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04-19-2008, 07:38 AM
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Quote:
George W. Bush says we’re on track to meet the nation’s goals for curbing global warming.
Bush held a press conference in the Rose Garden this week to give us a warming progress report or, in his words, “share some views on this important issue.” He almost always refers to global warming as an environmental “issue.” As The Times’s Andrew Revkin noted on his blog, Dot Earth, most people talk about environmental problems. But perhaps the White House regards that as overly alarmist.
“I’m pleased to say that we remain on track to meet this goal,” the president said, in a tone that sounded rather belligerent considering this was supposed to be good news.
Let’s back up here. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had trouble getting my head around goals that involve reducing the rate at which something is growing. To appreciate the administration’s efforts on the, um, issue, let’s try to imagine it in terms other than greenhouse gas emissions. (As the president noted: “Climate change involves complicated science.”)
Suppose that two years after taking office, George W. Bush discovered that because of the stress of his job, he had gained 40 pounds and was tipping the scales at 220.
The real-world Bush would immediately barricade himself in the White House gym, refusing all human contact or nourishment until the issue was resolved. But imagine that he regarded getting fat as seriously as he regards melting glaciers, rising oceans and drought and starvation around the planet. In that case, he would set a serious, management-type goal — of, say, an 18 percent reduction in the rate at which he was gaining weight, to be reached within the next decade.
Cut to the Rose Garden in 2008 where partial victory is declared. “Over the past seven years, my administration has taken a rational, balanced approach to these serious challenges,” the 332-pound chief executive announces. He delivers this good news sitting down.
2012: Bush hits his final goal and 400 pounds at approximately the same time.
I hope now you can appreciate just how useful the Bush global-warming initiative is. But the president isn’t satisfied with merely delivering on his promises. In his Rose Garden address, he upped the ante, vowing to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions entirely by 2025.
Let us forget, for a second, that this is a man who’s only going to be in office for nine months of the 17 years in question. Furthermore, let us skip lightly over the fact that Bush did not give any hints whatsoever as to how this goal is supposed to be reached except to say that “the wrong way is to raise taxes, duplicate mandates or demand sudden and drastic emissions cuts.”
Since the president never suggests actual behavior changes on the part of American citizens, that leaves us with what? More efficient refrigerators?
Lots of things! There is, for instance, the ambitious new fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020; we sure do have a lot to look forward to in the future, people. There’s new federal spending on biofuels. Much of this is for ethanol, which has the unfortunate side effect of creating more greenhouse gases than it eliminates, and, of course, helping to create a planetary crisis over rising food costs. But nothing’s perfect.
The president’s real focus seemed to be on fighting the strategies for global warming that he doesn’t like: the Kyoto Protocol, court challenges and legislation pending in Congress. Almost all of them, interestingly, were referred to as “problems.”
Instead of Kyoto, the administration is pushing for “a new process” in which the countries that do most of the polluting will get together and work on a climate agreement. That process was in fact chugging along this very week at a gathering in Paris, where Bush’s speech was greeted with a round of excited reviews. Germany’s environment minister, for instance, dubbed it “losership instead of leadership.”
........................
If the Bush strategy seems a little ... little, go back to our metaphor. Imagine it’s 2025, and you’ve got a 486-pound ex-president being wheeled in to accept the congratulations of the world on his excellent physical fitness program. Really, that’s big
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04-19-2008, 09:43 AM
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Rep Power: 369 | | | I LMAO every time I hear this "controversy." Alarmists can't stand anyone introducing a little logic and common sense into the topic. "We GOTTA do something" prevails.
"Doing something," IMO, begins with making an actual determination as to what is causing global warming. These proponents of "doing something" just want to go flailing around blindfolded.
Yes, global warming is a serious issue. One way or the other it is going to change how we live. Perhaps we should be more concerned with what, if anything we need to do to adapt to the change than trying to "fix" something we can't even identify?
Alarmists hurt their own cause more than any naysayers because people get sick of listening to the illogical, shrill hysterionics.
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04-19-2008, 01:48 PM
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Rep Power: 29 | | Did you read the article? Quote: |
Alarmists hurt their own cause more than any naysayers because people get sick of listening to the illogical, shrill hysterionics.
| Both sides hurt the possible solution. Both are the extremes. |
04-19-2008, 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by GunnyL  I LMAO every time I hear this "controversy." Alarmists can't stand anyone introducing a little logic and common sense into the topic. "We GOTTA do something" prevails.
