"Feel good" vs. "do good" environmentalism: A new NYTimes article

[Labcoatguy]

Karmic offsetting for that TIME 50 worst cars article, perhaps?

Quotes from the article:

About seven times more deaths in Europe are attributed annually to cold weather (which aggravates circulatory and respiratory illness) than to hot weather, Dr. Lomborg notes, pointing to studies showing that a warmer planet would mean fewer temperature-related deaths in Europe and worldwide.

But the best strategy, he says, is to make the rest of the world as rich as New York, so that people elsewhere can afford to do things like shore up their coastlines and buy air conditioners. He calls Kyoto-style treaties to cut greenhouse-gas emissions a mistake because they cost too much and do too little too late. Even if the United States were to join in the Kyoto treaty, he notes, the cuts in emissions would merely postpone the projected rise in sea level by four years: from 2100 to 2104.

“I don’t think our descendants will thank us for leaving them poorer and less healthy just so we could do a little bit to slow global warming. I’d rather we were remembered for solving the other problems first.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/sc...iern.html?8dpc

[thedguy]

I may go pickup his book.

[Blind_Io]

Hallelujah, Amen!

This is what I've been saying for years.

[un-dee]

Apart from the fact that the current discussion is way over the top, thats pretty much the biggest load of bullcrap I've ever seen.

[epp_b]

^ melissa1813, did you change your name and suddenly accumulate a huge post count?

[zenkidori]

Most of the "big important" causes that celebs go running around shouting about are just ways for them to feel good about having all that money and notoriety and having very little overall impact.

what makes the GW crap different is that now there is a huge industry based on this fear mongering ecofacism crap, and they're trying to get as much money from everyone as they can, untill people basically wise up and remember that there are far more pressing and dangerous matters to take care of.

[tigger]

Sounds like this guys got his head screwed on straight. The earths warming up anyway, we need to be prepared for it.

[jayhawk]

I am suprised this was in the New York Times...

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Hallelujah, Amen!

This is what I've been saying for years.

yeah, but who's gonna listen? no one whos in power thats for sure

GW is happening, we dont have certified cause (CO2 is the main one, but there could be others, nothing is 100% proven) and in all likely hood whatever we do today will not stop it, merely postpone it and all that will happen is that a few people get rich out of it. (i.e. green products, pushing agendas, supferfolous "green" taxes etc etc)

theres a whole industry and billions of $$$ built on the premise of man made CO2 causing global warming, so lets be realistic....this man made CO2 idea wont be going away anytime soon, or else alot of people will be out of jobs and a lot of investments will be down the plug hole.

i bet they couldnt give two shits what actually happens so long as people believe it and they make money off it.

[zenkidori]

Originally Posted by otispunkmeyer

yeah, but who's gonna listen? no one whos in power thats for sure

GW is happening, we dont have certified cause (CO2 is the main one, but there could be others, nothing is 100% proven)

rising CO2 may actually be an effect, not a cause.

[thedguy]

I picked up the authors book "Cool it" and it's weird to see someone give you ALL the facts when it comes to global warming. He doesn't deny that it's happening, but offers other ideas for solving the problem and debunks the "proof" it's happening and some of the "solutions".

The guy completely debunks Al Gore claiming the Polar Bears are going extinct because of drownings caused by global warming. Apparently no government is worried enough about it because 300-500 per year are hunted legally.

Similar with the Kyoto agreement. Had everyone signed on (USA and Aus didn't) and kept their promise (most can't), in 100 years it would have meant the rise in global temps would be 0.3F less than projected without. And no scientists have denied it, and some admitted it is just "to send a message".

[zenkidori]

lots of message sending these days.

[Blind_Io]

I put a padlock on my mailbox.

[American TG Man]

Originally Posted by thedguy

I picked up the authors book "Cool it" and it's weird to see someone give you ALL the facts when it comes to global warming. He doesn't deny that it's happening, but offers other ideas for solving the problem and debunks the "proof" it's happening and some of the "solutions".

The guy completely debunks Al Gore claiming the Polar Bears are going extinct because of drownings caused by global warming. Apparently no government is worried enough about it because 300-500 per year are hunted legally.

Similar with the Kyoto agreement. Had everyone signed on (USA and Aus didn't) and kept their promise (most can't), in 100 years it would have meant the rise in global temps would be 0.3F less than projected without. And no scientists have denied it, and some admitted it is just "to send a message".

Hmm. Seems like a worthwhile read.

[thedguy]

Originally Posted by American TG Man

Hmm. Seems like a worthwhile read.

So far. I'm happy with it, and I don't normally like spending money on books, especially of this type. I'm tempted to pick-up his other book "the skeptical environmentalist"

[Momentum57]

I keep saying to my liberal friends who believe that I am the Anti-Kennedy that eco-happy shit is all a marketing ploy. Global warming is about as scary as the ice age that they said would be happening to us now when i was in elementary school.

Now i plant trees for arbor day and I help charities like Camp Good Days and ARC and I am President of my Kiwanis club but all that is moot just because i believe that we should stay in Iraq and getting rid of cars will not cure cancer.

Get ready I will rule you all. Have a nice day