Al Gore Wrong??

[benzocaine]

Any one remember how important Al Gore made Global warming seem?

Anyone mad at Bush for rolling back enviromental policies, saying there isn't enough evidence to support the global warming theories?

http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~kd/OnePagers/OnePageF01.pdf

http://www.globalwarm.com
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_ ... 040003.htm

There are tons more of resources to investigate.

[Bill Glasheen]

Personally I think it would serve us all better if we get Al out of the picture. He's a lightening rod for a lot of emotions that cloud the environmental issues.

This we know - warmer oceans do not change the number of hurricanes per year, but can change their intensity. Hurricanes draw their energy from warm ocean waters. So it's not surprising that we have a few category IV storms already hitting the country this year. Fortunately the worst is probably over.

We also know that CO2 levels have increased, and that CO2 causes a greenhouse effect.

What we DON'T know is what kind of greater homeostasis forces there are to bring some of these issues into check.

* Will higher CO2 levels (and perhaps higher temperatures) trigger more green growth (on land and in the ocean), thereby regulating the "blip" we see in the environment right now?

* Fossil fuels are in finite amounts on this earth. What is the NET effect? Could the consequences of burning fossil fuels for energy be self limiting?

* Suppose we DO find out that things need to change. Right now India and China are burning fossil fuels like there's no tomorrow, and changing by the year. Will we be able to convince them that NOW is the time to reign in their growth?

* Just what did cause the ice ages anyhow? Why should we be worried about excessive warmth when excessive cold also has happened on this earth? Just what are the drivers, what are the cycles, and where are we?

I'm not being obstructionist. I just plain don't know. I want more - and better - information. Meanwhile, I think there are MUCH more pressing reasons not to be using petroleum like there is no tomorrow.

The best thing we can do right now is to study, educate, and disseminate.

- Bill

[benzocaine]

Good point about Gore. His love of the enviroment was one of the few things I liked about him.

I have to say though, that I'm troubled by GW's lack of concern with enviromental issues.

[Bill Glasheen]

I'm a pragmatist on this, Ben. It's like the positions on hunting in Oregon that Kami rants about. The animal rights activists and city dwellers think we shouldn't hunt the cute mountain lions with dogs, because it's unfair. So they allow only hunting without dogs. And what happens? Mountain lions overpopulate. Now you have a problem. So what do they do? Understand that Oregon has the highest unemployment rate in the country. No matter...they HIRE outside, professional hunters - WITH DOGS - to cull the mountain lion population. For crying out loud, they could have SOLD licenses to indigenous sportsmen, and killed two birds...er...lions with one act. But noooo, that's unkind to the mountain lions.

See my point?

There ought to be a way to get natural resources out of environmentally fragile lands, and make extra money to make them better than they were before you came there. That way you get both the resources (fuel/minerals and ecology) for all of us to use.

There ought to be a way to hunt wild spieces in Africa, and strengthen their habitat and their gene pools. That way African governments can afford to protect their habitats, wild animals (tigers et al) live on, and poachers are kept from killing illegally.

There have been pragmatic laws made to buy/sell rights to pollute. It seems immoral to some, but it works.

There ought to be creative ways to encourage people to drive better cars. And we need to GET RID OF THE SUV LOOPHOLE.

These two sides need to talk with each other, and stop bickering. The latter makes nobody happy.

- Bill