GLOBAL WARMING - "Snowfalls are a thing of the past"
by Nathan Natas 92 Replies latest jw friends
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OnTheWayOut
I take a middle view of the whole thing, but lean toward understanding that the earth is in a constant change state.
Obviously, from the BP oil spill to Chernobyl, from millions and millions of automobiles to factories spewing out carbon, we humans can have some impact on the environment. But Hiroshima, Nagosaki, and test sites have shown that what we did is overcome by the earth. Same will be one day be true of Chernobyl and very soon of the Gulf of Mexico. Our efforts to damage the planet are just blips. We need to be responsible with our garbage filling landfills and our output of garbage into the air. We need to be careful about our nuclear and toxic waste. But we don't need to be fanatics about slight temperature variations. The glaciers melting has little to do with man's actions and much to do with trends of the planet.
That volcano in Iceland probably did more harm to the air than most humans ever did. The air will recover.
Man effects how species are dying out, but 90-something percent of all species on earth have gone extinct without man's interference.
The earth is hot in the middle, slowly cooling off. It will one day be a problem for whatever species is surviving at the time. Man has to figure out where to go by then or be extinct with the rest of the planet's life. Maybe global warming of the surface via pollution will be welcome then.
Most attempts to "do something" are feel-good things. "Paper vs. plastic" bags can cause trees to be cut down. "Reusable personal bags" can cause disease to be present in old dirty bags or a waste of water to clean them. Recycling is good, but until it's universally done regardless of cost, it's just to make the individual feel like they did something good.
I was talking with a science nerd who was blasting fat lazy Americans for their desire to warm their cars up in the winter. He said that fuel-injected modern vehicles can warm up just fine under driving conditions and that we just didn't want to get our asses cold. He said we could save fuel and leave a smaller carbon footprint simply by turning the key and going. I told him that he didn't even think of the safety factor of hopping in the car and just going in the winter. The windows will fog up and you will get into an accident. He switched to saying we should all drive electric cars, but he drives a 1974 Corvette because it's a classic.
My point is that each person can be so narrow in their thinking and ignorant of the big picture. Don't dump your trash on the side of the road and don't store toxic waste in barrels underground or under water, but don't freak out at people that own SUV's or big pickup trucks- don't be angry at people who don't recycle. Do your part and relax.
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JeffT
When I went to the first Earth Day they told me we'd never see Bald Eagles in the lower 48 again. Last week there were two of them sitting on the light poles above the bridge crossing Lake Washington. That is a common sight. The Earth day people were right if nothing changed, but a lot has changed, at least here. The air is cleaner, the water is cleaner and we aren't using DDT. We recycle, we're going to start composting what can't be recycled, both of us drive fuel efficient cars, the extended family is doing a lot to promote wildlife habitat.
I don't believe in raping the earth, I also don't believe we need to destroy the economy to save the planet.
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DaCheech
I agree with the 2 above posters 100%
BTW, If PETA had their way, there would be tons of methane in the air.
and if the whole earth was farmed organically, 2/3rd of the people would eventually starve.
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designs
Several companies are producing organic fertilizers for commercial use that don't have the problems of high nitrogen fertilizers which kill off essential bacteria in soil and lead to algae bloom in lakes and rivers.
Urban planners see a different vision for communities from the 50s Suburban Tract Housing. Most Land Fills near large Cities are full and we need to address the amount of waste we send off. 50% of our sewage, raw poop, goes untreated and gets put into our waterways.
Slowly things can change with good planning and new technology to address old problems and develop full cycle use of products we use everyday.
You don't need Red Dye #13 Coal Tar in your food just to make it look better.
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DaCheech
when I was a kid in the early 70's the cleveland river was so polluted that it caught on fire.
how about the great lakes in the past 20-30 years? now they're clean
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designs
DaCheech-
One of the things I like seeing are the Grass Roots organizations and the International ones that address Clean Water issues. Our Oceans, Lakes and Rivers can no longer be viewed as the dumping ground for our urban living. When it rains and you can't go Surfing for 2-3 days afterwards because of high pollution levels in the water you know we have a ways to go.
I also like seeing more and more Organic Farmers Markets springing up- grow local sell local.
designs
Surfrider International sponsor
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DaCheech
on a small level organic is better.............. but you can't feed the world with it. research it
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designs
I know- Armand Hammer made a fortune selling high nitrogen fertilizers to African communites to turn marginal soil into high producing crop land. It did pollute the Aquifers, Rivers and Lakes but they did have mother loads of crops for a few years, it becomes like Hydroponic gardening. You just don't want another Dust Belt from poor farming practicies.
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bohm
OTWO:
"That volcano in Iceland probably did more harm to the air than most humans ever did. The air will recover."
If we are talking about CO2 i think it would be relevant to look at the actual numbers: