Sunday, April 22, 2007

Atoning for our environmental sins

This being both Sunday and Earth Day, it seems appropriate to once more visit the religious fervor regarding environmentalism; especially that of the Kyoto Quacks.

I'm not the only one to have ever made this comparison, but it needs to be considered in the following perspective: Even if man has significantly contributed to global warming, can we do anything to realistically reverse the process in any meaningful way?

This line of thought was crystallized when I checked out a reader's comment this morning:

"Anonymous" said...

I'm getting tired of the assumption that politicians can 'control' the climate. There is a problem with saying 'climate control' so many times that people aren't thinking about what they are saying. Yes we can affect the environment, but climate...???
c'mon people...give your head a shake.



David Suzuki often spits out warnings like 'we can't afford not to', but just throwing a fear-mongering statement out there doesn't necessarily make it true. Sure we can all try to keep our environment healthy and clean, but if we channel so much of our available spending in only one direction, what else are we shortchanging? Great to be concerned about the future, but health care in Canada is still a mess. Why not focus more on that? Improve our quality of life now. As Lorrie Goldstein reminds us today, we're all going to die at some point anyway.


Here's my suggestion. For those who have any kind of traditional religious faith, don't let yourselves get hoodwinked into this manufactured hysteria.

Sure, go clean up the garbage on Earth Day, but also go to church and pray. Ask your God for help and guidance to keep this precious gift of our world clean and safe.

But let's not give credibility to the notion that man has the power to control climate change.


* * * *

Update: Check out the current results on today's CTV poll - Will you be making an effort to go green for earth day?

H/T to Springer who is guest-blogging for ChuckerCanuk.


More food for thought - From the inside cover of State of Fear by Michael Crichton:

"There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact."

- Mark Twain


37 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nothing unusual has happened to earth's climate, nothing.

Anonymous said...

Global warming (the anthropogenic kind) is the ultimate proven threat to the human species, meriting immediate social and financial commitments from government and individuals or it’s a precariously established phenomenon, if it exists at all, that would needlessly devastate our economy, draining revenues while costing jobs. Whoever screams loudest wins…

Anonymous said...

Global warming (the anthropogenic kind) is the ultimate proven threat to the human species, meriting immediate social and financial commitments from government and individuals or it’s a precariously established phenomenon, if it exists at all, that would needlessly devastate our economy, draining revenues while costing jobs. Whoever screams loudest wins…

Calgary Junkie said...

Wow, here's an inconvenient
poll
for all those greenies, struggling to rally their forces to stop that mean climate-change denier Harper ...

Will you be making an effort to go green for Earth Day?

Yes 26 %
No 48 %
I've already done all that I can 25 %

What happened to all those people who used to tell pollsters that the environment is their 'top priority' ? I guess they're just like Liberals--they like to talk the talk, but can't translate their 'beliefs' into action.

Dion et al better ratchet up their world-ending hysterics if they want to rouse these folks to take
some really useful action when if will count--take a half hour out of their day and lift a pencil to mark an "X" on a ballot.

Anonymous said...

Climate change has been a regular occurance since time and the planet earth began. No politition will ever have the ability to change that. The location of the oil discoveries world wide indicate that at different times, different areas have enjoyed near-tropical conditions sometime in the past. Who knows, they may again in the future as well. But it won't be because of anything mankind does, it will be in spite of what mankind does.

The whole global warming nonsense is about nothing more than money...who's got it, who wants it and how are they going to get it. Unfortunately we seem to be hell-bent on transferring that money for nothing more than a feel-good-we've-done-our-bit reason. Carbon credits are not going to reduce pollution one iota, and will probably increase pollution as the recipients of our largesse industrialize more.

Anonymous said...

For those of you feeling guilty about your carbon footprint on this earth day. You can send me money to offset this. I promise to spend the money on my spring flowers and trees this year.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Joanne:

Just a thought in response to the welcome comments of this post and from "Anonymous". In 1953, Evelyn Waugh opened his dystopia of a near future "New Britain", *Love Among the Ruins*, thus:

"Despite their promises at the last Election, the politicians had not changed the climate. The State Meteorological Institute had so far produced only an unseasonable fall of snow and two little thunderbolts no larger than apricots".

What was 50 years ago a satiric barb directed against the hubris of the Welfare State, and the perils of our placing our faith in so secular and obviously less than all0loving and allpowerful deity, is now the stuff of straight-faced , though seldom sincere, political discourse. For me, I'm off to Mass today.

Anonymous said...

There are forces in this universe, and on the planet beyond what man even knows....yet some have the audacity to think that we can control the climate. As one scientist said, most of the earth is water....correct...there are no weather stations on the water...impossible to put a weather station on the water....thus how can you scientifically conclude the climate has warmed, or cooled, or changed to a dangerous degree for humankind???

