Green lifestyle has come back to the forefront of the public mind in recent years, headed by the train of global warming. This isnt the first time environmental isues have hit the forefront of the publics attention, with both the 60’s and 70’s having several year periods of environmental attention which waned as quickly as they appeared.
As the new millennium arrived a new catch phrase was spawned by the environmentalists, the Carbon Footprint. On this they showed how carbon had a direct collations with global warming, and that we made a hell of a lot of it. They ignored things such as, the graph they used failed to show any of earths warm periods or mini ice ages, warmer temperatures cause carbon level rises from vegetation, this warm period was predicted 800 years ago as part of the earth solar cycle, the type of carbon that effects the earths temperature is around 0.25% of the worlds global carbon production and so on.
Despite the facts to the contrary the political figures began to latch onto the carbon footprint as a vote accumulator, suddenly Environmentalism was a hot topic again. Government sponsored expeditions were sent to where the ice shelf was melting (While of course ignoring the places where the ice shelves were growing, after all that’s not where the action is happening and can be discounted).
The media jumped into this frenzy with gusto, after all if it buts votes it surely sells newspapers. Nearly every major newspaper opened up a section on its website and brought in Environmentalist columnists for its papers. By this point whenever anybody questioned the Carbon Footprint Validity they were shot down with phrases such as “But look how much proof there is!” Despite all the proof being re-iterated statements from the 1980’s and graphs showing earths temperature and carbon levels rising, which just happens to be a natural phenomenon when the Earth gets closer to the Sun.
People who had spent the last 25 years sat in Indian villages smoking copious amounts of weed appeared yet again, brandishing the environmentalist flag, saying how they had lived at one with nature, ignoring the years they had smoked pesticide drenched ganja for the majority of their desireless lives.
The politicians pretty much all jumped on the Carbon Footprint boat as soon as it became popular in the majority of developed countries. Nearly every government adopted it as it’s ’save the world’ policy, and it did turn out to be a bit of a vote winner.
Now however as more and more scientists are speaking out that not only is the carbon theory of global warming a load of bullock manure but if carbon WAS causing global warming we should not be investing in reducing it like we currently are. Instead the government should be spending in long term research for carbon reduction. Of course the problem with that is long term strategy does not get votes.
Despite the resurgence of environmental popularity however things seem to be dropping off. Live Earth, designed to be a huge popularity stunt failed miserably when it attracted only 2.2 million American viewers, eclipsed by every other half decent TV program showing at the time. Despite the campaigns the only real difference in recycling is from the companies that have been forced by law to adapt, and nearly everyone questioned says that despite the dire warnings given over the Earths future they will not change their ways.
The fact of the matter is that for the majority Environmentalism is a fad, Global Warming is an even shorter fad that takes off once every two decades (60’s 80’s 00’s).
Not only that but some of the more serious environmental agencies (Those who at one point were boosted by the popularity of global warming but now actually want to try and make a difference) have stepped back and taken a look at what their work has achieved.
Due to the carbon footprint campaign
Funding has been lost for 17 new recycling centres
An environmental policy to provide funding for cleaner industry in
The rain forest is being burnt down at an exceptional speed (Not being logged) to make room for ethanol fuel production.
Ethanol cannot be transported by pipe so is actually being transported everywhere by Truck and Boat.
3rd world poverty is increasing because food prices have nearly tripled, in part caused by 1/5th of world farms turning to ethanol production and increased food transport costs caused by green party led increases in fuel tax (Ethanol is now a mandatory requirement for gasoline and petrol manufacturers to include in their produce creating massive demand)
Tens of thousands of businesses have gone under as peoples livelihoods are destroyed by increased transport costs.
And so on.
It is for this reason that some of these environmental agencies are now calling on politically free research on the topic while concentrating funding on areas that are more substantiated and resolvable.
This is a fantastic move in my opinion, allowing agencies with fantastic resource capability and experience to move into the fields they are most suited to, whether it be saving endangered animals, saving the coral reef or the rainforests.
The best part is that now realisation has dawned that the publicity surrounding the ‘carbon footprint’ is having a hugely adverse effect on the environment it will hopefully move into the political community, freeing up resource for projects that really can make a difference, here and now.
As the political viewpoint changes, already occurring with the conservatives in the
The main mistake in my opinion is tasking scientists to prove that global warming exists and that it is man made Without putting together a group to prove that Global Warming is natural and if it is infact happening.
Scientific knowledge has progressed over the centuries due to debate and argument, by making a group with a specific goal (And removing over two thirds of the work because it did not agree with what they wanted) they are simply hindering the progress of environmental science for political gain.
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