sdoersam
Member
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland
Posts: 205 |
 Re: Its time to think about the earth
quote:
Originally posted by yardie
People need to get their heads out of the sand and start realize what is going on around us... The Ozone layer is depleting, Ice Caps are melting and South Pacific countries are hoping that their lands will continue to be surrounded by water and not under water.
OK, against my better judgement, I'm going to get into this. My biggest problem with the above statement is this: How do we know that this is not normal? How do we know that this is not part of the Earth's normal evolution/life cycle? I have read a lot of the popular media's coverage of "Global Warming" (Let us not forget that less than 20 years ago, it was "Global Cooling" that was the big issue) and quite a bit of coverage that the popular media has ignored. There are some problems I have with the shrinking Ozone layer and "Global Warming" Mostly, that the science isn't all there yet.
On the Ozone layer, they really don't know why it is depleting. (They know what can deplete Ozone itself, but they don't know the actual cause of the shrinking Ozone layer.) I have seen theories on manmade causes to natural cycles, but no one really knows when you put it all together (again, everyone has their theories and they change frequently) The fact that chloroflorocarbons (sic?) have decreased in the atmosphere, yet it has not been reflected in the rate of loss in the Ozone.
As for Global Warming, I have seen gaping holes in the science on this one. The biggest hole I have seen is in the computers they use to predict what is happening. They aren't anywhere near powerful enough to predict anything accurately. As a matter of fact, if you enter in the conditions from 20 years ago, and ask the computers to predict todays climate, the predictions are wildly off. We don't have anything powerful enough to deal with all the variables to do accurate predictions. (Assuming we know all the variables)
Many news organizations like to point to EPA studies as proof of the problems. Unfortunately, a lot of the EPA studies (not all, but many to most)are skewed or heavily manipulated. I have seen numerous cases where the EPA makes a big deal out of statistically insignificant numbers, leaves out data that doesn't support their hypothesis, or stacks the study to get the results they want. A classic example of this is studies showing the "substance x" causes cancer in rats. Never mind that the rats are bred to be susceptible to cancer, and that they are fed excessive amounts of "substance x," far more than anyone would ever consume. Not a very good "real world" example if you ask me.
I've looked at some of the environmental stuff that GW has turned down or reversed lately. After looking at some of those studies, I don't think they were bad decisions. If you actually look at his actual decisions, he delayed the implementation of the rule(s), to see if the data supported them, and to do further investigation into it. He hasn't killed them out right, and has left the opportunity to implement them at a later date. People tend to forget that there is more than one dimension to environmental issues. People tend to forget the economic ones. I recently read of a study that showed the arsenic regulations would have cost more lives than it saved. Their argument boiled down to this: The increased cost of filtering the water would be passed down to the consumer (either through water bills or taxes) which could lead to the following: Leave "underprivileged" people with less income to spend on things like health care, or encouraging people to dig more wells, and drink completely unfiltered water (or filtered to lesser standards) Now, I don't put full stock in this study either, but it does make you think, and they may have a good point. Unfortunately, most people don't think about that aspect of implementing a regulation.
I personally don't believe that humans have as big of a long term impact on the Earth as we like to think. (Reminds me of the time in history when we thought that the Earth was the center of the Universe) Now, having said that, I try and do my part to be kind to the environment. I recycle, don't litter, and try to buy environmentally friendly products. I agree that Americans could be a little more conservative in their consumption of resources, and do it smarter, myself included, and I try to do my part. I just also believe in having good data, from more than one source, before making a decision.
Sorry for the long winded post.
__________________
Sven
If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.
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04-22-2001 10:47 PM
Its time to think about the earth
Every day is Earth Day
Curious George
Attachment: 
) Letting someone else worry about it, or just "trusting" people to do the right thing is what has gotten us into the mess we're in today - especially when the people to be trusted think like you! Wake up and look outside yourself!
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