Re: Climate:Cool&Warm

From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Mon Apr 07 2003 - 23:33:08 MDT

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    Spike querried:
    <<Spud this is something that has puzzled me.  Why is there
    fear of warmth?  Is it the images of flooded coastline
    from melting icecaps?  Is there genuine concern that
    mankind couldn't deal with a rising sea, given
    hundreds or thousands of years notice?  Or is there
    something else Im not seeing?  Is there concern about
    wild species?  Do we not have an inexhaustible supply
    of species preadapted to warmer climates?  What is
    the big deal if this planet gets warmer?

    spike>>

    Hi Spike. I suspect that this seems to be a cultural carry-over from 19th
    century castastrophism. Its also a fear generated by change because change
    threatens a loss of control. The human animal, including myself, fears a loss
    of control, and I do not necessarilly mean self-control either. There is also
    the opposition against technological change, even if its clearly beneficial.
    People fear that they will be over-run with pests, drowned out, that Florida
    will disappear, that California will slide in the ocean. People tend to
    believe that (irrationally) they can freeze time, and society, by
    automatically resisting change. They have grown comfortable with how things
    are, and people, most generally, are culturally conservative.

    Moreover, if all that they hear, for 30 or 40 years is leftist propaganda,
    irrespective of what the best research indicates; then what can we expect?
    Similarly, the do-nothing about the environment approach of many industries;
    also motivates a deserved skepticism; that benefits the liberals and the
    left. Unfortunately, for the Libs, all they can muster in the way of clean
    energy tech, are films of windmills and solar cells and never a clear
    analysis of what is actually produced megawatt-wise; rather then glorified
    commericials.

    Mitch



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