The Politics of Global Warming: The Destruction of Planet Earth
The political debates over climate change and pollution are getting nasty. I recently read a question in a blog asking if it is Al Gore stupid or Michael Moore stupid to believe in global warming. The arguments of the politicians have filtered down to the citizens. The attacks are getting up close and personal. With all the insults and name calling not much is getting accomplished.
I’d like to take this topic completely out of the political arena. These political arguments do nothing but cause anger and fear. I would also like to take out the words “global warming” since it puts so many people into a tailspin. The global environment and quality of life are what’s really at stake.
There is a natural cycle of climate change but these changes usually happen over thousands of years. When these changes happen more suddenly, it’s usually because of a major natural disaster such as mega volcanoes and asteroid collisions. The increase in the changes that have happened in the last century or so began with the industrial revolution and the increase has been climbing sharply in the last few decades with more industry, more cars on the road, larger population, etc. These changes are man-made.
There are some people who have seen conditions in their area improve over the years where man-made fixes have cleaned up man-made messes. This is not the case where I’ve lived off and on for almost 60 years. Over the decades I’ve seen warmer winters and fewer snow falls. The warm and hot seasons come weeks earlier and droughts are much more common. I don’t need a weather alert to tell me when the ground ozone is too high. My throbbing headache keeps me informed and won’t stop nagging me until the ozone levels go back down. Our tap water used to be very good. Now it has a bad taste and there are days that when it is brown and smelly.
Political arguments have delayed our efforts to clean up our planet and we are pumping money into the pockets of the politicians and the oil and coal industries who are causing the delays. The answer is very simple. We have to stop waiting for the politicians to fix things for us and take personal responsibility. Going green is the practical thing to do and it’s a less stressful and more pleasant way to live. As individuals we might not be able to clean up the whole world but we do have the individual power not to add to the problem.
I don’t think it matters at all if you believe in global warming but going green is a much cheaper and more natural way of life. If you want to breathe clean air, stop putting so much junk in the atmosphere. If you want a clean water supply, quit dumping toxic waste into our streams, rivers and lakes. If you want to see a beautiful countryside, stop throwing trash out of your car window. If you want grocery prices to decline, buy local and take your own reusable bags. If you want to increase national security and create more domestic jobs, stop using so much oil and so many oil based products. If you want to improve your health, stop loading your body down with so many chemicals. If someone dumps a big pile of crap in your yard, clean it up. Once you have cleaned it up, dispose of it properly instead of just dumping it into your neighbor’s yard.
No matter what our political ideology is, no matter if we believe Earth needs saving or not, we must see that political attacks and our attacks against each other get us nowhere. The fact is, going green saves money and that’s something most of need and want. We must stop waiting on the politicians and make the small, inexpensive and free changes in our lives that can make a big positive impact on our environment and our pocketbooks.
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