Still on Global Warming….
To my well-meaning friend (who, God bless him, reads my blogs regularly — probably not anymore after this haha) in the comments section in an earlier post who proclaimed his disbelief of the global warming propaganda perpetrated by the mass media — without, for a second, realizing that I’m in mass media and would be offended twice over — and offered his take as a skeptic of global warming, here’s my response…
Um. No, thank you.
I’ve read the literature. On BOTH sides. (I’m not an idiot) And being in media — and in research — there’s really only one thing you should never forget to read: the footnotes.
The arguments have been convenient at best. “Hugas-kamay” goes the Tagalog term (hand-washing?). To hide behind “the forces of nature” is just too lazy a belief for me.
And everyone has an agenda. Even people who point fingers at other people who allegedly have an agenda have an agenda.
Whatever it is that the skeptics say about the environment, it still doesn’t change the fact that something has to be done now. And if it inconveniences people to not use their cars once in a while or walk short distances — two measly little changes that I suggested in my blog— then goes on to say “Those claims are exaggerated anyway”, they’re just lazy and selfish.
Really, sweetie. You should’ve just texted me first.
Sige game…
First, lets separate the need to lessen pollution (which no one will argue against) and the need to lessen the dependency on oil which is finite and we need to import mostly from the middle east (which again no one will argue against). I did not say I disagreed with lessening the use of fossil fuel cars. Or with having exercise once in a while. I also did not say that I do not believe in GW. What I said was I do not believe in AGW, mainly for the following reasons:
1) The Earth is just coming from a mini-ice age and its but natural to find increasing temperatures medium term (in paleological scales). In fact the Earth right now is relatively cool compared to prehistoric times. The Earth was actually up to 12C warmer on average before.
2) Data available at http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/public/msu/t2lt/tltglhmam_5.2, http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt, http://hadobs.metoffice.com/hadcrut3/diagnostics/global/nh+sh/monthly, ftp://ftp.ssmi.com/msu/monthly_time_series/rss_monthly_msu_amsu_channel_tlt_anomalies_land_and_ocean_v03_1.txt show that the earth has actually cooled in the last decade
3) China has had it coldest winter in 100 years, snow has fallen in Bagdhad for the first time ever and other recent news to the same effect.
4) The focus on man-made CO2 is out of proportion compared to other man-made greenhouse gases
5) The imbalanced treatment given to such news and data and the irrational beliefs of a lot of people almost similar to superstition (mainit ngayon, kasi global warming yan… pag sobrang lakas ng ulan or maginaw, ah climate change yan).
More to follow, if you or any of your readers are still interested. Links and references available upon request, ayaw tanggapin dito eh
Rommel — April 11, 2008 @ 2:40 am
Hmm…
There’s “lazy and selfish”, and there’s “the irrational beliefs of a lot of people almost similar to superstition”.
Take a smoker, for instance. There’s lung cancer, heart disease, halitosis and a host of other plagues related to smoking, yet the smoker doesn’t (want to) give up smoking. Besides, nothing bad has happened yet, so it might be just superstition.
I’d go with “lazy and selfish”. I’ve experienced being both, and can tell that they’re real and perceivable, not “superstition”.
As for evidence, sure there have been reports of snow in Baghdad, as you mentioned, as well as other events that contradict the concept of global warming. But there is still evidence of global warming (there may not be enough evidence to convince you, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is still evidence). In light of that evidence, I’d rather be responsible at the risk of being called superstitious than be lazy and selfish only to find out that I’d be leaving my children with an Earth in a worse condition than when I lived in it.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. - Hebrews 4:13
Arg — May 6, 2008 @ 2:37 am