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| quote: | Originally posted by R!CH
whether or not you're skeptical of the science and the scientists, it would be foolish to err on the side of the status quo. if someone tells you about a dangerous situation ahead and you're not sure whether you can trust them, why would you automatically assume they are full of shit? that's just plain stupid. especially with the stakes at hand. maybe you don't give a shit about coastal cities or biodiversity, but how about this... mosquitos and disease-bearing insects thrive in warmer climates. as the world warms their natural habitat expands allowing for disease hotbeds to broaden and connect larger regions. today you don't have to worry about malaria, but by the time you're retired it may be in your backyard where your grandkids play.
but let's suppose climate change is bogus. then what? what's the harm done in acting on it anyway? less pollution? more efficiency? better infrastructure? more advanced technology? better lifestyle habits? cleaner water? healthier people? more pristine natural habitats? how terrifying!
the issue doesn't even stop at climate change. burning coal, which is the main source of power in china and america, releases heavy metals like lead, mercury, nickel, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, aluminum, etc into the air and water. these metals are known neurotoxins. they cause cancer, birth defects and degenerative disease and every coal plant dumps them in the water and air supply. it's time to stop that shit regardless of what you think about global warming. |
Why would it be considered foolish to dismiss a random who warns you of a dangerous situation if you stack it up against the facts and simple logic and it doesn't make sense? If the dangerous situation doesn't add up, how can you take that more seriously than someone who tells you there is a flying teapot orbiting the planet (yes I borrowed that from some atheist or Dawkins)? Do we simply believe everything we are told without critique?
OK so lets suppose HUMAN CAUSED climate change is bogus, you ask what is the harm in acting on it anyway. I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in having a healthier and cleaner society but that's the problem. The world leaders don't seem to be really interested in this. They may talk of clean energies and so fourth but really the main agenda you keep hearing about is how urgently we must implement an emissions trading scheme. So let me ask you a question then. Why should people have to pay extra taxes for using vehicles, electricity, gas or any other form of energy that produces emissions when at this stage we don't even know if these emissions are in fact affecting climate change? Why should everyone, including developing nations have to pay a tax for something that is not known as a negative effect yet?
Regarding coal burning and neurotoxins, that is definitely an interesting point you raise which I did not know. But having said that, I don't see how this is related to human caused global warming at all. It seems all these extra unrelated points keep getting lumped into the whole climate change argument because the argument for human caused climate change is too weak to support itself on its own facts. It has to resort to the, "What if we don't act now?", "But it also provides A, B, and C benefits, so why not?".
IMHO, what we should really be focusing on and investing in is how to deal with the natural climate change which is always happening. Our governments should be looking into how we can protect our cities from the effects of future climate change and stop fucking around with a rebadged environmental tax which they claim will stop ALL global warming. You'd be foolish to believe humans have any power in stopping natural climate change. It happens and we as a species must adapt to it instead of implementing worldwide tax systems.
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