Ostriches

I was checking out the 10 day weather forecast for Chattanooga and happened upon a survey about global warming.  I voted and then saw these results:

Amazingly, eleven and a half percent of the people aren't concerned and thirty-nine percent aren't convinced that it's true. Incredible! Perhaps they should get their heads out of the sand and ask the polar bears what they think. They're now an endangered species, and are dying horrible deaths as their habitats melt away.

 

 

Comments

[Crafty Green Poet]

scary how many people are in denial! I've even seen the right wing media describe the polar bears' new habit of going into human settlements as proof of there being too many polar bears rather than admit the truth that they are being pushed out of their natural habitat by global warming

[sandy kessler]

I've read some bloggers who say its a trumped up call- to elicit funds etc. See how cynical we have become - thanks to our government I believe. Sore spot with me at present.

[Klaus]

I'm not really surprised seeing those numbers. These are probably the 51.4% who also re-elected Bush...
Cheers, Klaus

[Kevin S.]

Haven't you caught on to the little nuance of the name change from Global Warming to Global Climate Change yet? Wonder why that is?
The name change is an admission that our climate does change. If you are looking short-term we just call those changes "seasons". You have probably experienced a few of those cycles yourself and have come to expect them as a normal part of your brief life.
Problem is, none of us lives long enough to experience the epochal seasons. Doesn't mean they don't happen, though. Ever wonder how all that oil got to be under all that ice in ANWAR? Seems odd, doesn't it, considering that oil is supposedly created by the decay of organics, that such huge pools of it would be hiding under barren snowfields. Could there one have once been forests and creatures living there? And if there was at one time present the raw materials for oil formation, the climate must have been . . . wait for it . . . WARMER THAN IT IS TODAY!

I remember, when in the 3rd grade, the environmental "scare du jour" was global cooling. Yes, you read that right. We had to do reports and stuff about how food wouldn't grow anymore due to the upcoming ice age. I think they reasoned that all the pollution and cO2 being poured into the atmosphere was reflecting sunrays away from the earth and causing it to cool. This was just about 35 years ago.

And now our earth is Warming? I am suspect of the motives of all who preach the religion of Climate Change or Warming or Cooling or Whatever The Big Scare Is Today. We have only been tracking this with any semblance of accuracy for half a microsecond, if one considers the supposed age of the earth.

And if the earth IS warming or cooling- so what? Who decided that it should stay exactly the way it just this second? It has been different temperatures at other times in history and man is still here. Biodiversity exists to the extent that humans are still cataloging newly discovered organisms.

How conceited to believe that man can or should set forth on a path to try to alter the temperature of the globe. AS IF! All of our carbon emissions are but a fart compared to the emissions of a moderate volcanic eruption.

Besides all this, the presupposition that the earth's temperature is actually rising is not supported by much fact. I would encourage you to read something other than Al Gore. You might be surprised at how discredited his sources are, but I won't bore you facts.

And please don't misunderstand me here: I care for our environment as you do. I recycle. I purposefully carry back more than my own garbage when I venture into the outdoors and I teach my kids to do so also. I comprehend what stewardship of our earth is all about in the larger scale.

I just hate to see people tilting at windmills. That's all.

[June]

Your point is taken Kevin. Obviously the earth has seen massive climate changes before...the "ice age" being the one known by us lay people. And I do believe in Darwin's theory...honest I do. But like you, I also believe in being a good steward of this earth while I'm here. I'm not the best at walking the talk, but it's something I try to strive for. I have a question: why do you recycle if not reduce carbon emissions? Just wondering.

[CountryDew]

There are people who think the earth is flat, too. In any given group, half will believe one thing, half the other.

[Bonnie Jacobs]

And why, exactly, are you looking up ten-day forecasts for Chattanooga? Could it be that you'll soon arrive in my fair city? As in, five or six days from now? Are you coming on Friday?

[Bonnie Jacobs]

I linked my post to yours, continuing the ostrich theme as "For safety, please insert head in sand."
http://greeningtheblueplanet.blogspot.com/2008/05/for-safety-please-insert-head-in-sand.html

[Sandpiper]

Hi June,
How can one look at melting polar ice and glaciers and not acknowledge that something is up? Whether it is man's contribution or natural earth progression, it is indeed happening, and all we can do now is try our best not to contribute to it. Obviously, we have had warmings before or we would still be stuck in an ice age, but we have never had such a good system of worldwide science and communication. If we can do things that diminish future problems, then why not do them?
Lin

[Going Crunchy]

I think maybe somebody has been reading a bit too much of the industry manufactured propaganda that tell us nothing is happening. The "carbon is life" commercials that were produced on demand is one of them, or the DuPont self-serving information that Rush and the like refer to.

