Global Warming

I got up this morning and got the Al Gore treatment on the Today Show. It always annoys me to listen to Gore blame me, and a few others, for this alleged global warming. I'm not going to get into an argument over whether the earth is warming. Let's say I concede that there is evidence the earth is warming. What I will not concede is that this warming is solely caused by humans...I just won't.

The earth has warmed and cooled many, many times throughout it's long history. The earth has been here longer than you and me...and longer than Al Gore. It has gone through Ice Ages, including a Little Ice Age, possibly as recently as 1850. And it would turn out that Little Ice Age followed a period of warming. And humans were not emitting nearly the gasses in 1650 or 1850 that we are now. And yet climates changed.

Some scientists have claimed the CO2 that humans emit has actually staved off more drastic climate change by cooling the earth. Can't say I agree with them. It's a theory just like humans being the sole cause for global warming. I don't agree with that either. We emit much CO2, true. But over 66% of the CO2 in the atmosphere is released naturally...which means it would be there whether we existed or not. Granted, we've released our fair share but nature takes care of a lot of CO2 too.

Regardless, I am not convinced that we have the ability to control nature and I do not believe humans are soley responsible for climate change. The earth is far more powerful than us...whether we drive a Hummer or Prius. Whether we use a roll of toilet paper or one square. Don't get me wrong...I am in favor of conservation. I believe we should try to keep our planet clean and habitable for the next generation. I support clean air acts, within reason. But I will not believe that humans are solely responsible for climate changes on this earth.

If you want to participate in green earth initiative, great. If it makes you feel good, that's fine. But don't try to make others feel bad because they don't hold the same beliefs. I don't chide people who believe they can make a difference...until they start telling me how to live my life. And nothing is worse than hypocrites like Al Gore who tell people to live without while he lives the big life on the back of his "believers." And don't get me started on carbon credits...that's a whole other article.

Anyway, to sum up my beliefs on global warming: Nature controls the climate. We can't control nature. If you want to cut back on your emission of gas, I am in full favor. Leave me alone.