This Concerns The Plannet

[Al Agnew]

So who is being the most religious here? I still can't understand how people can seriously believe that all the scientists are wrong and the few deniers with scientific credentials are right, that it's some kind of global conspiracy that all the scientists and scientific organizations are in on, that 100% of the scientists who "believe" it are either incompetent, dishonest, or out to get the poor U.S. while 100% of the few who don't "believe" it are fine, upstanding, honest, and competent. And spare me the old saws about how science has been wrong before. The level of sophistication of climate science is much greater than the level of sophistication of science back in the days when people believed the sun revolved around the earth. If this was a theory that had a small percentage of the scientific world accepting it, like the speculation a few decades back that the earth could be getting cooler, it would be logical to have serious doubts about its validity (which is what happened). But it's not. It seems to me that people are discounting it simply because it doesn't fit their political agenda...and then accusing those who accept it of having a political agenda.

But...one glaring fact remains. We as a country and as a world are not going to do anything to stop it until it's far too late to avoid at least some of the worst effects of it. There are simply too many humans, wanting the same things that the more fortunate among us have had for many years, thanks to fossil fuel energy. The world's economy remains tied inextricably with fossil fuel energy, and we're gonna keep burning it. So I truly hope the scientists are wrong, and that the warming slows or stops anyway.

[Justin Spencer]

Well said Al, climate change really is an "Inconvenient truth", and for as much good Al Gore has done to bring attention to this crisis, in many ways having his name associated with it has hurt the cause being that many conservatives are so closed minded that they hear the name of a liberal and immediately take the opposite side.

[gotmuddy]

Well said Al, climate change really is an "Inconvenient truth", and for as much good Al Gore has done to bring attention to this crisis, in many ways having his name associated with it has hurt the cause being that many conservatives are so closed minded that they hear the name of a liberal and immediately take the opposite side.

he was just trying to alarm everyone. his mocumentary was a farce at best. I know this because I forced myself to watch it. You could not have picked a worse poster boy for your movement.

The biggest problem I have with both sides of this movement is that it is ALL about money, and thats it. Global warming made Al gore rich and lax environmental laws made countless other people rich. Until we figure out a way to make something other than money cause change NOTHING will happen.

[Haris122]

The biggest problem I have with both sides of this movement is that it is ALL about money, and thats it. Global warming made Al gore rich and lax environmental laws made countless other people rich. Until we figure out a way to make something other than money cause change NOTHING will happen.

I'm pretty sure he was already well off enough that he didn't need that to be his money maker. But it would be nice if something other than money would get people going. However, unfortunately money will end up being the only thing that will cause change, cause momentarily it's not cheap admitting and doing something about it. Then again it will probably get more expensive the longer we wait, just that the alternative which is currently cheap, will become much more expensive than doing something later on.

But as folks have said, we're burning through some deposits of several geological era's. We're putting back in stuff that was sequestered through not one, but several era's each millions of years long in a much shorter timeframe. Certainly not all from each era (yet), but it's enough to change things. It won't be the end of the world, but it really would help a lot of organisms, probably including us, if we try to figure out a way to do it in a more gradual form. Cause earth has had much more CO2 in the atmosphere than now, but it always helped that it was a more gradual change.

[Justin Spencer]

The biggest problem I have with both sides of this movement is that it is ALL about money, and thats it. Global warming made Al gore rich and lax environmental laws made countless other people rich. Until we figure out a way to make something other than money cause change NOTHING will happen.

I'm afraid you are right.

[chub minnow]

I didn't say I 100% agreed with the theory, only that it is a different take on it. But I think it's reasonable to say it could have had some impact, at least in the areas with a lot of pollution.

Again, the CO2 thing is far from settled science, no matter if the pollution levels of a few decades ago impacted temps or not.

[chub minnow]

The ' co2 thing' you refer to is settled science if you ask any reputable climatologist. Yes, I have asked, have you? Where do you get this vast source of climatological knowledge? You could hold a meeting of scientists who disagree with this theory in a broom closet. High CO2 levels caused the last warm period referenced in the NASA article, as they are now. We humans are releasing quantities of CO2 never before seen. We ARE part of the problem. End of story. We can make a difference by supporting alternative energy research and initiatives, but somehow something as common sense as that has become wrapped up in politics. Oh yeah $$ again. It's all that matters to some of our more shortsighted citizenry and their elected representatives.

[chub minnow]

Or should I say "purchased" representatives?

[creekin bassnerd]

The one thing the deniers have going for them is as long as they are alive, they will never be proven wrong, unfortunately their childrens children will end up having to deal with the consequences of their stubbornness, its that stubbornness in the dangerous form of tradition that will hold back any progress to make our planet a better place for future occupants. - until perhaps its too late...

Another thought, how can you deny the science but, believe everything the con man selling the invisible product says?

[jeb]

So who is being the most religious here?

More religous? That's an odd question. Is a protestant more religous than an methodist? I'm sure one may claim to be, but much like this discussion, there is no way to define it.

I still can't understand how people can seriously believe that all the scientists are wrong and the few deniers with scientific credentials are right, that it's some kind of global conspiracy that all the scientists and scientific organizations are in on, that 100% of the scientists who "believe" it are either incompetent, dishonest, or out to get the poor U.S. while 100% of the few who don't "believe" it are fine, upstanding, honest, and competent.

Follow the money. Lots of scientist mortgage payments are being made with AGW scare money. I didn't say they were dishonest. I said they don't know what they don't know.

And spare me the old saws about how science has been wrong before.

LOL! I understand your branch of religion doesn't allow you to use common sense, but mine does. I'm sure the ancients thought exactly the same way.

But...one glaring fact remains. We as a country and as a world are not going to do anything to stop it

I'd guess that's true. Although I'd say we've already wasted a huge amount of taxpayer dollars chasing the green energy God, like the Solyndra's. Trying to push the techology before it's affordable is just not going to work. AAMOF, it has backfired on the tree huggers by making fossil fuel extraction methods like fracking affordable!

But let me ask you. What are YOU doing to combat the imagined effects of AGW? Even the draconian Kyoto accord anaylsis shows it will hardly make a dent. So if you're a believer, you have to know this is not a turn off that extra light kind of problem. This is a disconnect the power from your house, stop driving any kind of elec or fossil fuel car, stop buying processed food, stop using computers/internet kind of problem. Off the grid yet, are you?