What are you doing to help stop climate change and global warming?
@eclecticsteve (253)
United States
February 11, 2008 2:05am CST
Fighting global warming is not a matter of having the government impose mandatory emission reductions on industry and either not expecting any consequence to your lifestyle or making any sacrifices yourself.
Are you willing to lose your job? The Kyoto Protocol excused developing nations from phase one because it would impede their competitiveness, i.e., lose jobs. As it stands, if under developed nations are allowed to pollute, it is the people in developed nations that will lose jobs. And whose to say that the currently developing nations will adhere to the Kyoto Protocol once they are required to reduce their emissions?
Are you willing to stop complaining about gas prices? The same people who criticise the President for not doing anything about global warming blame him for high gas prices. High gas prices will be a result of the fight against global warming. If a critical mass is reached in under consumption, gas prices will have to rise in order for gas stations, oil companies and countries producing oil to make a profit. High prices is a way to discourage driving. If gas prices were to go down, would you support a $2.00 gallon tax on a gallon of gas?
Are you willing to stop driving to work. I live 25 miles from my job. I take a primarily surface street train that seems to take forever to reach its destination. But over a five day work week, that's about 1000 miles. For those who live outside the Northeast U.S., are you willing to take public transportation to work?
Most consumer products are made in China, a nation who is exempt from phase one of the Kyoto Protocol. Are you willing to pay more for a product made in the United States? And if the product isn't made in the United States, are you willing to forego the product? If you can't find a brand that makes its product in the United States, are you willing to forego that product?
The making of paper uses both wood and oil. Do you conserve paper? Do you recycle. This is actually one of the easier actions to take.
Are you willing to pay more to drive a hybrid? Are you willing to forego "what's hot" in order to drive a more fuel efficient car. Fuel efficient cars are gaining popularity now, but it's not to fight global warning, but because the price of gas is higher.
Fighting global warming is not as simple as having the government impose restrictions on industry. When that is done, there will be consequences on the consumer. Outside of that, there are literally hundreds of things consumers can do to fight global warming. I see a lot of complaints about how nothing is being done about global warming - but are you doing your part?
And before anybody is one hundred percent sure that humans are the entire cause of global warming, remember that it was only 10,000 years ago (the Earth is 4.5 billions years old), that the one of the greatest periods of global warming was the end of the ice age - that was a time when humans weren't driving cras, working in factories, or consuming consumer products. The earth is 4.5 billions years old. A hundred year pattern to the earth's life is like a temperature change over a week in ours.
I'm not saying that global warming is not a problem. It is. And I'm not saying that human activity over the last hundred years has nothing to do with it. I'm convinced we've played a part. But it's not about griping about how the governemnt hasn't done anything or criticising those who don't believe it is happening. It's about doing our share as individuals to help reduce it.
2 people like this
6 responses
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
17 Feb 08
What Global Warming?
The earth has been cooling since the 1998 el-nino, and 2003 the average temp went DOWN by a few degrees.
Man cannot change the climate and has next to no influence on any change.
CO2 has been discounted as a contributing factor, which is a good thing because without CO2 there woulb be no plants to make the O2 that we require to exist, nor would we have food to eat.
The Sun and wator vapor are the main contributors to our climate, and according to recent reports we are on the brink of a cooling cycle due to sunspot activity.
$ scientists authored the IPCC consensus that man could be responsible for having a DISCERNABLE {meaning noticeable} effect on global warming while over 400 scientists... many who were previous signers of that consensus, who then sued to have their names removed.... say that the IPCC consensus is wrong.
As to Al Gore's "Inconvimient Truth", that has been judged a work of fiction on 9 different counts by a British Court... so that bit of science fictionis not even relevent to the whole global warming debate and the man-made global warming hoax.
The global warming alarmists are losing ground every day, and soon the truth will be realized by most that man is incapable of causing global warming OR of changing the climate.
It is one thing to want to try to take care of our environment, it is something else to believe that we can change our climate.
We can control how dirty or clean our planet gets, but we cannot control how warm or cool it gets.
2 people like this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
24 Feb 08
Well, I hope you like the high food prices caused by the ethanol production as our crop lands stop producing food and produce ethanol instead... which by the way produces MORE carbon in its production.
Yep, the stupid greenies didn't quite think that one through.
How are you going to dispose of those light bulbs? They contain mercury you know... which makes them a hazardous waste... which means that improper disposal will cause further damage to the environment... The stupid greenies didn't think that through either.
So you want the evil oil companies taxed... guess who will pay for that... thats right YOU WILL.
Bush rejected that treaty because IT WON'T WORK.
It would do severe damage to our economy, our poor would get poorer, people wouldn't even be able to afford to have heat.
Here's a tip, CO2 has been discounted as a major cause of global warming or climate change. Plants live on CO2, and convert it into O2 so we can breathe.
The SUN and WATER VAPOR are the major factors that control our climate.
