The Non Omen

2007-3-17 21:20:00

Geoffry Writes:

The light group would be in favour of no. 1. The global warming that is happening at this time is an omen for us to take responsibility for how we use the Earth now, and to consider the future generations.

Where do you get the idea that global warming is some kind of omen to take responsibility for the planet? We should be doing this without any omen for we know that global catastrophes have happened many times in the history of the planet. We should do nothing to hurry up the process.

Geoffry:

It is not important what is creating the warming but it is important how we react to it.

Climate history tells us that humans, animal life and vegetation did better during warming periods as we are in now. Since there is very little we can do to influence the climate cycles the most important thing for us is to prepare for them.

Geoffry:

Is it wrong that we restrict our freedom to waste so that others can have more freedom in the future?

Almost every time you take away freedom you have many unintended consequences that are a greater evil than that which you are fighting. Taking away freedom because of flimsy evidence is insane.

Geoffry:

The dark group would be telling people that people have nothing to do creating the change and to continue to pollute, to waste fuel and to ignore the future.

I support conserving energy and believe everything we do has some effect. But evidence suggests that the CO₂ presently being released is doing more good than harm and acts as a fertilizer for vegetation so why be so upset about it???

Geoffry:

I believe that JJ is slipping into the second camp with his consistent promotion of global warming as a natural cause. Strangely, my friend seems to be missing the point of the larger scenario.

And what is that point?

Geoffry:

Global Warming Enlightenment: The Northern Hemisphere has just had its warmest winter on record.

It is not the warmest on record. We had warmer periods between 950-1350 AD and life was much more pleasant then than the cooling period that followed or preceded it.

Global Warming Enlightenment:

In October, Dr. (Don J.) Easterbrook (a geology professor) made similar points at the geological society meeting in Philadelphia. He hotly disputed Mr. Gore's claim that "our civilization has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this" threatened change.

Nonsense, Dr. Easterbrook told the crowded session. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts, he said, were up to "20 times greater than the warming in the past century."

Getting personal, he mocked Mr. Gore's assertion that scientists agreed on global warming except those industry had corrupted. "I've never been paid a nickel by an oil company," Dr. Easterbrook told the group. "And I'm not a Republican."

By WILLIAM J. BROAD;
New York Times, March 13, 2007, Science Section