Discussion

Let there be no question in your mind:  Global climate change is real!   I say that from the start because way too many people believe that it  is all just made up and fabricated.  This is not a theory to be debated  and personal opinions have no value in the discussion, sorry.   Overwhelmingly, scientists, i.e., “the experts”, around the globe agree  that we have a big problem on our hands:  The temperature of the Earth  is warming.  And for those who are not familiar with the issue, global  temperature increases is NOT a good thing not only for us humans, but  most of the other living creatures and things that we share our world  with.    

Global climate change, also known as global warming, is the  result of a variety of factors including rapid world population growth,  expanding industrialization, deforestation, agriculture and farming  (particularly what I believe is inappropriately called, “livestock”) and  emissions from power plants and automobiles.  While much  could be done to reduce the impact each of these has on the environment,  many argue that little progress has been made over the years.   For specific examples, why don’t the residents of the state of Florida  (i.e., the “Sunshine State”), use solar power to provide most of their  electrical needs?  Why isn’t more done to promote harnessing the wind in areas that could benefit from wind power?   Based on the United States’ need of volatile foreign oil supplies, why  hasn’t the country aggressively conducted research and development in  the area of alternative fuels?  Has the U.S. federal government done enough to promote alternative fuels such as the two mentioned above?

In addition, overwhelming scientific research supports the notion  that the Earth is undergoing global climate change.  More specifically,  environmental scientists report that the overall temperature of the  Earth is warming at a faster rate than would be expected if we were  simply going through a natural warming period.   Scientists report that  the temperature change IS human induced.  In other words, it appears  that we humans, through increasing pollution such as carbon emissions  (factories, automobiles, etc.), are having a significant negative impact  on the natural environment. 

Here’s a side note.  I often hear people say when, for example, we  learn about a severe snowstorm, “oh, so where’s that global warming they  talk about?”  I’m not an expert in this field; however, from how I  understand it global climate change means that on average, the Earth’s overall  temperature is rising.  Global climate change also means that hot  temperatures get hotter than normal and cold temperatures can become  colder than normal.     

If you are knowledgeable about global climate change, please help me  to understand something: If not, just give me your input about it.  Nay  Sayers believe that global climate change is completely fabricated and  untrue and that’s there no need to modify human behavior when it comes  to this issue.  It’s hard for me to believe that there is a huge  conspiracy to support the notion that humans are not contributing to  global warming.  If indeed it is a huge conspiracy to get people to  believe that global warming exists, what’s the point or benefit? 

Furthermore, assuming that global climate change is a conspiracy and  totally made up, what would be the harm in making changes to human  behavior to decrease pollution emissions and researching and developing  technologies that would decrease our carbon footprint (e.g., cleaner  burning fuels, higher efficiency automobiles, more insulated homes, and  businesses, etc.).  In other words, I just can’t seem to come up with  any negatives for saying, “Hey, maybe we are negatively impacting the  natural environment and maybe we should do something about it.” 

Your thoughts……