2012
What Do You Do When Global Warming Strikes? Kick Someone’s Bee-hind
July 3, 2012
Massive storms struck the upper midwest, all the way to the Atlantic
states, on Friday, June 29, the kind of storms that used to mostly hit
Oklahoma, where I live. But weather zones have moved northward, and
Oklahoma now mostly experiences a Mexican style semi-desert zone. The
greenhouse effect holds in solar energy, making the atmosphere not
gently warmer but tempestuously hotter. Don’t expect a smooth transition
to spa conditions with global warming. The June 29 storms were followed
by what the people in those states consider intolerably hot conditions,
that is, temperatures that are normal in Oklahoma and Louisiana
summers.
Utility companies are, we may suppose, working as hard as they can to
restore power to the affected communities. Why? Because they need air
conditioning. I’m not knocking air conditioning; I’m enjoying it, albeit
frugally, right now. And I really do empathize with the storm victims.
But they consider it a right. Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, commented,
regarding the utility company Pepco which promised to restore power
within a few days, that this simply was not good enough. "There is no
one who will have his boot further up Pepco's behind...than I will," he
said. So that, I guess, is how we are supposed to
deal with the storms that inevitably accompany global warming. Rather
than to curb carbon emissions by reducing our use and increasing our
efficiency of energy use, we just wait until something happens and then
get mad. Oh, and then we forget all about it. Remember? There was a big
storm the previous week in Florida. Now everyone’s attention is turned
to the mid-Atlantic.
Hardest hit was Washington D. C. How about that. The storm hit right on
the day that Congress finished up its work and went home. Now Senators
Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe from my state of Oklahoma can continue to
pretend that global warming is not occurring. We have electricity in
Oklahoma; what further evidence do we need that global warming is a
hoax? This line of reasoning probably makes sense to Jim Inhofe.
What Do You Do When Global Warming Strikes? Kick Someone’s Bee-hind
July 3, 2012
Massive storms struck the upper midwest, all the way to the Atlantic
states, on Friday, June 29, the kind of storms that used to mostly hit
Oklahoma, where I live. But weather zones have moved northward, and
Oklahoma now mostly experiences a Mexican style semi-desert zone. The
greenhouse effect holds in solar energy, making the atmosphere not
gently warmer but tempestuously hotter. Don’t expect a smooth transition
to spa conditions with global warming. The June 29 storms were followed
by what the people in those states consider intolerably hot conditions,
that is, temperatures that are normal in Oklahoma and Louisiana
summers.
Utility companies are, we may suppose, working as hard as they can to
restore power to the affected communities. Why? Because they need air
conditioning. I’m not knocking air conditioning; I’m enjoying it, albeit
frugally, right now. And I really do empathize with the storm victims.
But they consider it a right. Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, commented,
regarding the utility company Pepco which promised to restore power
within a few days, that this simply was not good enough. "There is no
one who will have his boot further up Pepco's behind...than I will," he
said. So that, I guess, is how we are supposed to
deal with the storms that inevitably accompany global warming. Rather
than to curb carbon emissions by reducing our use and increasing our
efficiency of energy use, we just wait until something happens and then
get mad. Oh, and then we forget all about it. Remember? There was a big
storm the previous week in Florida. Now everyone’s attention is turned
to the mid-Atlantic.
Hardest hit was Washington D. C. How about that. The storm hit right on
the day that Congress finished up its work and went home. Now Senators
Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe from my state of Oklahoma can continue to
pretend that global warming is not occurring. We have electricity in
Oklahoma; what further evidence do we need that global warming is a
hoax? This line of reasoning probably makes sense to Jim Inhofe.
The Armageddon Mindset
August 21, 2012
According to a 1999 poll, which is the most recent data I could
find, 40 percent of Americans believe the world will end in a battle of
Armageddon. About 45 percent of these people believe that the Antichrist
is on the Earth now, and that Armageddon will happen during their
lifetimes. This means that 18 percent of Americans believe that there is
no future to the world past the end of their lifetimes. This is a large
enough segment of the population that it is politically important,
especially within the Republican Party.
Two things are impossible if you really believe that the world is ending
soon. First, it is impossible to take any serious action about any
environmental issue. We environmentalists can explain all day long that
environmental destruction, particularly global warming, will prove
disastrous to people in the future-in fact, in the near future. People
who believe there is no future find such concerns literally
incomprehensible. They may, in principle, assert that God is the Creator
and we have no right to destroy the creation, but they simply cannot
convince themselves of this, no matter how hard they try.
Second, it is impossible to take any serious action about fiscal
responsibility. People with the Armageddon mindset overwhelmingly want
the government to spend less money. But the reason is not in order for
the government to have a sustainable future-since there will be no
future-but in order to not have to pay taxes. Evidence for this is that
these people call for unlimited spending on defense, which just might
hurry up the Armageddon that they anticipate. They talk about the future
of their children-a future they believe will not exist on Earth-and may
try hard to believe it, but they cannot convince themselves of this, no
matter how hard they try.
The Armageddon mindset is totally incompatible with any kind of
scientific thought. This website is about ecology and evolution, about
the effects of evolution on humans and the relationship between humans
and the global ecosystem. The Armageddon mindset cannot be touched by
reason or evidence, or perhaps even by direct experience. The only thing
that scientists or scientifically-minded citizens can do is to write
off the Armageddon folks and not even try to talk with them.
Unfortunately, they are a major political force.
What should thoughtful people do about this, if anything? You may send me your views at abutilongr@gmail.com. I hope you can enlighten me with some uplifting thoughts.