NASA just mapped 29,0000 changes brought about by global warming!

People want an concerete answer to what is happening when some scientists say that only in the cooler poles will people be able to survive - or some that we will enter into another ice age due to the disappearing trade winds. I think the major point is that we've realized this is a mankind induced major change and within about 10 years the shit will really hit the fan.

But seriously, I think people view it too much as "believe in" as if it were a religion. As if to say, "I don't believe in" - - - . It isn't an abstract fact, it is just the result of our impact and poor choices for fuel and energy.

Yep- it is a known fact that a volcanic explosion from Yellowstone could flatten us. But those are variables beyond our control. What we've done is entirely within our control. And yep - it is a known fact that the climate has changed before - and one mini ice age only took three years to set in. And I think what we fail to connect with is that when we talk about environment, or nature, we are also talking about our fate. When we say "so what" we say "so what" to our children's quality of life.

And yes-Earth WILL recover. But it takes a very long time in the scope of her existence. What happens to us in the meantime is a great concern.

Just ask Samoa, partially underwater due to rising sea levels caused by warming ocean temps. Or Myannmar that was warning about weather in 2007 due to climate changes. Or even us in the Midwest that have dying bee populations due to pollution. Or look to the Great Barrier Reef and the beaching of it. Folks see global warming as just one thing - but it is all tied together in the use of our earth, water and resources.

It isn't only the climate that is in peril - our oceans are so incredibly suffering. You can view the LA Times Pulitzer winning research at "Altered Oceans." When there is a garbage patch the size of Texas floating around you know that we are in serious trouble. My father-in-law is also a lead safety inspector in the oil industry and has seen many of the dead zones caused by pollution - and it's a pretty horrible site to see.

All of this sounds rather grim - but I also see it as an opportunity to reinvent our culture and to restore a sense of decency and respect. America's national happiness has declined since the 1950's as a result of our incredible consumer driven culture, of which directly impacts our emissions in the production of food, products, and the shipment of such. We, as a nation, aren't happier in the "more, more, more" era as we are overworked, exhausted and with a host of national ills.

So we have an opportunity in our culture - to shift it from a consumer driven culture and into one that treats ourselves and others with a greater respect. To yes, use a windmill instead of filthy fuels that are sending asthma rates through the roof along with a host of other consequences.

And here is also the Theory of Anyway. Makes changes "Anyway" even if you are unsure about the whole global warming issue. Do things that are frugal, thrifty, respectful of the earth because that is what we should be doing "Anyway." Almost everything involved in this brings a greater level of happiness as we de-plug, get out of debt, restore a sense of nature in our lives and respect our own and other culture. There isn't really a "lose" there except the current way we do things - and I don't think that is a bad thing to do.

To prepare for changes I've relearned how to cook better whole foods, shop healthier and local, I'm gardening and now composting, banned plastics and other unhealthy fake things as much as possible. We don't eat out really at all, our entertainment is culture, music and games instead of T.V. or movies. We only buy used as much as possible. We are all getting physically fit by working out - for health and also in the event that we have to become mobile in a climate destabilization era. We are taking up archery this summer - and promoting other wilderness survival skills by camping more. Many more changes - but the whole point is that ALL of these changes have made us happier, healthier and wealthier. We've taken extra money savings and donated to good causes or paid off things.

Almost every change that you can make to combat "global warming" are actually fun, restorative and bring you together in a family. There isn't a "lose lose" there. Even if not one thing ever happens, every change has proved worth it.

[colleen]

Some still think Iraq was to blame for 9/11.

[White Rose]

I am not sure who to believe on the global warming issue, but I do think we could be more responsible. The earth will survive long after man has gone. What are we doing to ourselves? Polluted air, water, the very food we eat. We are killing ourselves, with plastic, mercury, genetically modified food, toxic chemicals being released into the air on a regular basis and I could go on and on... And the whole oil issue, so many say to me that there is still plenty of oil. Okay, so maybe there is, but is IT economically feasible? C'mon it is time to move on to something that is CLEANER and more economically feasible! Let's start taking care of ourselves! Okay that was my little rant! (grins sheepishly)