Another Heated Debate - Climate Change, Reality Or Propaganda?

[Snelly]

I have just read an interesting book called Watermelons by James Dellingpole and whilst I am not in full agreement with everything he says, broadly speaking, I think he is right. It is worth a read for anyone that has an interest in climate change and the effect that this movement has on our lives. Essentially, the book's aim is to prove the following to be correct rather than something that needs to be imagined:

Imagine if everything you knew about the environment was wrong. Imagine that global warming was something to be desired, not feared. Imagine that organic food, sustainability, biofuels and the WWF were far more harmful to the world and its inhabitants than GM food, industry, oil and ExxonMobil.
Imagine if it didn’t matter one jot how big your carbon footprint was and you could go out and buy as many Hummers as you liked or accumulate as many air miles as you wanted without the need to feel the slightest sliver of guilt about the environmental damage you were causing.
Imagine if carbon dioxide were our friend. Imagine if the world’s biggest mass murderer was a woman who campaigned against chemicals and pesticides, and the world’s biggest savior was the man who saved hundreds of millions from hunger with mutant crops and modern agricultural technologies.

Imagine if for a fraction of the money we’re spending to “combat climate change” we could ensure that no child went hungry or was malnourished, and that everyone in the world had access to clean drinking water. Imagine that "overpopulation” was an illusory problem. Imagine that fossil fuels were a miracle we should cherish—not a curse. Imagine if we could stop worrying about “scarce resources.” Imagine if the polar bears, glaciers, coral reefs, rain forests, Pacific islands, and the polar ice caps were all doing just fine.

Imagine if economic growth, far from destroying the world, made it cleaner, healthier, happier—and with more open spaces.


My view, having researched the subject and read a couple of books including this one, is that climate change as a movement now exists because there are a lot of people making a lot of money out of it. Not much more than that.

The whole issue of climate change and man damaging the planet is flimsy science at best and a front for the left to drive social change through a back door.

I am in short, a climate change denier.

What do you all think? Any yoghurt knitters out there that think we are destroying our lovely planet and are doomed to a weather based armageddon?

 

[Doon frae Troon]

The climate will always change and earth and its living things will always adapt.
London survived the 17th century. Salmon in the Thames now instead of bleach, oil and sewage.

 

[Rooter]

Its amazing how media can spin anything. look back to 1999 when i started work in IT, people literally made millions of pounds (not me!) from preventing "the millennium bug". If the big papers write about it and the TV and radio talk about it, it must be true! The world was going to end and your kettle was going to come to life when the computers clocks hit from 99 to 00 or whatever it was...

Not sure if i agree with the concept that climate change isnt happening, however i am not very well versed on the latest research etc, so i will keep an open mind.

 

[MadAdey]

Climate change is happening...... if it didn't we would still be in the Ice Age, so it is a natural occurance not something that we are creating. We may have done some damage to the planet I do not deny that. But really are we causing what is happening at the minute?

I am of the opinion that it is a load of old.................. sorry can't use that word cause the mods will be after me...

 

[CMAC]

I have just read an interesting book called Watermelons by James Dellingpole

well thats a coincidence :thup:

I just read - well when I say read I mean flicked through - my well thumbed copy of Watermelons monthly, the July edition with a readers wives section

 

[cookelad]

Climate change is a force of nature its the planet going through it life cycle - It's a great excuse to tax the proles for things we need and want though isn't it!

We're still coming out of the last ice age the poles didn't freeze over the day the Earth formed I don't think that happened till about 3 million years ago (happy to be corrected on the exact date!)

 

[Piece]

My view is that man-made climate change contributes <1% of the actual climate change driven by solar-Earth interaction.

 

[brendy]

I think politicians love jumping on the band wagon but to me regarding the whole situation, there is two major subjects.
Climate change, what is seemingly happening naturally.
Natural resources, being consumed at an enormous rate.

Climate change doesnt bother me one iota. Natural resources being used up with no real alternatives really does leave earths population (in a few generations time) up the Lagan without a paddle. I am no tree hugger (certainly if car choice is anything to use as a yardstick) but it does bother me that some countries are using more than their fair share of oil etc. In an ideal world resources should be shared not fought over, that isnt ever going to happen though. I really wonder how my daughters children and their children again are going to fare, I really do. Perhaps stoneage man had it easy!