The weather cannot even be accurately predicted a week from now, and yet some believe that they can predict the climate (which is an accumulation of weather patterns) a decade from now.

I think that David Suzuki and Al Gore are using psychic predictions, and are probably as accurate as if they were looking in a crystal ball.

Pollution is different. Clean up your own mess seems to be a smart way to live whether it's in the kitchen of your home, or in the yard of your neighborhood, etc.

The history of man shows that we've adapted to change, and that's what we are doing now, and will do in the future.

raz

Anonymous said...

I just got back from taking a group of Beavers to a tree planting event in York Region- 10,000 trees.
It was fun, the kids had a blast, lots of volunteers there. As we were leaving, there was a bunch of tv cameras coming in. I was thinking "Oh good! They're covering this!". And then I saw McSquinty and his hangers on.
I have no idea if he planted a tree, but he certainly glad-handed a bunch of people...made me sick.
Scarpetti (Mayor of Markham)and Temelkovski (MP)were there, too, but no cameras were following them.

An ugly moment in an otherwise wonderful day.

RGM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RGM said...

My sense, as it relates to that CTV.ca poll, is that while Canadians may rank "the environment" as their #1 priority, it's a pretty superficial and skin-deep attachment that they have to it. It's not so much a sense of apathy as much as it is that Canadians have heard it's a pressing issue, an imminent threat, etc., from enough talking heads on television that it's got to be pretty important. The findings of that poll pretty much back up a headline that CTV had up a few weeks back, which I am glad I screen-capped for moments such as this:

Canadians Half-Hearted About Environment

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Raz, thanks for your contribution and for signing your name.

If anyone signing under the moniker 'anonymous' would kindly use a pen name or number, it would help with the continuity. Thanks.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Torian, too bad McSquinty had to go and spoil the ambiance.

Anonymous said...

New CTV Poll. Again about the environment. This time asking us if we support a carbon tax like Mr. Suzuki apparently wants (because he's just an ordinary joe and doesn't make political statements! Nope). So far, pretty overwhelming against.

Anonymous said...

And the latest CTV poll should remind Susuki that he is making misleading statements when he claims to speak for 'all' or 'most' Canadians. Right on the same page CTV asks if we are willing to pay 'carbon tax'.
I'm a little humbled Jo Anne...I was the one who suggested we give our 'heads' a collective 'shake'. I'll try to remember to put my name on comments from now on.It was after work and I was tired.Looks like a lot of commenters here agree.
Vicki

Anonymous said...

I am glad to see everyone staying on topic here. The topic is how the environmental debate is framed in religious terms.

Each and every commenter here has simply stated a view that must be taken on faith. They are certainly not acknowledging the view of thousands of scientists.

Anonymous said...

I think the CTV poll may be a little biased, seeing how a lot of people are outside cleaning their yards and enjoying the weather, instead of sitting at their computers and ballot stuffing some CTV poll.

For example, a lot of people will celebrate Earth Day by being outside in a more natural setting than the inside of their houses. Some of them even turn off the computer for the weekend.

Anonymous said...

Well if the Earth is wearing out...don't say we weren't warned.
Ps. 102 24-26.
BTW I'm one who believes that science supports the Scriptures.

Brian in Calgary said...

Each and every commenter here has simply stated a view that must be taken on faith. They are certainly not acknowledging the view of thousands of scientists.

That may be true, LS. However, too many scientists are like David Suzuki: when they speak about global warming and climate change, they speak on topics totally outside their areas of scientific expertise, and therefore their views are of no greater worth than yours or mine, no matter which side of the Kyoto Treaty they're on. We are in essence being asked to take those scientists' views on faith.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

New CTV Poll. Again about the environment. This time asking us if we support a carbon tax like Mr. Suzuki apparently wants (because he's just an ordinary joe and doesn't make political statements! Nope). So far, pretty overwhelming against.

It's laughable, actually. Quick! Everyone vote!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

I'm a little humbled Jo Anne...I was the one who suggested we give our 'heads' a collective 'shake'. I'll try to remember to put my name on comments from now on.It was after work and I was tired.Looks like a lot of commenters here agree.

Vicki, thanks for letting me know. That was really well said. Glad to know it was you.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

We are in essence being asked to take those scientists' views on faith.

Read Mark Twain's wise words about science at the end of this post.

Anonymous said...

Good point LS.And the view of thousands of scientists is that we have no control over climate.
And in case someone is looking for an object of their faith Suzuki and Gore are not gods.
Vicki

Anonymous said...

