Y'all:
Hamilton's point is well-taken--the devil is in the details. Speaking of
circularity, "the boy who cried wolf" phenomenon might be on the opposite
side of the clock diagram from "crying in the wilderness," each on the other
side of the vertical or "midnight" position, i.e., "worlds" apart in one
sense, but in the apparent sense close together.
While I maintain a state of suspended judgment in the absence of evidence,
neither do I recognize absence of evidence as evidence of absence.
While CO2 well might be a surrogate for habitat destruction that is at once
sufficiently vague and sufficiently (or vaguely) "scientific," I have
decided to not cloud the issue just in case the right things get done, even
if for the wrong reasons.
It may well be true that one can't add up all the carbon emissions directly
caused by culture, the possibility of a sort of "keystone" or "domino"
effect might be laid in the lap of Homo sapiens, and there is little doubt
that there is prima facie evidence that the contributions therefrom have
increased for the last ten millennia or so. So . . . a case in absolute
refutation is similarly difficult. Therein might lie the (evil or saintly?)
"genius" behind the carbon obsession?
In any case, it seems clear that, particularly given the probable futility
of sufficient actual reduction ("credits" and other means of capitalizing
upon the rage), the precautionary principle is probably preferable to the
needless and heedless fraction of the unique human talent for consuming
outside energy/mass cycles.
That is, no matter how inevitably nutty human expression may be, no matter
how "wrong" some might be, a change in current trends could benefit the
earth and its life--even, perhaps, including the guilty parties.
A Pax upon us all, great and small . . .
WT
"The suspension of judgment is the highest exercise in intellectual
discipline." --Raymond Gilmore
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Hamilton" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 9:11 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Thank you for responding to the survey!
Don't know if you want to post a contrasting view, but I'll offer one
up.
No question that human generated CO2 is causing global warming, in my
opinion. There is, however, no evidence of a deleterious effect,
especially given the fact that the climate does and will change one way
or another anyways. Models predicting catastrophes have been overblown
to a degree that is embarrassing to an informed scientist, and results a
in classic "boy who cried wolf" type loss of credibility for informed
scientists.
With respect to our ecological impact, habitat destruction is the #1
negative human impact, and the overall ecological footprint is the real
issue, not just the "carbon footprint". There is no activity we engage
in as humans that is worse than the building of modern cities,
especially when you factor in the type of agricultural practices needed
to support those cities. The carbon footprint approach also strongly
discriminates against those living in poorer, more rural areas, singling
out the activities that support the economies in those areas as the
major problem, as opposed to the much more destructive activities of
people who live in urban areas, particularly modern urban areas. It's
obvuiously more politically prudent to attack the weak.
There is an issue with global warming, but it is relatively minor, as
far as we know at this point in time, and it appears to be just another
way of deflecting the real issue, habitat conversion. Allowing people in
large modern cities to feel good about themselves re environmental
issues while continuing on with the most destructive of lifestyles.
I recall reading many months ago about Leonardo DeCaprio wanting to buy
a tropical island and build an eco friendly resort being presented as
evidence of some sort of environmentally responsible act. Ridiculous, of
course, but one of the best examples of the sort or poor thinking that
drives a lot of the pop culture based environmental movement.
Rob Hamilton
"So easy it seemed once found, which yet
unfound most would have thought impossible"
John Milton
________________________________________
Robert G. Hamilton
Department of Biological Sciences
Mississippi College
P.O. Box 4045
200 South Capitol Street
Clinton, MS 39058
Phone: (601) 925-3872
FAX (601) 925-3978
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