Friday, April 20, 2007

A Geologist's View Of Global Warming

Boxorox has left a new comment on your post "A Geologists View Of Global Warming":

As a fellow geologist, I strongly agree with what you have said, Pete. Yes, the geoscientist does have a greater sense of perspective. I have been saying all along that perspective is the special key to understanding something as huge and complex as global climate. The specialists just do not seem to accept that reasoning. Without proper perspective, we are doomed to being jerked around by what you might call special-interest science. I can't exactly fault those practicioners for that; it's what they have been educated and trained to do. What I ask for, in the debate that goes about anthropogenic climate change, is an acknowledgement of the plausibility that many factors--many of them not of human origin--contribute to climate behavior. We do NOT necessarily have to look out the window, see what's changing around us, and automatically accept the blame for the percieved bad things that happen.
The study of geology through the years has taught me that whoever chose earth as a place to base life, especially advanced, intelligent human life, must have been crazy. Of course, look around at the available choices, and what else was there? (rhetorical question, of course). The point is that, earth has done its best for the past half-billion years to shrug off the life which has taken root here, but it (life) persists nonetheless. Humans need to be smart enough to realize that Nature doesn't really care if we're here or not. We're allowed to scratch by only so long as our intelligence and adaptability make it possible to roll with whatever Nature throws our way. It certainly isn't a free ride and nothing about our survival is guaranteeed.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe the science was oversold in an attempt to get people to pay attention to what might otherwise be viewed as minimal concerns.

We're threatened with the consequences of catastrophic change.. melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, droughts, famines, species extinction.

But then this new crop of "green" politicians reassure us that all this massive, life-altering devastation can be avoided with the implementation of simple, inexpensive changes.
If we would all just switch to low-energy lightbulbs we might save the entire population of polar bears from drowning.

I think perspective has long ago vanished from the most of the discussion.

Peter said...

Yes, perspective has vanished......except here, where we expouse nothing but the voice of reason, integrity, and wisdom. The rocks tell the truth, of days gone by and days to come. The rocks tell the long history of Mother Earth to those who will listen.

Immediate and catastrophic change in the climate is not going to be caused by man's activities. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, and tornados have always happened, and they always will.

We should be more concerned about the spread of nuclear weapons, disease, and religious and political fanatacism. Man has killed far more of his fellow man (and women) than climate change ever will.

Anonymous said...

I agree, there are far greater threats. That's one of the dangers of all this alarmism, all the time, effort and money to fight a non-existent enemy should be put to better use.

Peter said...

Politicians do what they have to do to win votes.....cater to popular opinion. They take a poll and they ask, are the majority of people with this issue? Is so, they endorse it...