"I think the CTV poll may be a little biased, seeing how a lot of people are outside cleaning their yards and enjoying the weather, instead of sitting at their computers and ballot stuffing some CTV poll."

Eh? The people voting on there are voting their opinion. How the hell do people being outside make the vote biased? What, only anti-Kyoto people are indoors today looking at ctv.ca. Duh!!!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Check out the Sun for another great poll:

If a provincial election were held today, which party would you support?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

(Never mind if you're not living in Ontario).

Anonymous said...

At a recent family get together, half liberal half conservative, the liberal wing was bemoaning the fact the sharks are de-finned by hard-hearted callous people who only want the fins for its shark fin delicacies and the de-finned shark is thrown helplessly alive into the ocean. Although I feel this is heartless and inhumane, I mentioned what about people who cut other peoples heads off by sawing them off in real time and videotaping this inhumanity for the whole world to see in the name of an eastern religion, or closer to home how about the late term abortions that were done up to 9 months whereby a baby was partially born a knife inserted into it’s neck to allow an instrument to be inserted to suck out the brain material so that it can be called a partial birth abortion and not murder. Of course it was a ruckus, as a lot of hot air flew around the room and we debated and agreed to call it quits in order to get some semblance of order back around the dinner table.
So it is in this strange world in which we live in right now, divided right down the middle.

Anonymous said...

...when they worship the creation instead of the Creator.
Vicki

Anonymous said...

What, only anti-Kyoto people are indoors today looking at ctv.ca.

Exactly. On Earth day, some people do yard work outside at home, others attend more public gatherings; tree plantings, music events, ravine cleanups etc. You can be sure that on this day there will be people you call "Kyoto Kultists" attending such things. Many CPCers are of such tender sensibilities that they feel physically ill, or need showers after listening to what they call the "high priests" of said Kult. Therefore there will more anti-Kyoto people at home watching ctv than their actual percentage of the population would explain, hence the bias.

Anonymous said...

And the view of thousands of scientists is that we have no control over climate.

That would likely be the view of all scientists. It is certainly true, given our current political inability to curb CO2 emissions.


However, there are thousands of scientists who believe human activity, primarily the burning of CO2 releasing fuels, is very likely causing some of the climate change we are observing.

I have seen a report by climate change sceptics, endorsed by about 60 scientists, but not one endorsed by thousands of scientists.

Anonymous said...

Scientists can't tell me what the weather will be like in just one city, next week.

But they can effectively predict with "certainty" every city, every region, fifty or a hundred years from now?

They can "computer model" the weather for next week as well, but they won't because they know the model will be in the trash after week one.

Anonymous said...

Climate involves average temperatures of the earth. The earth is warmed by the sun. It is cooled by radiating heat. Some of the heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases, while some radiates out to space. The global warming theory is that some of the heat that should be radiating to space is being trapped, and therefore heating the earth more than it should.

Weather is the local movement of air caused by the earth's spin, heat from the sun, variations in heat reflection from the ground, ocean currents, among other things.

Predicting weather at a specific place and time is much more difficult than predicting average temperature (climate), since there are too many variables to be able to solve all the equations involved, and the data needed to solve these detailed equations is difficult to obtain.

I can predict how far a litre of gas would take a car, but I cannot predict the fate of specific atoms within that litre. How much will the gas slosh around, based on the road you drive on and how quickly you drive? All that is "weather", while the overall mileage is more like "climate"

If I put a piece of seaweed in a bathtub and quickly open the drain, how quickly will the seaweed disappear? It might be drawn down right away, or it might swirl around and around. Hard to say, but I can predict when the entire tub will be empty. The seaweed prediction would be like weather, the tub draining more like climate.

I hope these analogies help. They are intended to illustrate that predicting local detailed effects is difficult, compared to predicting overall trends.

Red Tory said...

I see that the illuminati here have cleared up that trifling bother about global warming. Jolly good show! What’s next on the agenda?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Mary - Very interesting. I could think of more pleasant subject matter for a dinner discussion though. ;)

Joanne (True Blue) said...

...when they worship the creation instead of the Creator.
Vicki


Exactly. That was precisely the point I was trying to make. Thank you for doing it so succinctly.

Anonymous said...

liberal supporter...thanks for the kindergarten science lesson.
And you even have red tory convinced.

Anonymous said...

liberal supporter...thanks for the kindergarten science lesson.
And you even have red tory convinced.


Sounds like you are unconvinced. But you are certainly on topic for the original post. Joanne was talking about climate change science in terms of religious beliefs.

Could you enlighten us kindergarten students on your beliefs in this matter? Is there any science supporting your belief? Is there any basis besides your own say so?

If you are the anon from 11:36, could you provide something more than "scientists cannot predict the weather, therefore they cannot predict anything"?