In the latest bout of White House douchebaggery, the White House forbids anyone to open an email from the EPA suggesting that greenhouse gases are a pollutant. Yep, disagree with the findings before you even read the report, and forbid anyone to read it because you disagree with it without reading it? Sure, sounds like an open-minded, American approach to me.
Plug Your Eyes
In the latest bout of White House douchebaggery, the White House forbids anyone to open an email from the EPA suggesting that greenhouse gases are a pollutant. Yep, disagree with the findings before you even read the report, and forbid anyone to read it because you disagree with it without reading it?
Don’t forget the EPA works
Don’t forget the EPA works for Bush–it’s not intended to be an independent agency. Enforcement (which is what the EPA does) is not intended to be a democratic process–it’s executory. If people don’t like it, they replace the president (which is inevitable). I’m not saying that ignoring data is a good thing, but if Bush had a reason to believe the original report was politically driven (which I can’t say either way, and neither can anyone else who reads this), then what’s the point of reading it?
Calling carbon dioxide a pollutant is ridiculous. Should they ban exercise to keep breathing rates lower?
Ack.. thppt
Who is calling Carbon Dioxide a pollutant? (Although, it could be – and lets be clear.. the amount of CO2 you put out by exercising, compared to a man-made chemical-industrial process – or by reducing green plant life, which is the natural way to convert it back, well.. the exercise quotient is negligible)
I believe the main pollutant would be Carbon MONoxide, which is a different, entirely poisonous chemical that your body cannot naturally get rid of (because it latches on to the oxygen carrying receptors of hemoglobin and will not let go until the cell dies) – and that is CLEARLY a pollutant.. and is the chemical Cars and factories let out.
NVZ: NINJAS VS ZOMBIES – THE MOVIE – http://www.nvzmovie.com THE OFFICIAL JUSTIN TIMPANE WEBSITE – http://www.timpane.com
Who is calling Carbon
The EPA apparently. That’s the whole point of this article.
Maybe I should read it more carefully, but I thought the article was about greenhouse gases. That’s CO2, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide (too bad, dentists).
I don’t think CO is considered a greenhouse gas, and it’s already regulated as a pollutant.
So?
The FBI works for the President too? If the FBI came to Bush and said it has large amounts of evidence that Cheney was selling secrets to the Chinese, and Bush refused to listen to them, what would you say then?
Anything in a high enough quantity is a pollutant. Drink enough water and it’s toxic to the body. So yes, if we’re dumping enough CO2 into the atmosphere, it IS pollution. You can’t categorically declare CO2 as a pollutant (because of the whole exhalation thing… ;), but you can declare a level of CO2 above which is you’re polluting.
I think global warming and climate crisis is a bunch of BS, specifically because I don’t think we have anywhere near the ability to predict how the earth will react to anything. We can’t predict the weather 7 days in advance. You want me to buy your predictions for 100 years in the future?
However, it’s plainly obvious to me that cars spewing exhaust into the air, coal plants dumping exhaust into the sky, plants dumping chemicals into the water, basically not cleaning up after ourselves is bad. Moreover, it’s wrong, and we should do whatever we can to clean up our planet, because it is our home. Failure to do so because of monetary reasons is sh!tting where you eat.
My $.02 Weed
Statistics…
That’s a fallacy, Weed. Statistics are very poor predictors of individual, localized, or short-term behavior, but very accurate predictors of large-scale movements over time.
—
Matthew P. Barnson
Fair Enough
Is it? They use statistical models to predict the weather. They’re 75% for 1-3 days, and it drops off significantly after that.
I don’t disagree with their base observations. CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere. The oceans may be warming in places. Ice may be melting in places. Where I differ is that I have NO confidence in their predictions based on those observations. None. Things will change, but I don’t think anyone has any idea how it will play out. We’re much too arrogant in our professed understand of how everything in nature works together.
See the long and glorious history of the mismanagement of Yellowstone National Park. When we think we know what we’re doing, we’re wrong.
Stop polluting because it’s wrong. Don’t give me gloom-and-doom predictions that are based on shaky math to try and motivate me.
My $.02 Weed
NOT ANTI WEED DAY
Weed, normally I see eye to eye with you a LOT.. but today is rough one..
Honestly, all you need to know it predictions are BAD. Gloom and doom is relative.. maybe we”ll all be swimming in the new larger ocean. Maybe our crops will die off.. maybe it will be like the “Day after Tomorrow” and we’ll be running from fast moving killer ice winds with Jake Gyllenhall..
Or maybe it will just mean redistribution of crops, destruction of some species, more droughts, and a significant change in lifestyle, but no real catastrophe.
Either way, it is startling what we have managed in 100 years. We have changed things – it is for the worse – we’re starting to really see changes that WERE predicted in the past – and the predicted outcomes across the board are BAD.
