tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18359029.post6442686891622409888..comments2023-08-28T04:21:22.989-07:00Comments on World Hiker: Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06039703540511133885noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18359029.post-53757125162675329582009-01-17T08:57:00.000-08:002009-01-17T08:57:00.000-08:00Great to hear from you again, Andy. I don't think ...Great to hear from you again, Andy. I don't think we are ever going to agree fully on this one. Yes, I believe that the climate changes-all the time- and yes, it's possible that man's activity has contributed to some of that change-but the evidence doesn't fully conclude this-there are so many variables and many meteorologists will concur that we just don't know- climates are cyclical in nature. What I object so strongly about is all the gloom-and-doom earth is falling climate alarmists (and I'm not saying that you are one of them)on two counts.<BR/><BR/>First, many of these alarmists have a social agenda that they wish to use by scaring us all into thinking that the earth is ending so that we radically make changes in our society that reak of socialism. It is no coincidence that many of the most extreme of these "environmentalists" also possess some of the farthest left political views. Yes, John McCain supported "climate change" legislation and it was one of the areas that I didn't fully agree with him. The other problem I have with the climate alarmists is thier pure hypocracy. Many of the loudest mouths live their own life with largesse. Whether its very large Mayor Nicholls telling everyone to give up their cars-while he takes a limo- and God knows when was the last time Sir Heftiness took a walk? Or Al Gore with his gigantic home and energy consumption (and McCain with his mulitple homes too) and all the limosene liberals that drive around in priuses to their large homes and second homes and then fly all over the world on non-essential travel. If they really believed that climate change is the world's biggest threat- don't you think they'd start acting like it? No, they want you and me to pay for it in higher taxes, and a lower standard of living. They get "out of jail free" by buying carbon credits which is a scam thinking that this absolves them from thier over-consumption. What a crock of BS!<BR/>What I do support is energy conservation for economic security and national soveriegnty as well as environmental protection. It is better on the earth and our nation to use less energy for these reasons. I support habitat protection-expansion of national and state parks and forests-and a sane population policy. These are all sound conservation practices not wrapped up in alarmist fears or a socialist agenda. Of course we could argue too that these practices would be good for the climate too. So-let's strive for policies with real outcomes for conservation and not nonsense like cap and trade and carbon credits and carbon footprints.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06039703540511133885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18359029.post-74418664854380223262009-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:002009-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:00When environmentalist talk about climate change, w...When environmentalist talk about climate change, we're talking about human-caused climate change. And the evidence is clear that the rise of of C02 produced by human sources has happened in tandem with a trend in increased world surface temperatures that are beyond the 1,000 year, 2,000 year and 5 million year cyclical trends:<BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2000_Year_Temperature_Comparison.png<BR/>The scientific community is in agreement on this. And in fact John McCain during the campaign urged Americans to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2050: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/election2008/issues/climate.html.<BR/>So "there's nothing we can do about it?" I think Americans are an optimistic and resourceful people, and just like putting a man on the moon, or creating the Internet, Americans can lead the way in new energy technolgies. And yes, people need to make choices that limit their impact. That means everyone, hikers included.Andy Engelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12844961460010439559noreply@blogger.com