Dale,
What damage to the economy by reducing electrical comsumption by, say adopting the recomendations of the International Dark Sky Ass? What damage to the economy by increasing gas mileage? What damage by using more solar and wind energy? Do you doubt that mankind is poisioning his environoment and his childern? The levels of carbon dioxide have clearly risen since the industrial revolution, this is not for the sake of saving the earth but for the sake of human beings. We are in the middle of the greatest mass extinction since the dinosaurs, or do you believe we coexisted with the dinosaurs. Wake-up Man. Erik Michael, with all due respect - I think I did get his point. He is
saying, yes there is climate change - but, is it a problem? The calamities you mentioned presuppose that there will be rapid climate change. I think it would be fair to state that Dr. Griffin may be skeptical of anthropogenically induced rapid climate change. Given this, I don't think he called concerned people arrogant. I think he said that those people who say the right temperature is X and must be kept at X - are arrogant (i.e. the center of the solar system is "here").
A rational person would probably also like to see significant proof (i.e. really solid models that don't neglect major greenhouse gases, and work forwards and backwards, etc.) before making major economic policy changes.
Clear skies, Dale.
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy- bounces+dale.hooper=sdl.usu.edu@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Michael Carnes Sent: Friday, June 01, 2007 1:20 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Unusual NASA release
And then, of course, they followed it up with an equal amount of time by global warming skeptics or others that may have understood his point. Oh, they didn't??? Gee, I thought that National Subsidized Radio was the "real" fair and balanced radio.
You missed the point, Dale. Griffin didn't even quarrel with science on the issue of global warming. His statements would be bizarre whether global warming is anthropogenic or brought to us by the tooth fairy. Griffin said "I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with." He then said "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." He accused those people actually concerned of being arrogant (the standard argument used by people without a leg to stand on).
A rational person might say that since civilization arose in the sort of climate we have now, humans might prefer it. That same person might say that rapid climate change might not give you sufficient time to prepare for necessary changes in population distribution, medicine, agriculture and so on.
That rational person might point out that those people who live on the coast might have something to say about rising sea levels, increased storm damage and so on. A person living in a temperate climate might not be too keen about malaria zones moving out from the equator. Increasing populations in a place like, uh, Utah might wonder where their food is going to be grown.
I know you got great satisfaction from getting in a dig at NPR, but they gave Griffin plenty of time to respond to Gregg Easterbrook's article. They didn't editorialize--they just let Griffin have his say. He should have had the sense to keep his mouth shut. As the proverb says, "Better to let people think you a fool than to open your mouth and prove it".
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