Re: The weather analogy. When Channel 4 says LOTS of Rain, Channel 5 Says SOME rain, Channel 7 Says Rain, but later in the day, Channel 9 Says Rain, but earlier, and the only channel standing up and saying “We don’t REALLY know if there will be rain” is the one who supports the businesses who would suffer if people stayed home – I’m gonna bring an umbrella at least.
NVZ: NINJAS VS ZOMBIES – THE MOVIE – http://www.nvzmovie.com THE OFFICIAL JUSTIN TIMPANE WEBSITE – http://www.timpane.com
Of COURSE the predicted
Of COURSE the predicted outcomes are bad…do you think Channels 1-100 are going to bother to show you predictions that aren’t SCARY? EXTREME? DIRE?
Hell no! You have to understand that science is sadly becoming a business now as well. It’s a special interest group, a lobbyist, corporation-like as well. So it’s in their best interest to throw out doom and gloom predictions, because then we need to funnel more money into SCIENCE to save us from ourselves. Anyone who tries to say anything outside the science party line of “climate change will lead to bad, bad things” is shouted down worse than in English Parliament.
I agree that putting CO2 into the atmosphere in record numbers is bad. I disagree that it is the sole cause of global warming (which is now “climate change” because things aren’t warming up fast enough and cooling in other places) and I wholeheartedly disagree with our presumption that we can predict what can happen.
I do agree with reducing exhaust simply because it makes the air cleaner. Exhaust makes my air sting and makes me cough. It’s pretty simple that it’s nasty. I can look at a stream and not be able to see to the bottom and figure it needs to be cleaned up. We need to do it because it’s self-evident, not because the science industry is getting revved up like the religious industry has and every other special interest group. Don’t feed me manipulated science to try and have me fund you.
My $.02 Weed
Happening…
Nobody is saying Co2 rise is the sole cause of global warming. What many are saying is that there is a strong correlation between Co2 levels preceding global temperature variations. There link is obvious, and that is, in part, why it is so concerning. We have a half-million years of ice cores demonstrating temperature and Co2 correlation. We’re now at the highest level of Co2 in many tens of thousands of years, and the last point at which we experienced this level of Co2, the planet got warm enough to completely melt the northern ice cap, turn Greenland into a paradise, and raise the sea level to the point that most of today’s coastline was underwater.
That global warming is happening is incontrovertible fact. The implications of it may be in doubt, and I agree with you that it is not all doom-and-gloom. Equatorial regions won’t show much change, while the poles will. Last year, the fabled Northwest Passage opened for the second time in recorded history, and it looks as if it’s going to do it again this year. If that happens, we’ll have a direct and easy trade route between Russia and Northern Europe to the US.
Harbors in northwest Canada will open up, and we’ll gain much more arable land for farming which currently has too short a growing season. Texas will still suck to live in. That’s nothing new.
There are quite a few negatives to global warming, but a large number of positives as well. The horse has already left the barn, so to speak, and our money and research in this area should be focused on how to deal with the trend, not how to stop it. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on on the global warming issue, fingers in the dike won’t make a difference within our lifetimes.
That said, though, I think it’s worthwhile to find ways to reduce Co2 emissions until we have a better understanding of the problem. The Earth is in no danger from our excesses… but we are.
—
Matthew P. Barnson
Well, the FBI does work at
Well, the FBI does work at the discretion of the President. It’s more analogous to imagine that the FBI were to come to Bush and say, we want to have a 30-man team investigate Cheney because the Director doesn’t like him, and Bush refusing such an offer. If this treatment of the EPA is egregiously abusive (as your FBI anaolgy would be) Bush could impeached–checked and balanced!
I think the ultimate idea is that humans are a pollutant. Wouldn’t Greenpeace/WWF/Sierra be happier if there were many fewer of us?
Funny
I’m getting an implication that the director of the EPA and Bush don’t get along. Was that in the article and I missed it? With smog like it is, for Bush to ignore an article calling for cleaner air is arrogant and stupid, in my opinion.
We humans are at the top of the food chain, and as so, we will mold our environment to fit us. However, our hold on the crown is tenuous at best, and we need to work with nature to keep our perch. Cleaning up after yourself is what you teach to your children at a young age…we should learn it as a race.
My $.02 Weed
Agreed
Ignore is the root word for ignorance. Read the damened thing then discount it.. but to not open it like it is a nasty email from a jilted ex-lover?
Is this high School? (Note: I know, there were not really a lot of emails in high school for us)
NVZ: NINJAS VS ZOMBIES – THE MOVIE – http://www.nvzmovie.com THE OFFICIAL JUSTIN TIMPANE WEBSITE – http://www.timpane.com
Refusal to read..
Yeah.. what a douche. sorry.. the Supreme Court says “Do a Study”. The President says “it might be political, lets not read it”, so the EPA does a watered down version?
Crazy.
NVZ: NINJAS VS ZOMBIES – THE MOVIE – http://www.nvzmovie.com THE OFFICIAL JUSTIN TIMPANE WEBSITE – http://www.timpane.com