 

[JustOne]

Frankly I'm not that bothered... I think Israel, Syria, Afganistan etc are far more pressing issues for mankind.

Our planet is run for greed (economics), not for mankind.

 

[Shaunmg]

Personally I haven’t a clue. So when I haven’t a clue on something. I think it’s best to listen to the experts and take the safe option. It seems to me the vast majority of the experts, scientists that is, say it’s a man made problem. A minority view is that it isn’t or at best inconclusive

Is it wise to accept the minority view? I think not. Unless that is; the minority says something is harmful. Take the case of the MMR scare for example. Most medical advice was it was a good thing with no risk. A tiny minority said it could possibly be harmful. Yet thousand of mothers took the safe option, just in case the minority might happen to be right. They were not prepared to gamble with their babies when opinions were divided, even if a minority view, they took the safe option

Yet here we have the illogical view that we should ignore the advice of the main body of environmental science and evidence before us, and accept the sceptic argument that it’s not a problem

I’m afraid it’s a no brainer for me; we should assume the majority are right and not gamble the planet, just in case the majority might happen to be right after all.

it will be too late if we ignore it and say in the future, Ah! yes they were right after all, we should not have listened to the sceptic conspiracy theorists, they got it wrong. Take the safe option, if it’s wrong, what harm done?

 

[Andy]

Ask the Polarbears how they are coping with the ice disappearing?

To deny nothing is changing is just ignorant.

 

[cookelad]

Ask the Polarbears how they are coping with the ice disappearing?

To deny nothing is changing is just ignorant.

The question isn't whether or not the ice caps are melting, the question is why, is it us humans or is it part of the Earth's cycle?

At least thats the way I've read it!

 

[Snelly]

Ask the Polarbears how they are coping with the ice disappearing?

To deny nothing is changing is just ignorant.

You have obviously researched this a great deal.

I love the fact that you assume I am ignorant when the last 4 books I have read are on this subject from varying perspectives. What are your credentials relative to your statement about polar bears? In fact, polar bears are coping perfectly well, despite what the BBC may say.

 

[Snelly]

The question isn't whether or not the ice caps are melting, the question is why, is it us humans or is it part of the Earth's cycle?

At least thats the way I've read it!

Indeed, no question that the climate is changing. None at all.

 

[MegaSteve]

Personally I believe we are 'dumping' on our planet BIG TIME... We are here only for a very short time so we should respect what we have... But we don't ...

 

[JustOne]

Ask the Polarbears how they are coping with the ice disappearing?

To deny nothing is changing is just ignorant.

Is it not feasible that the polar bears coped perfectly well the last time this happened? However this time mankind is in their way as we've spread to practically every inhabitable surface and likely shoot anything that moves.

I wonder if the polar bears are coping with the depleted fish stock?

 

[coolhand]

A couple of questions to help with the debate (out of ignorance not as leadign questions):

Is the green house effect of Carbon Dioxide proven?

Is more carbon dioxide produced now in an industrial world than was produced by all the vegittaion and farting Dino's in the past?

 

[bladeplayer]

No expert or have no insight into it , and i believe alot of it is natrual & would happen no matter what ,

i do however believe there is a natrual balance to the eco system & i also believe pulling oil & gas out of the ground cutting down rain forrests etc at the rate we are doing so upsets this natrual balance , this in turn will cause its own problems ..

I think its changing & i believe alot of it is of mans making , what i could never understand tho was how cfc's in hairsparay etc damaged the ozone layer but planes , jets & rockets burning tons of fuel up there didint ..

Just an opinion tho , no science or figures to back any of it up

 

[tarmac]

didnt i read somwhere lately that the earths(average) temperature hasnt risen in something like the last 15years,so global warming isnt happening.climate change on the other hand is a different kettle of fish.there deffinately seems to be a change the last few years toward windier and wetter weather but in my view its a percieved change.but even if it is how much is man made and how much is just natural weather pattern?
as been said before a lot of money to be made in pedaling views to the rite politician!!
i remember strangely enough,in the late seventies when i was in primary school we were being taught that the earth was moveing into the next ice-age!!

 

[PhilTheFragger]

I think its down to all the methane that Imurg produces :rofl:


The Earths climate moves in cycles, this is another part of the cycle, Im sure that we humans have an impact
although how we can quantify that illudes me

We had Ice ages and periods of global warming before the industrial revolution

Fragger