Earth Day 2008: Global Warming Watch April 2008
At Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com we love Earth Day. It gives us an excuse to burn fossil fuels and perhaps consume large portions of the precious and delicious animal population.
Or perhaps celebrate the largest carbon emitting vehicle out there (at least in the Military): The U.S.S. Kitty Hawk.
Or perhaps punch a horse:
Some Previous Earth Day Articles:
- Earth Day 2004
- Earth Day 2005
- Two Headed Monster: Earth Day 2006
Or a related Holiday: International Eat an Animal for PeTA Day
Now Earth Day is even more marketed, which annoys me somewhat as, I think, there is already too much hype around it. Seems there is a lot of money to be made on being Green:
Thank you Al Gore, you made Earth Day even trendier.
Aside: Here is an interesting article for your Earth Day reading: Happy Earth Day
The current media and political blitz on Capitol Hill for government controls on energy production are the product of the panic felt by environmentalists who realize that opinion polls show the public is climbing off global warming bandwagon. The latest annual Gallup survey on the environment shows that only 37 percent of Americans say they worry about global warming “a great deal,” down from 41 percent last year, and, moreover, about the same as a decade ago. Americans rank global warming far down the list of their main environmental concerns, behind air and water pollution, toxic waste, and the loss of open space. One or two more cold winters like the one we’ve just experienced and there will be a panic among the climate alarmists that even the media won’t be able to ignore.
Speaking of AlGore, the Jolly Green Giant; I ran across this “news” item earlier this week, from the United States Senate, of all places:
Growing Number of Scientists Convert to Skeptics After Reviewing New Research
Happy Earth Day.
P.S. if you still want to do your part, you can always join the Jeremy-Gilby-dot-com-Eco-Carbon Pyramid-Scheme
Let’s say there is no man-made global warming.
1) do you think the earth is not getting warmer on it’s own?
2) do you think the man-made pollution (smog, mercury in streams, garbage in the ocean, etc) should be left unchecked?
3) do you think we shouldn’t try to do anything about these?
4) do you think anything short of what would be viewed by you (and me) as an over-reaction would create the momentum needed in the public to to actually do something significant to change these things?
5) what if this is just one of those countless things in history that is the right thing for the wrong reason? Is truth more important than a good story? If the stories of Paul Revere, Washington, etc. served to inspire others to greatness… Is the truth really a good thing?
Comment by Cisco — April 22, 2008 @ 11:48:23 AM
It is hard to say, I see data suggesting it is, I see data suggesting it is cyclical (and this is nothing compared to previous upturns) and data that suggests there is cooling. Which is true? What are we solving for? a symptom?
Unchecked by whom? I think there might be a market in Environmental Engineering. Check out the Environmental Companies on the Stock Exchange. Its a growth industry.
Yes. It is good to be good stewards of our environment. But there are consequences to our actions, good or bad. More Below…
I was listening to Tom Sullivan on the Radio today (a pretty even tempered right-of-center host originally our of Sacramento, Ciscofornia, now in Nueve York. He was discussing the work of Berkeley professor David Zilberman, and his study on how the Green anti-greenhouse-gas movement is affecting Food Supplies.
With the move to Biofuels, more grain is needed to fill supply. So in order to FEED and FUEL the world, more fields are needed. India and Brazil are chopping down rainforests to get more fertile soil.
Yes, the Green movement is killing the rainforests!
And studies are showing that air quality is dropping because of it, but you can see the cause and effect.
And, now things like Wheat, Corn, Rice, and the like are more expensive. These prices have increased more than the price of Petroleum.
Another story, reported by a caller on the same show. Countries in Africa (where DDT is illegal, thanks to the U.N. for its “supposed” environmental damage) is resulting in more outbreaks of Malaria. The report came specifically from Uganda, where the locals are pouring motor oil in the standing water (which is the water supply) so that mosquitoes cannot bred.
But your question was around the subject of the public. What can the public do about these things?
Sure, we can buy green products. But if we all started living like Ed Begley, is it really going to make a dent in fixing the problem?
I fear the consequences. That is probably the root of my concern. Environmentalism is a good thing. But what are we going to break when we try to fix the environment?
Comment by Jeremy — April 22, 2008 @ 3:23:43 PM
There is a talk happening out here next week by a couple of Cornell professor talking about the things we can do to move towards a more sustainable environment. These professors are food science engineers, and from how the talk is being billed sounds as if their method of moving towards more highly engineered foods. If you ever take time to read Omnivore’s Dilemma you will see how absurd this is — feeding into Jeremy’s comment about Rainforest destruction and higher grain prices. Hell, if you want a palpable example, look at our tax code.
We continually think we are going to better things by further complicating them. I think the writers of the first Matrix had it right by describing the human race as a virus. Maybe there are just too many of us.
Humans or not, however, climate and the earth’s complexion are far from static. I think what is most hilarious is the human ideal that we need to “save” certain natural treasures. I think specifically about North Carolina’s Outer Banks. I’ve been there a dozen times to surf, but if you ever take a good look at it, you realize quickly that it’s nothing more than a big sand bar. How do you protect a sand bar?
There might be something to everyone living like Ed Begley. After all, at that point the earth would would be a little closer to moving at its natural rythms. Thing is, there are too many people on this earth to feasibly do that. And doesn’t Ed live in LA? If that’s the case, the premise of what he does is already a sham since most of the potable water used to exist in the San Fernando Valley all comes from the Colorado River, and other far away watersheds.
There’s a reason why the oldest cities exist on waterways, and fresh waterways at that.
Comment by bentspoon — April 23, 2008 @ 11:35:16 AM
And I too am disgusted by the commodification of Environmentalism. It’s all the rage now after corporate America finally figured out how to make an ass-load of money off of the cause. A new reason to throw out everything we own to replace it with more “green” products.
Flood the landfills so we can be green!
Comment by bentspoon — April 23, 2008 @ 11:37:28 AM
The patriotism of Israel Bissel didn’t inspire a nation… Paul Revere did.
[holy thread crossing Batman!]
I hear you about the annoyance of enviro-preachers. I really do. But it feels like in order for people to effect a small change they must feel threatened by something ridiculously blown out of proportion first.
“Being responsible stewards of our environment” isn’t going to inspire people do crap. But the cause to save endangered species (we could be heroes!) or save ourselves form world-shattering storms and floods (we could be heroes!)… these inspire people to do something. Sad but true. Regardless of how meaningless or false those threats are.
So as long as this madness does more good than bad (which is certainly debatable) then I’m ok with it. We’ll likely solve some problems, cause some problems, and then move on to something else.
Comment by Cisco — April 24, 2008 @ 8:08:13 AM
Earth Day… phhhfff. Why are we trying to appease this tyrant? I for one think the Earth is the Hitler of our time and must be defeated on every front. You will submit to us Mr. Earth!!!
Comment by Cisco — April 24, 2008 @ 8:12:09 AM
And come on, no comments on Mongo punching that horse??
Chan, I’m disappointed.
Comment by Jeremy — April 27, 2008 @ 11:48:37 PM