Friday, February 20th, 2004
Warming Up My Globe
I was just watching David Suzuki whine because the media didn't cover his environmental petiion in 1993 as "newsworthy". You remember David, he was the host for the famous science show, The Nature of Things. He popularized science for everyone in the seventies. I loved that show when I was a kid. I loved David: any man that could make science so simple; that could bring great ideas within reach of a small boy; well this kind of person was great! Now I'm starting to wonder: is this guy really a scientist, or a sensationalist? His conclusions seem to be so oversimplified; his anti-American comments-- that disgusts me; he over-generalizes; is this what scientists do? "We are each other," he said to Buddhist monks, "because we breathe the same air... We are air." Huh? Now he's religious? He mentioned Jesus Christ more than once; Joan of Ark was also on his list. This is starting to sound more like a political speech. Now, I grant you, he's famous because of his ability to connect un-scientific people with scientific ideas. Maybe he needs to be sensational in his statements so we'll listen? Maybe he needs to over-simplify solutions so we dummies can understand? Maybe over-generalizaton is the quickest path between two ideas. But is that science? :( I don't think so. Apparently global warming is not as sure a thing as some would have us think.However, for a number of years now, temperature measurements have been made via balloons and, in an even more thorough and comprehensive fashion, via satellites. The records established by those means show no or at worst only almost imperceptible global warming. Of course, those records are unbiased by human error and undistorted by the fact that temperature readings taken in urban areas are affected by the heat-island effects of the cities in which many are taken and that taint the results of global averaging of global temperature records.Don't mishear me: I'm all for living responsibly in our environment. It's evil to pour oil on the ocean, to waste unrenewable resources; I think recycling is basically a good thing, and I participate. But I won't be influenced by fear-tactics that are unsupported scientifically. Since most of our pollution (that allegedly causes global warming) comes from industry, the solution is to close down big factories. That's not likely to happen. I think these people are more anti-development than pro-environment. David, go back to your science show, leave politics alone. God knows, nobody trusts politicians. Or maybe we're naive ignoramuses. ~Jason
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