Climate change, the government and

[greg334]

finally a realistic comment

Listening to NPR the other day I heard an interview with the head of NASA. Usually I change to something more interesting, like a turtle race or just listen to the wind noise of my truck but something really caught my attention.

Here are the transcripts of some of the interview;

It has been mentioned that NASA is not spending as much money as it could to study climate change — global warming — from space. Are you concerned about global warming?

I'm aware that global warming exists. I understand that the bulk of scientific evidence accumulated supports the claim that we've had about a one degree centigrade rise in temperature over the last century to within an accuracy of 20 percent. I'm also aware of recent findings that appear to have nailed down — pretty well nailed down the conclusion that much of that is manmade. Whether that is a longterm concern or not, I can't say.

Do you have any doubt that this is a problem that mankind has to wrestle with?

I have no doubt that … a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change. First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown. And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take.

What I find interesting is first the quick political retraction of the statements no doubt do to the political correctness that permeates NASA but also the defense of the statement made by a lot of scientists around the world who have been pretty much ignored. They say that these comments are right on the spot and the political spin on the entire global warming issue has been out of hand for a while.

[bryan]

HI

Global warming control is the next big money maker for this country.We have the intelligence, the money and the will power that other countries lack to succeed in this endeaver.But Im afraid we are going to keep on dragging our feet and then some other country is going to hop in and take the jobs and money.Like when Japan beat us to fuel effiecent cars and cheap tv's.

This has already created jobs in this country.From people sorting tires for retreading, exporting and as clinker for concrete to GE's new locomotive.Even some of us expeditors are making money off of this deal like hauling parts for wind farms and solar panels to hospitals.This could be the next race to the moon.A way to unite the country and to improve the economy.

Will it stop global warming?I don't know but if it makes me money Im all for it.

[OntarioVanMan]

Bryan...absolutely correct...but our legistlators will study it to death
and squabble for years and when they miss the boat they'll have yet more studys as to what happend and who's to blame. Meanwhile many Amerians go jobless.

[greg334]

I agree with both of you but you miss the point I am trying to make; it is not the government that should be leading this but everyone. And history that is being ignored here is the fact that every 1000 years we have a warming cycle and we are leading into that warming cycle now and will be out of it in 300 to 400 hundred years.

The statement starting with “First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown.� says a lot when you really think about it.

What I mean is just one example I pointed out in another post about volcanoes and the stuff they put into the air and the correlation between weather patterns and a volcano, this also goes for the climate as a whole, we can’t change things we have no control over. If we could control the earth in such a way to control volcanoes, we would have a lot of beach front property available.

�And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take.�

I whole heartily agree with this statement which is also being made by thousands of scientist all over the place. Going back to the proceeding paragraph saying we can’t change things we have no control over, the addition to this is we can clean up the mess we made as humans without the arrogance of playing God. I, being a thorough person in researching issues can’t find the solid evidence that we actually effected a change in the climate as a whole. The panic cry of global warming is not for the betterment of human kind but to take from one country and give to another.

What really irks me is that we are made out as the real villains in this whole thing, when actually the real villains are that people who produce the propaganda like ALGORE and the UN.

Now this does not mean that we don’t pollute, we do and we consume by far too much which this is where I feel we need to focus. As Brenda mentioned GE (and others by the way) have come up with reduced polluting locomotives, there are also gains in wind and solar power, but what we as people lack is the fortitude to say to our elected representatives is that we need to promote things very important to us which is easily accomplished through changes in our tax system. The seriousness of a free country to actually do something starts with the individual, the road block is affordability. For example in our case, if we can have the option to eliminate the depreciation of equipment that is used to reduce pollution, as in a heater for a van or an APU unit for a truck, it is a way to promote the use of better or alternate technology, make sense? But I feel the best solution for this quandary is a complete change in the tax system to the Fair Tax (HR 25) which eliminates the need for the deduction and even the IRS (imagine the pollution that would prevent alone).