Tuesday, November 09, 2004

What are you doing about the warming of the earth?

Reading this article in the Christian Science Monitor this morning, I got thinking about what I can do on the issue of global warming. I already have some habits that I think are helpful, like riding my bike to work and only using my car when I really need to. I also plan to carry out my travel plans via rail and boat instead of flying on fuel-guzzling aeroplanes. But I'm often startled at the lack of awareness in some people, and the general disinterest in most when it comes to global warming. I know educated people who'd still blurt out some crap about the greenhouse effect being a conspiracy theory, and that the warming of the planet is a completely natural phenomenon. For crying out loud, even George Bush and his band of fools are in full agreeance over the causes. There is a scientific consensus now, and it isn't an issue that can be brushed fully into the realm of political debate. We have facts now, so we should be acting on them. Just read the article, man. My home town has got approximately 50-100 years left at this rate, before it gets swept into the sea. And another thing: if you ask anybody around here whether the winters nowadays are like the ones they used to know when they were kids and the first thing they'll tell you is that there is a lot less snow. More accurately, there are more frequent mid-winter warm snaps that melt a great deal of the snow bed so it seems like there is much less snow. It's not up for scientific debate anymore; global warming is real and it is caused by human actions. So just what are you doing to keep the snow on the ground?

I don't want to sound like I'm getting on any kind of high-horse though. I know I'm just as venerable as the next man. I just get the feeling that folks aren't doing enough about the biggest problem that they've ever had to face.