Analyze all you will, but it is what it is! We have allowed people and government and greedy businesses to pollute, damage and abuse earth's resources for years and years.
People need to pay attention to what is happening locally, regionally and nationally. We need to take a stand and demand that our 'elected' officials represent ALL of us and do what is expected and what is right.
In other words, We DO need to watch our 'individual' carbon footprint - the CO2 we put into the environment. Locally, it frosts me to see 50-80 year old trees being cut down to put in sidewalks (build the walks around the trees) or for the electrical companies and the wires. Trim the branches, leave the trees OR replace the antiquated electrical wires with underground wiring systems, etc.
Point is, in our local communities, we can request our elected officials to be more conscientous about the environment. And the same applies with our state, region and nationally elected officials. For instance, there are Bills in our current Senate that play around with the 'checks and balances' of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for example. On one front a person can say, 'what does this have to do with global warming?' Well it all trickles down and the impact has many aspects, including 'climate changes'. For instance, through the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), I found this subject and got involved using some wording from their website and as sent to my state representatives:
As someone very concerned about leaving our children a living planet, I urge you to strongly oppose the administration's proposed regulations, [FWS-R9-ES-2008-0093] and [0808011023-81048-01], regarding implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
The administration's proposal is a one-two punch into the heart of the Endangered Species Act. It exempts a potentially huge number of federal projects from review by conservation experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service and then limits the projects that still are subject to review to a narrower set of impacts.
The proposed rule will allow the fox to guard the hen house because federal agencies interested in their own missions will now be the ones making Endangered Species Act determinations. These staff often do not have expertise in species conservation. In addition, the back and forth that often resulted in decisions that balanced species conservation concerns with the need for the proposed projects will be gone. Further, letting each agency make its own determinations will reduce clarity, consistency, transparency and accountability.
The propose rule also narrows the definition of impacts in a way that appears intended to ensure that the Endangered Species Act cannot be used to consider climate change impacts on listed species. This short-sighted change undermines the goal of the act to preserve species no matter what the threat facing them.
I urge you also to ask that the unusually short time period allowed for public comment on the proposed regulations be extended to at least 90 days.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment and to leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home. Please do all you can to oppose these damaging regulations.
The agencies that administer the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the M.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the U.S. Department of Commerce, have policies which ensure objectivity and integrity in their decision-making process.
On August 11, 2008, the Bush Administration proposed regulations allowing federal action agencies to decide whether agency projects might harm ESA-listed species, eliminating independent project reviews by FWS and/or NMFS. I am deeply concerned about this proposal. If enacted, this loophole would provide these federal agencies, some with little scientific expertise, too much autonomy in deciding whether or not to comply with ESA.
People need to stay aware, be involved in what ever way possible. I do not believe the four reports published by the IPPC ( a committe of renowned world scientists by the way) were just 'scare tactics', nor do I believe Al Gore is 'inducing hysteria' - he is standing up for an issue and a problem that is real. Whether or not our production of CO2 is the only problem or not.
We (people), put out CO2 and we (people) send rockets into outer space, and we allow other people ALL OVER our planet to cut down trees and rainforest trees that offset our CO2 output (by using the CO2 and giving off O2 - Oxygen).
The balance of nature is and has been at stake here. PEOPLE (underdeveloped countries, GREEDY-Power hungry business, etc.) have been playing around with this balance in dangerous ways. The results are visible (ALREADY) - how long will we all wait to get involved, do our part and stop the greed and madness?
Go to websites, get information, do things in our homes, with our vehicle usage, with our votes and our choices. Make a difference however you can - GET INVOLVED! For your children and grand-childrens sakes. Become active, be an activist. Demand something of our local and government officials when we elect them - on all fronts: The Economy and greed that got us here, Global Warming and environmental issues, Health Care, Affordable education equality and rights for all, Housing issues. America needs to take a stand and step up for what is right.
So DOING SOMETHING is better than sitting back and doing nothing.
Some of these other posts make some points - my response is do your homework, follow your instincts, do and ask others to do what is right for all people.
For example 'rac' stated:
Finally, just as food for thought, you might do a little investiagtion into research that is beginning to offer what may be conclusive proof that (of all things) cycles of increasing and decreasing solar activity are the real culprit for warming and cooling cylcles in the earth's climate.
Well, maybe this is true - however it is only part of the 'whole' picture. People cause this as well. Ask yourselves this, 'Why the sudden resurgence to go to space - the countries rushing to get involved' There decision is not 'random' curiousity. We are damaging and destroying the world God gave us beyond any 'natural causes' of climate change and we have been doing this for a LONG, LONG time.
Everything each of us can do WILL make a difference, we need to all step up and get involved.