doubt), the biggest concern seems to be that a tipping point may be reached in normal weather systems by which more sudden, violent, and more extreme weather patterns emerge, and you know what happens when our frail, fragile infrastructure gets hit with extreme weather....it breaks!!! That, sadly, means losses of life and/or dollars for recovery, and we all know folks who have suffered from this kind of devistation. If things were to go askew somehow, that would be a very difficult pill to swallow. So, relax.....there is no reason to freak out (and I think a lot of the current "green" rehetoric is a bit too manipulative in this regard). Lots of people are working on this and lots of resources will be poured into things that will make change happen. Maybe you'll see new energy sources, new work patterns, new transportation options, and a whole new range of products come out of this. Maybe your local water provider finally will cough up a nice, hefty rebate program so you can get that water saving toilet you've always wanted. Maybe this is the nudge we needed to rethink how we've doing things given the unprecedented impact our current global society has on natural resources. I just think it's a waste to spend years of one's life pretending something isn't happening simply because it's become a hot potato in popular mass culture, being spun this way or that on a whoever's whim. Look at the real science....it's fairly level headed...and help move the dialogue towards a more sustainable future. Real change will catch up to us eventually...but it will come at a reasonable pace. Those who are informed will understand it...those who aren't can waste more energy being freaked-out and afraid.