tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post976078247945593244..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Bad arguments about global warmingSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-5697392035179780692013-05-08T14:18:53.295-04:002013-05-08T14:18:53.295-04:00Yes, the whole thing is rather like Pascal's w...Yes, the whole thing is rather like Pascal's wager: you have nothing to lose by assuming it's true, and much to gain.<br /><br />I think, global warming or not, humans need to stop thinking of the earth as an infinite, all-you-can eat buffet, and start realizing it as a finite set of resources. That doesn't mean refusing to use ANY resources, but just pacing ourselves so there's enough for everyone, including our kids. If everyone in the world lived like Americans do, we'd need two extra Earths to supply all that was needed. So perhaps the solution is to live simply so that others may simply live.<br /><br />There's one argument I saw the other day that just blew my mind: "I'd turn the world into a parking lot if it meant being able to feed everyone."<br /><br />Well, perhaps, but don't you realize that parking lots are not particularly productive of food? I get the point -- pristine wilderness and endangered species don't have the intrinsic value humans do -- but our survival relies on a complex web of natural processes, and we shouldn't trash the whole thing just because we don't completely understand it.<br /><br />Respect for human life requires some degree of respect for the habitat where humans live -- the earth.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-77422530545467011032013-05-07T13:22:21.530-04:002013-05-07T13:22:21.530-04:00It's tough to unravel - climate change is happ...It's tough to unravel - climate change is happening, but the cause is arguable. Correlation, no matter how strong, is not causation and we don't have the option of setting up a control planet.<br /><br />SO here's my take on it - <br />Say it's real (it is) AND humans are causing it (don't know)...and we can do something to stop it and do so -HOORAY. <br /><br />If we caused it and can stop it and do not try - then we are voluntarily murdering our grandchildren. <br /><br />If humans did not cause it and cannot stop it, polluting less is STILL the "right thing to do."<br /><br />If we caused it and it's too late to stop it, we still should try...maybe we'll find a solution in the effort. And doing wrong because the end game is the same either way is *never* the right choice. And I believe continuing to produce excess carbon emissions - simply because I can - is wrong. <br /><br />So, my religion, my ethics, and a cost-benefit analysis leads me to believe the adage of my profession (environmental science)applies here: "Always err on the side of caution."<br /><br />And I agree, you are doing OK (better than OK, actually).<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com