|
What
if Global Warming Doesn’t Exist?
by
Chuck Hall
 On
January 30, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
held a hearing on government interference in research conducted by
climate scientists working for federal agencies.
The panelists included Dr. Francesca Grifo, Director of the
Scientific Integrity Program, and Rick Piltz, formerly of the U.S.
Climate Change Science Program. Plitz resigned that post in 2005,
citing government censorship of climate change scientists as his
reason for doing so.
At
that hearing, the panelists continually cited references to the fact
that there is an overwhelming consensus among scientists that human
activities are significantly contributing to global warming. In
spite of this, there are many who insist that global warming is
solely a natural phenomenon and that human activities play no
significant part in planetary climate change.
You
don’t have to be a scientist to know that something is amiss when
daffodils are blooming in January. So the question is whether we are
contributing to global warming, not whether it is actually
occurring.
Let’s
ignore the majority scientific opinion and assume for a moment that
humans play no significant part in climate change.
Granted this assumption, would the proposed actions to
curtail greenhouse gases serve any benefit whatsoever? Since the
majority of planned action on global warming involves curtailing the
use of fossil fuels, consider the following:
-
Even
if humans play no part in global warming, would lessening or even
eliminating our dependence on foreign oil by developing biofuels and
other fuel alternatives be a good thing or a bad thing?
-
Even
if humans play no part in global warming, would producing more
hybrid cars that can get 100 mpg be a good thing or a bad thing?
-
Even
if humans play no part in global warming, would reducing or even
eliminating coal burning power plants by replacing them with
alternative energy sources that don’t pollute the atmosphere be a
good thing or a bad thing?
-
Even
if humans play no part in global warming, would building homes with
green technology so that they use less energy and resources be a
good thing or a bad thing?
-
Even
if humans play no part in global warming, would eliminating runaway
deforestation be a good thing or a bad thing?
There
are two possible answers to whether humans are contributing to
global warming: either we are, or we aren’t. If we aren’t, but
if we still take actions to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse
gases, there are significant benefits to be gained by creating a
cleaner environment and minimizing or eliminating dependence on
foreign oil. But if the majority scientific consensus is correct,
and we are contributing to global warming, yet take no action on it,
do the benefits of taking no action outweigh the risks?
Chuck
Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author. His latest book, Green
Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave, is
now available at Booklocker.com.
You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org or visit
the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
|
