Blog Action Day: Environment
October 15th, 2007 | by rocketc |I’m not sure that I will always participate in Blog Action Day, but I thought I would give it a whirl this week. The topic is “environment”. I like the environment, I enjoy many outdoor activities: hiking, biking, camping and hunting. I believe that we need to work to preserve the environment. However, I believe much of conventional, pop culture wisdom in this area is misguided. You will remember that in the 70′s the environmental left was warning us of an impending iceage. I don’t have a great deal of time to get into all of the details in this post, but I thought that this might be a good document for many of you to read – it gives a take on 10 environmental myths that you don’t often hear in popular culture.
If you are from the some of my environmental left, give the article a chance since we all know that progressives are the most open-minded and tolerant among us. Here is a quote from Patrick Moore, the founder of Greenpeace that summarizes some of my concerns about modern day environmentalists:
“I now look at the mainstream environmental movement that I loved and can barely recognize it. Why? Because it has abandoned science to follow agendas that have little to do with saving the earth … We won public support because our protests were founded on logical, scientific arguments. That has largely gone now, to be replaced by a policy of sensationalism, misinformation, and never-ending conflict.”
My last thought has more to do with finance: the richest, most technologically advanced countries are easier on the environment than third-world nations. The best thing we can do for the environment is to increase the standard of living around the world.
Later Edit: Another recent story from a prominent meteorologist:
“Humans. . .not responsible for the warming of the earth”
“It bothers me that my fellow scientists are not speaking out against something they know is wrong, but they also know that they’d never get any grants if they spoke out. I don’t care about grants.”
. . . from Gore Gets a Cold Shoulder.
3 Responses to “Blog Action Day: Environment”
By plonkee on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
I value openmindedness, but I’m not perfect. I’ll honestly admit that I’m not going to read the article because I’m too tired right now. Is this statement taken from it, (or do you have some other evidence to support it)?
‘the richest, most technologically advanced countries are easier on the environment than third-world nations’
By admin on Oct 16, 2007 | Reply
I have read this statement before, I’ll try to find it, but I was under the impression that it was somewhat axiomatic. US companies are researching ways to combat pollution at an astounding rate – increasing MPG in cars, reducing smokestack emissions, growing food using less energy, etc. Pollution in the US has steadily dropped since the Industrial Revolution. The water treatment plant in our town takes in raw sewage and after processing it (with technology), puts it back in the river – cleaner than the water that is already in the river.
Third world and developing countries are unable to afford the technology that reduces pollution. China is one of the greatest polluting nations because they cannot afford or choose not to use technology that reduces pollution. Ethanol is a product of years of research and development. Farming technologies that grow more with less, reduce runoff and erosion are everywhere in the US.
Much of environmental rhetoric targets successful corporations, not real poluters.
Google “technology and polution”