From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Mon Apr 07 2003 - 23:33:08 MDT
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
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Mon Apr 07 2003 - 23:40:16 MDT