Just when you think it's gonna be one way, then it seems it's something else.

Is the world going to end in fire or ice?
Is it drought or flood that will get us good?
Is it heat or cold that makes us fold?
Should I be friends with the eskimo or chill with the surfer dudes?
Should I invest in a tropical island or get used to the feel of seal fur on my skin?

OK, stupid rhyme aside, I have to be honest and say that while I acknowledge that the weather and climate is somewhat different to how I remember it as a child, I am not an unquestioning believer in global warming. Some of my friends are annoyed at hearing that, but I just don't think we have all the data we need to say one way or another.

Now ask me if we are being irresponsible, and yes, without doubt, I think that we are living in a stupid philosophy believing there is no consequence to our actions. We can see that on the local level of people being poisoned because their houses are build on old landfill sites or under power lines or near power stations where children are getting leukemia from the electromagnetic fields.

But we have been keeping notes on the weather for less than 200 years at most (proper records). And in that time many different trend lines can be drawn on the data that show we are heating, cooling or possibly staying static. Here is another report about is not being the case that models predict.

Is it that we are 'coming in' on this at one small point in history and making the data say what we fear? Is this more just a blip on a scale and process that over thousands of years has been happening without man's knowing, let alone involvement and we are egotistical enough to think we must be the source because we are humans, we are important. Hey, after all, 400 years ago we also thought we were at the center of the universe too.

Recently the UN commissioned report almost unwaveringly pointed a finger at man and said we were totally to blame for a dramatic rise in temperatures to come. To come! We're being blamed for something yet to happen! I hate to be one of those 'eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die' types, but I am just cynical enough to believe that part of the whole climate circus is raking in millions, if not billions, of dollars because of people rushing out to do good.

And I applaud those people. But when it is learnt that the cost of recycling a lot of items actually puts more chemicals into the air and uses more energy in that very process that we are told is 'saving the planet', then I have to stop and wonder.

Is the weather changing? I think there are things we have all seen that suggests that weather patterns are shifting. Yes.

What does it mean? I don't know. And I don't think anyone else really knows either.

Then come all the accusations that say the pro-global warming scientists are being paid by this 'group' or that scientists debunking it are being paid by corporations, Shell, Exxon or the government. So who do you believe?

When the entire population of the world could stand comfortably inside the borders of North Dakota, are we really that significant? Are our actions really that large?

I know our actions in the rain forest are horrendous. I know we are told that fish stocks are dwindling in the seas (apparently, if it is not yet another ploy to make us believe we have to pay more for our seafood - hey don't laugh, they did it to us with oil two years ago.. it was proven there was no real shortage, just panic in the markets) and I know we are told that burning fossil fuels is damaging the atmosphere, but are we really that much of an impact on a huge world?

I don't really know what to think.

So, I'm just asking...


Plus it gave me the excuse of posting a picture of two of my fetishes. One of which is board shorts. I'll let you guess what the other is.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 12:29 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.