The earth has been cooling since the 1998 el-nino and the clinically insane liberals are pushing the global warming hoax in order to extort higher taxes and trick us into surrendering our sovereignty.
Al Gore has set himself up to make billions off of CARBON CREDITS that his company is selling.
Meanwhile, none of these things will make ANY difference in whether the earth cools or not.
Even Kyoto, after all the money it costs everyone who signed it, will not make any difference.
Some of the scientists have said that if they had known what they know now, then the Kyoto Accord would have never been created.
Go ahead and blame Bush and big oil if it makes you feel better, but the fact is that global warming is an over hyped non-issue.
Mean while, while everyone is feeling so good about stopping global warming, the liberals will continue to destroy us from within, just as they have for over the last fifty years.
Welcome to the USSA.
1 person likes this
@elmiko (6630)
• United States
24 Feb 08
I'm worried about the planet and with all the materials people are wasting. I've bought energy efficient light bulbs and am recycling alot. I also turn the heat off more as well a trying not to leave the power on things when not used such as the computer or tv. President Bush has too many oil buddies that he does not want to disapoint. Thats why he rejected that treaty for a cleaner and better alternative energies. If people want better fuel alternatives and a cleaner planet than we don't need a republican president. They give too many tax cuts to the wealthy and the wealthy reinvest into things that are already generating money like oil and more polution related products. As long as a democrats is president that will be good enough for me.
@mbquizzer12 (15)
• United States
11 Feb 08
I help clean the Highways in my city. I have also participated in the adopt a road program.
1 person likes this
@eclecticsteve (253)
• United States
12 Feb 08
Thanks, mbquizzer12. Everything helps. If we all take the time and do something, it'll all add up. You and the other respondents have made my day tonight. Thanks, again.
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
11 Feb 08
hi ecelecticsteve!
well, on my part, i keep after myself, like my garbage. i don't throw garbage just anywhere, but always in the right place. then if possible, i commute wiht public transport so as to save on gas. or i car pool with family as much as possible. i also conserve the use of paper and i recycle. there are so many things that i do. i also reuse stuff and give out stuff that i don't need to somebody who needs it.
take care and God bless! :-) good article.
@eclecticsteve (253)
• United States
12 Feb 08
Thanks for your comments. I, too, always toss garbage in public trash cans when I am outdoors, and almost always take public transportation. I admit I'm not much of a paper recycler at home, but at work, I recycle office paper, my newspapers (I read on the way to work), and beverage bottles. Lots of times I see people toss garbage (usually fast food containers)on the sidewalk or on the floor of busses and trains, and though I don't say anything, I feel bad because people don't take pride in the keeping their own communities clean. Plus, I live near the ocean where a river drains out to, and it is unbelievable how much garbage flows into the harbor from the river where people have thrown stuf away upstream.
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
17 Feb 08
As a writer, I try to reuse the backs of paper for scratch paper or notes. I recycle by taking by bottles to the grocery store; my apartment complex doesn't do it. I answer enviromental political outreaches and try to vote environmentally as well. I share things I learned with other disabled people, who are often overlooked by environmentalists as a resource for change.
1 person likes this
@john_essex (199)
•
11 Feb 08
Hi Eclecticsteve,
Excellent discussion that highlights the changes we ALL need to be making.
For me personally I've changed the way I travel (less trips in the car, walk and cycle more) and recycle whenever possible. I also buy local grown food from a farmers market.
One thing I would add is that I believe we can tackle global warming and have a better economy as well. We need to be making investiments in 'green' technology which will bring jobs and wealth to those involved.
Even if we ignore the issue of global warming the is the issue of the oil reserves being a finite resource.
1 person likes this
@eclecticsteve (253)
• United States
12 Feb 08
Thanks for your comments. It's interesting what you say about tackling global warming and improving the economy at the same time. In the first paragraph of my discussion, I had written that if he agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, we'd lose jobs because we'd force our industries to reduce our gashouse emissions. I should have clarified that in the long term, going green is the way to go, but the Kyoto Protocol was the wrong way to go about it for our nation at this time. However, I also strongly believe that if our 3 major auto companies want to remain competitive and regain superiority over foreign automakers, one way to do it is to develop cars than run on alternate fuels, or get 100 mpg, instead of hanging on to the past. And you are also right, oil will run out sooner or later, probably not in our lifetime, but one day it will.
@nilouette (632)
• Philippines
15 Feb 08
Yes, your right! I share your concerns, and for me I think we are indeed responsible for the destruction of the environment and so we are the one responsible for cleaning our mess. It's not too late, we can still change the future if we want to, but time is limited, we have to act now, or else our future generations will suffer the things we fear and foretell today. For me, even if my efforts are small I'm still trying to make a difference, I hope more people will be aware on how to care for our Mother Earth, you can visit my blog if you can spare me some of your precious time, www.earth-and-us.blogspot.com thanks...
1 person likes this