"Doing something," IMO, begins with making an actual determination as to what is causing global warming. These proponents of "doing something" just want to go flailing around blindfolded.
Yes, global warming is a serious issue. One way or the other it is going to change how we live. Perhaps we should be more concerned with what, if anything we need to do to adapt to the change than trying to "fix" something we can't even identify?
Alarmists hurt their own cause more than any naysayers because people get sick of listening to the illogical, shrill hysterionics. | We're going to grow a LOT MORE food in Canada and Russia, for starters. And our winter heating bills will go down.... An adaptation I am more than ready to make.... |
04-19-2008, 08:51 PM
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Rep Power: 27 | | | Global warming... LOL... Would love some warming... We are currently under a winter storm advisory and experiencing unseasonably low temps. I've noticed that the more they bitch the colder the winters here get. Heck one time an idiot at the local news paper stated in an article that 'we will never see snow on the valley floor again due to the cement and asphalt of the city. Well... 2weeks later we got hit with a foot of snow then over an inch of freezing rain followed by another 1/2 foot of snow.
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04-19-2008, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Angel Heart Global warming... LOL... Would love some warming... We are currently under a winter storm advisory and experiencing unseasonably low temps. I've noticed that the more they bitch the colder the winters here get. Heck one time an idiot at the local news paper stated in an article that 'we will never see snow on the valley floor again due to the cement and asphalt of the city. Well... 2weeks later we got hit with a foot of snow then over an inch of freezing rain followed by another 1/2 foot of snow. | Some global warming....facts....the past two years
1) This past winter was the 7th coldest of all time in the Dakota's, Nebraska, Minn, Iowa.
2) Snowcover the most extensive in the Northern Hemisphere since 1966. Snow cover in China the most ever.
3) The year before last was the 15th coldest all time in North America.
4) The average North American temps the past two years have almost completely wiped out the 20 year buildup of slowly steady warming trend...in only two years...
We may still be warming....barely....but we've had the two coldest winters in the past 20, back to back.... Prior to these past two years many had finally accepted that at least we were in a warming period though there was not consensus as to why, but these last two years have again thrown serious doubt that we are even really warming....certainly irreversably.
Odd thing is, solar activity the past two years is the lowest in the past 10 years.... Imagine that, the sun has something do with the climate...novel thought there... |
04-19-2008, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Zoomie1980 Odd thing is, solar activity the past two years is the lowest in the past 10 years.... Imagine that, the sun has something do with the climate...novel thought there... | Too novel a thought for the scientists to figure out........
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04-20-2008, 03:00 AM
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Originally Posted by Swamp Fox Too novel a thought for the scientists to figure out........ | Ya I loved the part where every planet in the system was warming but ONLY earth was because of man made effects.
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04-20-2008, 11:16 AM
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Originally Posted by rayboyusmc Did you read the article?
Both sides hurt the possible solution. Both are the extremes. | Agreed. However, those extremists living in caves with their hands over their eyes aren't doing anything that directly affects the lives of others.
Those calling for "do something" could be affecting the lives of others by their actions while accomplishing nothing since they really don't know what action to take.
But yeah, both extremes seem to be driving the train. Would be nice if for once their mouthes could be duct taped and people with a clue find out what actually is happening and why.
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04-20-2008, 11:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Zoomie1980 We're going to grow a LOT MORE food in Canada and Russia, for starters. And our winter heating bills will go down.... An adaptation I am more than ready to make.... | Give and take. I had no heating bill this winter but it's only mid-April and it's been AC weather for a month here (South-central Texas). Given my "druthers," the heating bill is a LOT less expensive.
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04-20-2008, 12:51 PM
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Originally Posted by RetiredGySgt Ya I loved the part where every planet in the system was warming but ONLY earth was because of man made effects. | WE AGREE ON SOMETHING!!!!  |
04-22-2008, 06:32 PM
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Tell me that man can't screw up the environment.
What data do you have that all the planets are heating up and in what relationship to the earth? |
04-22-2008, 06:46 PM
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Rep Power: 65 | | | What data do you have that we're heating the earth?
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04-22-2008, 06:54 PM
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Originally Posted by AllieBaba What data do you have that we're heating the earth? | Allie, be honest with yourself. You couldn't understand the shit even if he provided it. | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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