Jackson Free Press

I was sent an article yesterday from Science.com that talks about Global Warming in a way that brings it home.

In a very near future, this is going to be something that we are dealing with. Or rather, our children will be dealing with. This is not something that is generations away, folks. If we don't curb our use of fossil fuels we WILL be having some problems soon.

Check out this scary prediction

Today's level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is 380 parts per million (ppm). By the year 2300, the model predicts that amount would nearly quadruple to 1,423 ppm.

Forests would cover the North and South poles.

Forests will cover the North and South poles? Sweet. Baby. Jesus.

Now, I'm not an SUV elitist...(okay, yes I am. I drive a VW and I'm a tree huggin' dirt worshipper...just check out my bumper sticker the next time you see me) but people have got to STEP AWAY FROM THE HUMMERS. Please.

I know that there are people who still think the Global Warming thing is up for debate. This is just irresponsible. Whether the gas pump begins to charge us five bucks a gallon, or not, our lives are going to have to change.

Now, I know it might not be fun at first, but just think about all the little animals you are saving....like US.

And, if you're thinking its something the whole "world" must tackle, it is. But these little statistics from Bush himself about how much American's consume compared to the rest of the world is very eye opening.

Our country, the United States is the world's largest emitter of manmade greenhouse gases. We account for almost 20 percent of the world's man-made greenhouse emissions. We also account for about one-quarter of the world's economic output. We recognize the responsibility to reduce our emissions. We also recognize the other part of the story -- that the rest of the world emits 80 percent of all greenhouse gases. And many of those emissions come from developing countries.

Guys, we are causing 1/5 of the world's problems. Now, considering there are MORE than four other countries in this world, we are going to have to understand that we are doing more than our fair share of killing this place.

Now, the statement directly following that one which talks about us creating one fourth of the world's economic output is to "soften the blow". Its a subtle thing done to rationalize what's going on here...IT DOES NOT MATTER.

If we are going to be the leader in emitting greenhouse gases than we should be the leader in policy decisions that show our concern for the Earth.

I know all the people around here sure hate a hurricane, but there are going to be more weather anomolies if we don't start to pay some serious attention to this. And, like, more attention than planting a tree on Earth Day. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but its not really going to do a whole lot for us now.

With current deforestation rates (best chart I could find) we could be planting trees everyday and not really heal the current rift.

We have got to start living our lives like we understand the world is a living thing.

I was actually talking to a priest the other day and he told me he was a geologist before he was a priest. He said the statement that we must expect weather changes in the environment if we are going to continue to live on the Earth in the same way we have been. He told me the Earth was a living being and just like we get coughs and sneezes, she will get sick and she will have "illnesses". And, as we have been shown in the past couple of months...its not really a good thing for us if she gets sick.

Capice?

Here's a little website I found that has simple ideas for changes you can take at home.

There are tons of things on the internet about how to live your life in a more Earth Friendly way.

Its time to start, like, yesterday.

Previous Comments

ID

103409

Comment

Ali for President! The fact of the matter is -- and I think of this as a Golden Rule now -- "People do not change until the pain of change is perceived to be less than the pain of staying the same." Until a MORE economical option is offered by industry that will convince the larger tide of Americans to wean ourselves from the oily tit of petroleum...which would also have to include the media and governing forces doing their fair share of either INCENTIVES or MANDATES to bring about that change...we will continue down the same track. Another level to it could come from other countries eventually filing sanctions against U.S. business until we start falling in line with certain progressive E.U. and Asian nations who have signed the Kyoto Accord. But, I undoubtedly share your perspective on Hummers and other gas-guzzling monsters. They've replaced little red Miyatas for those men with small penises or those going through mid-life crises.

Author

whateveryouwant

Date

2005-11-02T08:25:22-06:00

ID

103410

Comment

I'm sorry...but you just used the phrase "oily tit of petroleum". I couldn't get any further than that. OILY TIT OF PETROLEUM. Its the best thing I've heard all day. Of course, it is 8am...but I just have visions of huge hulking tits rubbed down with OIL...and millions of tiny little people hanging off of it. But, HOLY OILY TIT OF PETROLEUM Batman!, maybe that's just me.

