You can't watch anything on TV these days without hearing it:
"Global Warming" (or its cousin "Climate Change"). I'm sick to death of it.
Though the earth's average temperature is definitely rising - by less than 1
degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years (oooh, scary) - is it due to greenhouse
gases and human activity? The jury is still out on that one. Personally, I think
we're giving humans far too much credit, and I believe it's just a natural
warming trend the earth is going through (as it has before in its
4.6-billion-year history).
What there is no question about is how ridiculous the media hype and all
the celebrity-driven nonsense is about "going green". I now groan every time
some ill-informed celebrity jumps on the bandwagon and spews their alarmist crap
on TV. Then I immediately turn the channel. Citing computer models of
theoretical temperature rises in the future and showing the same image of the
same polar bear trying to maneuver the same shrinking pack ice, it seems to me
that people have absolutely lost their minds over "going green". Cases in point:
Al Gore and that ridiculous concert to "raise awareness"
about climate change. Raise awareness?!?!? Surely you jest. You can't get
away from the hype, so I don't see the point of this stupid event - an
event that created more pollution than it raised awareness.
Several local grocery stores have switched off a lot of
their lights, citing they're "doing their part to go green". Hm, interesting
stance, there, considering the air conditioning is blasting to the point of
being uncomfortably cold, the big-ticket items are still brightly lit, and
they don't have a single bike rack outside. I'm disgusted as I arm myself
with a flashlight to read food labels.
Speaking of grocery stores...they tout their
"environmentally-friendly" resusable plastic grocery sacks or baskets as an
alternative to traditional disposable plastic bags. I would think that
manufacturing these containers creates more pollution than it saves, since
they're invariable manufactured in China (with their less-than-stellar
pollution record). Plus, not many people realize that the volume of plastics
in landfill sites is minimal compared to other household waste. (Don't
believe it? Look it up!) And, anyway, if you're really against using plastic
grocery bags, most grocery stores offer paper sacks. I've concluded grocery
stores are just trying to make a quick cash grab from ill-informed people
that give into the media-driven hype.
Using organic fuels (like ethanol) derived from cereal
grains. I guess people aren't aware that refining organic fuel creates a
whole lot more pollution than it saves by burning it (some say
refinining ethanol is more polluting than refining oil). What using fuel
derived from grain has done is raise world grain prices. Not a good
thing for third-world countries that have grain as their staple. But, I
guess it's okay if a few million people starve to death if we think we're
saving the planet. Puhleeze.
The glaciers are shrinking! The glaciers are shrinking!
Um...no, they're not. At least not to the extent the alarmists would have
you believe. Some are melting (as they have been steadily since the last ice
age ended 10,000 years ago), but many of the world's glaciers are actually
increasing in size. Even if all of Earth's glaciers were shrinking, my
response would be: "So what?" Glaciers have shrunk and grown, retreated and
advanced repeatedly in Earth's 4.6-billion-year history. We are tiny little
beings on a very large planet, and we are giving ourselves far too much
credit for something that's been happening long before we ever existed.
Turn off the TV, forget the Internet's militant environmentalist
sites (pro or con) and go read some reputable history books. You'll discover
that we are newcomers to Earth (historically speaking) and Earth went through
some pretty gnarly changes long before we ever existed. So, go for a long drive
in your non-hybrid SUV. Make sure everything you buy is brought home in a
plastic bag that you'll throw away. Use disposable everything. Recycle nothing.
Eat whatever you want. Jack up the heat (or air conditioning). Leave all your
lights on. Wash a single pair of socks in hot water on the "extra large load"
washer setting. It might hurt your pocketbook, but it won't make the slightest
difference in the earth's climate.
