What does it matter if global warming is or isn't caused by man?
The great debate as to wether mans eager consumption of fossil fuels contributes to, or indeed is the cause of, global warming seems to me a useless one. Does it really matter? None of the fossil fuels are an infinate resource, and the majority of what's left of the crude oil is to be found in areas of the world not exactly known for stability. Shouldn't we be making every effort to lesson our dependence on them as soon as possible, regardless of global warming?
Ken2007-12-29T18:32:27Z
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As long as we eliminate the dependence on oil & coal, it doesn't matter what anyone believes about GW. The world will be a better place once a clean sustainable energy source replaces the current one.
To most of us, it doesn't matter, but to those who want to use the "global warming" myth to their advantage, it matters a lot.
Since it's debatable whether humans cause climate changes or not, it's important for these same powers to push the hoax to get their agenda for higher taxation passed.
There's actually no real connection between using oil and "global warming" except the one created by Gore and other opportunists. Remember, there's a whole lot of money pushing this hoax.
Notice that the ones who vehemently support the "global warming" hoax are either politicians or environmental scientists who depend on the money that this hoax robs from the average tax-payer.
The good thing is that we've been consistently decreasing pollution levels in the US since the 80's. I'm all for conserving resources and eliminating pollution, so I'm glad we lead the world in that area.
The real solution is to follow normal market trends. The US should be allowed to drill for oil since other countries are allowed to do this. Nuclear power is a safe alternative and there are new methods of burning coal that produce virtually no pollutants. We need power sources to keep such a robust economy going, so decreasing resources is not a solution. Alternatives are great, but the market should make the decisions, not the politicians.
At the moment, oil is the fuel that powers everything we do. It's used in just about every product we use from plastics to clothing to electronic devices. We have tons of oil available in this country if we are only allowed to drill for it.
When oil reserves starts decreasing, the market will shift as different fuels become necessary. There are a lot of ideas in the works and even other ways of extracting oil from the earth, so we should support those who want to keep the economy rolling instead of those who want us to go back to the stone age.
You're pretty much right. However, before we run out of fossil fuels, the damage by then we've done to our planet will be irreversible. Yes, we should be lessening our dependence on fossil fuels. If not to stop global warming, to at least allow civilization to stay in one piece once that last drop of oil is pumped out of the ground.
The reality is that global warming is caused by man. It will become worse as we release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. What will happen, other than blistering hot summer days and warm winters? Who knows? Any number of things can happen - natural disasters such as hurricanes, an ice age to the degree the planet has never seen before, perhaps even a toxic atmosphere which will poison the very air we breathe in.
We developed countries need to do something about it. America hasn't even ratified the Kyoto Protocol. With my country, Australia, ratifying it, it leaves America as the only developed country in the world that hasn't ratified the Kyoto Protocol. Will America let itself be the country that said no to saving the world? Sadly, probably yes.
I agree we should be working to lessen our dependence upon fossil fuels as fast as possible. But the debate about global warming is not useless. The remaining fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) in the world will last another 100 - 200 years. Oil will run out first, but we have large quantities of gas and coal. Long before fossil fuels run out, the impact of global warming will be felt world wide, and the predictions for catastrophe are enormous. The largest impact will be the rise of sea level, affecting 10s of millions of people around the world.
it matters because we humans have the unique capability among all species of controlling what we do. if we truly acted as stewards of this fragile planet on which we are fortunate to have found the conditions for life, we should perhaps behave as if we cared about what future generations have to contend with as we continue to consume and waste as we have done for the 300 or so years, during which time the population has grown exponentially.
Yes, we should reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and small but significant strides are being made. Sadly, we are misled if we think that electrical/hybrid cars are significantly better than gasoline engines. electricity is generated in nuclear power plants (I have no problem with these though some do), by burning coal (very polluting and finite), or by damming rivers to create hydroelectric plants (not popular with those who want to preserve the wilderness). there's a cost to the environment to be paid no matter what we do. we need to get over our belief that we need huge 8-cylinder assault vehicles and do what the Europeans have done for generations: go small, very small. what sense does it make for one person to drive a vehicle designed to hold 6 or 7 people? what sense does it make to have more than two children?
we can't control what other people do, but we can provide a good example and make our own planet-friendly choices.