Author

Lori G

Date

2005-11-02T08:30:25-06:00

ID

103411

Comment

I love how, when tree hugging dirt worshippers suggest that we might want to invest a little in moving off of the oily tit of petroleum, it's just all too darned expensive. What's the price tag for the war in Iraq these days? $500 billion or so? What could we accomplish in alternative fuels research and incentives for 1/10th that price tag? What does this say about our priorities?

Author

kate

Date

2005-11-02T08:59:44-06:00

ID

103412

Comment

Not sure if this is accurate...but I remember hearing something like: the operational costs of the military being in Afghanistan for one month would feed Africa for a year. For the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan and Rumsfeld's torture house in Guantanamo Bay we could've launched some amazing things.

Author

whateveryouwant

Date

2005-11-02T09:28:35-06:00

ID

103413

Comment

Oprah recently devoted an entire show to this. If anyone can command the masses it is this woman. Of course I helped that Leonardo DiCapprio was on there pluggin the cause.

Author

Elizabeth

Date

2005-11-02T10:15:23-06:00

ID

103414

Comment

You know, the headline for this also works for the Clinton thread.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-11-02T16:17:34-06:00

ID

103415

Comment

Elizabeth, agreed. I would VERY much like to see Oprah make a run for the presidency in '08.

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-11-02T16:18:19-06:00

ID

103416

Comment

Tom- That was AWFUL. But, made me laugh on a day when NOTHING is making me laugh. So, thanks.

Author

Lori G

Date

2005-11-02T16:22:44-06:00

ID

103417

Comment

Yeah, tom...that was...uh, classic.

Author

whateveryouwant

Date

2005-11-02T16:40:16-06:00

ID

103418

Comment

But, HOLY OILY TIT OF PETROLEUM Batman!, maybe that's just me. It's definitely more appealing than the "oily p*nis of petroleum."

Author

allred

Date

2005-11-02T17:25:43-06:00

ID

103419

Comment

We all can't be Monica Lewinsky now can't we? ;)

Author

Lori G

Date

2005-11-02T20:20:31-06:00

ID

103420

Comment

That was supposed to say "We all can't be Monica Lewinsky now CAN we?" But, the beer got in the way.

Author

Lori G

Date

2005-11-02T20:21:14-06:00

ID

103421

Comment

I hate it when that happens. And glad you liked it. You should look at this (warning: highly addictive; you'll end up going back to Week 1). Cheers, TH

Author

Tom Head

Date

2005-11-03T01:37:54-06:00

ID

103422

Comment

Al Gore has a good piece over on Salon on global warming. To me, it reads like an Al Gore piece - I can hear his pedantic voice droning in my head as I read it - but it's got some good info, and I appreciate him trying to use his fame and whatever influence he may still have on this issue. The science is extremely clear: Global warming may not affect the frequency of hurricanes, but it makes the average hurricane stronger, magnifying its destructive power. In the years ahead, there will be more storms like Katrina, unless we change course. Indeed, we have had two more Category 5 storms since Katrina -- including Wilma, which before landfall was the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Atlantic. We know that hurricanes are heat engines that thrive on warm water. We know that heat-trapping gases from our industrial society are warming the oceans. We know that, in the past 30 years, the number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes globally has almost doubled. It's time to connect the dots: Last year, the science textbooks had to be rewritten. They used to say, "It's impossible to have a hurricane in the South Atlantic." We had the first one last year, in Brazil. Japan also set an all-time record for typhoons last year: 10. The previous record was seven. This summer, more than 200 cities in the United States broke all-time heat records. Reno, Nev., set a new record with 10 consecutive days above 100 degrees. Tucson, Ariz., tied its all-time record of 39 consecutive days above 100 degrees. New Orleans -- and the surrounding waters of the Gulf -- also hit an all-time high. This summer, parts of India received record rainfall -- 37 inches fell in Mumbai in 24 hours, killing more than 1,000 people. The new extremes of wind and rain are part of a larger pattern that also includes rapidly melting glaciers worldwide, increasing desertification, a global extinction crisis, the ravaging of ocean fisheries, and a growing range for disease "vectors" like mosquitoes, ticks and many other carriers of viruses and bacteria harmful to people.

Author

kate

Date

2005-11-04T10:48:21-06:00