DumbSwede's Journal: Global Warming - Does it Matter?

There is a rather shrill debate going on currently about whether Global Warming is occurring and to what degree. Let me state my opinion on the matter, based on having seen arguments on both sides -- Global Warming is happening, but at a much smaller rate than predicted by Global Warming Alarmists, and will not speed up catastrophically soon.

The real tragedy of Global Warming is the distraction it creates in dealing with real environmental issues. In my opinion: loss of habitat; over fishing of the oceans; and water pollution are the most pressing environmental concerns and in that order.

Animal species have coped just fine with climate change in the past, granted a few marginal species might go extinct sooner with Global Warming, but there will be far fewer species period if they don't have some place to live.

The oceans have become huge killing zones. Huge miles long monofilament nets sweep up everything, fit for human consumption or not. It is the ultimate tragedy of the commons.

Everyone seems concerned about the air, but here in America despite shrill environmental warnings, the air has been getting cleaner and cleaner. If you slow down the rate of improvement of emissions control, environmentalists seem to think this is the same thing as going back to the 50's. This over concern for the air is probably tied to the heightened awareness of possible green house gasses consequences. But pesticide and herbicide use for decades in agriculture is leaving these chemicals to seep into the ground water at increasing rates and of course flow into lakes, streams, and eventually the oceans (which are already under stress). As farming methods become more in intensive, animals are huddled in larger numbers in smaller areas. For animals like pigs these leads to huge waste disposal problems, and again this stuff ends up in ground water and surface water. Because pigs do not process phosphorous efficiently this stuff is especially prone to becoming toxic after being metabolized by various microbes, also giving its signature stench. People want cheap food of course, and faming subsidies are a way of life. It is politically possible to slap emission standards on large impersonal factories, but much harder on the family farmer who has the public's sympathy as they try to scratch out of living -- evoking some kind of 19th century work ethic envy.

Also assaulting our waters are toxic metals like mercury and lead, leaching into the water table from poorly designed landfills. We use billions of batteries a year, and the vast majority end up in the garbage instead of recycled properly. Part of the problem with recycling is that the costs are tacked on at the end of the life cycle instead of built in at sale. I shouldn't have to pay to get rid of old tires -- disposal should be free when they are worn out, the cost having been built into the sale price. Shops that sell batteries (large car batteries or small electronic ones) should have to accept spent ones back and give some small credit, not charge you for disposal.

The fragile chain of life is often misrepresented. The world will largely not notice and certainly not care if the snail-darter fish goes extinct. The ecosystems of the world are undergoing a huge change that we initiated and will be largely be unable to stop. Alien species are integrating themselves into new ecological niches all over the world. The result will be extinctions, and economic impact on humans, but the overall trend is probably good. Global specie numbers may decline to some degree, but in general local specie populations will become more varied, and on longer time scales will initiate an up-tick in speciation. The down side is that there will be less variety to see world wide in the short run, and the world a diminished place by human esthetic measures, but this is not the same thing as an environmental catastrophe with the Earth less able to sustain life. Humans have come to see any change, as change for the worse, when in fact many changes are just changes - neither good nor bad in the long run -- though they might have near-term and long-term negative economic impact on humans.

The climate has always been in flux. We are having an impact on it, but it would only be by direct intervention we could keep it from changing one way or the other. And ironically that would be unnatural.

Michael Crichton

[Frisky070802]

I've just finished State of Fear by the famous author Crichton. I found it a fun read, and it mostly seemed to make the same argument you just did.