This is NOT a debate about the politics, relevance, legitimacy or accuracy of global warming or projections related to it.
Ok, now that I’ve said that…
I see the debate about global warming and I see how passionate folks (hey, if Dubya can use “folks” when describing terrorists, I can use it here!) on both sides of the issue. And I have no real opinion either way – actually, that’s not true. I do. I’m just not sharing it here.
What I wonder about is why the suggestion those who believe global warming exists that we might ultimately be better off using less fossil fuel, driving more fuel efficient cars, looking for alternative energy resources, etc. is seen as such a gigantic threat by those who disagree with the issue.
Wouldn’t we all be better off if we didn’t have to avoid Hummers on crowded city streets? If nothing else, I would worry a lot less about getting through the underpass at Woodway and 610 if cars were even slightly smaller.
And I don’t get why looking for alternate resources for energy is such a terrible thing. If I had $10k to spare, you can damn sure bet I would put solar panels all over my house and use that for power. I read not to long ago that $10,000 to $20,000 could outfit almost any house with solar panels that would generate enough power for multiple homes – so much so that local power companies routinely issue checks to solar-powered homeowners for excess energy that they BUY FROM YOU! Going from Reliant charging me $300 in August to getting a check from them sounds like a GREAT thing.
I agree that global warming advocates often present doomsday scenarios that seem right out of science fiction. My eyes almost rolled out of my head as I sat through The Day After Tomorrow. I think the only reason I watched it was to see Emmy Rossum, but she spent the entire movie jammed into multiple layers of clothing, so even that didn’t pay off.
But, setting all that aside, is the idea that we could all live a little cleaner and a little more efficiently really that horrible.
I guess it’s all in how you frame a debate and the environmental crowd oftne loses arguments due to the shrill background noise provided by its supporters. And I consider myself an environmentalist.