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Short Summary and Op-Ed
by tyler
Sunday February 01, 2004 at 01:00 AM
tnorman@equalvision.net
Section 7 of Perspectives on Global Warming: A Primer
Short Summary and Op-Ed
Since this is intended to be very brief, I will first state that it is my recommendation that the other sections
be read also, if possible. In this section, I will simply make a very short summary of what is contained in the other
articles, followed by a succinct opinion piece.
Global warming is loudly disputed within the scientific community. Many claim it poses a grave threat to life on
earth, while
others dismiss it as simply bad science. To be fair, both sides can be justly accused of poor scientific backing for
their claims. The science of climate is a particularly difficult object of study, and the degree of accuracy expected from
other scientific fields would never be possible. Also, both sides are quite obviously swayed by non-scientific interests,
environmentalist on the one hand, and capitalist on the other. The debate still continues, both sides working feverishly
to convince governments and the masses to follow their advice. If global warming theories do turn out to be correct,
the future looks grim, with global environmental catastrophe potentially within our lifetime. However, it is
possible to halt current trends, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
I absolutely stand with those who are deeply concerned about global warming. Though it is true that those scientists
also engage in propagandistic methods to convince people of their cause, the global warming deniers are blatantly
falsifying their "evidences," and for the most part, not even supplying evidence at all, but merely pointing out that the
concerned scientists are not 100% certain. Their "proofs" that global warming is not a threat have included a falsified
essay made to look as if it had come from a respected scientific journal and numerous studies funded by fossil fuel
corporations, which are hardly reliable as being free of bias and in the interest of the the environment and the
people. And the fact that these deniers always point to the inaccuracy of the global warming theories as obvious
proof of the fact
that they are absolutely wrong is illogical, even ridiculous. Even if the theories are uncertain, even a small chance of
disaster on the scale they predict ought to be enough to make everyone seriously think about lifestyles and
industries now, and how
to change them as soon as possible. To be sure, if it were not for the fact that those who create the most emissions
are also among the most powerful, change for the better would actually be fairly painless. Solar and wind energy may be
slightly more expensive, non-fossil fuel cars may not accelerate as quickly, and restrictions on deforestation
might cause a rise in the cost of tropical fruit, but it is a small price to pay in exchange for knowing that our children
will not live in a time of drought, wildfire, coastal flooding, famine, disease, and mass extinction even greater than
that of 65 million years ago. Global warming ought to be a chief concern amongst the human race in general.
Other Articles about Global Warming:
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