Whether or not it is written that Watt said ""God gave us these things to use. After the last tree is felled, Christ will come back," does the statement truly reflect his attitude, actions, and personality? While I respect Silvert's mea culpa, I don't doubt that Watt was capable of such a statement, nor do I doubt that history was, at that time, commonly rewritten, "misspeaking" was common, and "maximum feasible denial" was THE mantra of the times. Times haven't changed much, eh?
Facts commonly fall short of truth, and truth is not a mere fact. That's why a single datum is an inadequate basis for a conclusion. WT At 03:28 AM 4/10/2007, William Silvert wrote: >No doubt about it, some drastic overstatements were made back in 1970. >Exaggeration is a characteristic of all activist propaganda, on both the >right and the left, and it always looks ridiculous in retrospect. Still, a >degree of qualification is in order. As pointed out in a posting by Larry >Spencer, remedial actions were taken that changed the prognosis. I don't >have the full text handy, but as I recall at least some of these >proclamations of doom and gloom were prefaced by clauses like "If we keep >going at the present rate" or "If we do not take corrective action", and >after all these were calls to action to avoid what even the worst seers >envisioned as a preventable catastrophe. Some corrective measures, such as >controls on automotive emissions, were I think already on the table, others >were undertaken in response to the earth day agitation. > >We could probably come up with equally absurd statements claiming that there >is no need for measures to consrve resources and clean up our enviornment, >but none to compare with the statement of James Watt, Secretary of the >Interior under Reagon, who declared that conservation was unnecessary >because "God gave us these things to use. After the last tree is felled, >Christ will come back." > >Bill Silvert > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Paul Cherubini" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[email protected]> >Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 8:40 PM >Subject: Re: Overshoot, Homo colossus, detrivore ecosystem, dirty commies, >pestilence, nuclear meltdown etc., ad infinitum. > > > > Ecologist Kenneth E.F. Watt on global cooling: > > > > "If present trends continue, the world will be about four > > degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, > > but eleven degrees colder by the year 2000. S This is > > about twice what it would take to put us in an ice age" > > > > North Texas State University professor Peter Gunter : > > > > "Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following > > grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in > > India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, > > China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or > > conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist > > under famine conditions....By the year 2000, thirty years from > > now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, > > North America, and Australia, will be in famine" > > > > Washington University biologist Barry Commoner: > > > > "We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the > > survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place > > of human habitation," > > > > Harvard biologist George Wald: > > > > "Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate > > action is taken against problems facing mankind." > > > > Stanford University Ecologist Paul Ehrlich: > > > > "In ten years all important animal life in the sea will be > > extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated > > because of the stench of dead fish." > > > > "Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever > > small increases in food supplies we make,"
