Political Global Warming: A Waste of Time and Money
I recently read a question in a blog asking if it’s Al Gore stupid or Michael Moore stupid to believe in global warming. I wasn?t surprised at the question since global warming has become such a politically charged topic. I also wasn’t surprised at the language that was used. I find that it is very common for some Neigh Sayers to call the Believers names like stupid, ignorant, idiot, etc. and for some Believers to reciprocate in kind.
The political arena has turned this very real issue into nothing more than a battle cry and the term “global warming” puts many people into a tailspin. What’s really at stake is the health of our planet and our standard of living. It’s time we stop worrying about the political bickering, stop wasting our efforts and hard earned money and begin dealing with the real facts.
Neigh Sayers argue that what’s happening to our planet is just the natural cycle of climate change. What they don’t mention is that these natural cycles normally take place over thousands of years. Sudden changes usually only happen after a huge natural disaster such as the eruption of Krakatoa. The increased changes we’ve seen since the industrial revolution began have been man-made. The changes have been much more dramatic in the last few decades with the increase of industry, number of cars on the road and the population explosion.
I’m pushing 60 years old and have lived in the Dallas area, off and on, most of my life. I remember when we would have two or three good snowfalls EVERY winter. I remember when people with breathing problems didn’t have to check the ground ozone level before going outside and I could walk outside without getting an “ozone” headache. I remember when being in a drought was a rare thing. I remember when, in most summers, it didn’t get really hot until late July and August. I remember when tap water tasted good and there were never days when it was brown and smelly. There are people who grew up in areas where the air and water are now cleaner. That’s because man-made fixes have cleaned up man-made messes. Although the city is now trying to remedy these problems, in the Dallas area it is quite the opposite.
Global warming has become a purely political debate and has delayed the effort to clean up our planet. Putting the politics of global warming aside, and putting Al Gore and Michael Moore aside, going green is the practical thing to do and it’s a less stressful and more pleasant way to live.
It doesn’t matter if you believe in global warming or not. We all want to breathe clean air, to drink fresh water and enjoy good health. We must clean up after ourselves and stop our over consumption of products made by industries that dump toxins into our atmosphere and water supplies. We can increase our national security and create more jobs by not using so much oil and oil based products and switch to clean energy wherever possible. We can become healthier by not loading our bodies down with so many chemicals. We must stop dumping our messes into our neighbors’ yards.
Political attacks are getting us nowhere and a more practical way is called for. No matter what your political ideology is, no matter if you believe Earth needs saving or not, most of us want and need to save money. The fact is, going green saves money! Small, inexpensive and free changes in our lives can make a big positive impact on our environment and our pocketbooks. Stop waiting on the politicians.
