The Truth About Global Warming And Its Effect On The American Economy
07.23.08 (1:20 am) [edit]The Right side: I love my gas-guzzling, CO2 emitting SUV. I don't believe in global warming, or that the economy is in a recession. We must drill off-shore for oil, even if that means endangering economies of the areas around the coast. There are far greater stakes at hand here. I mean, it did just cost me 100 dollars to fill my 2008, 12mpg, Chevy Suburban. Al Gore is a sore loser and deserves no prominent influence in US politics. Michael Moore is a fat socialist who hides behind his lies and propaganda.
The Left side: I just bought a hybrid Honda that emits no greenhouse gases. My neighbor is a hypocrite because he owns an electric car, saying that he is 'going green', but his car is charged by major CO2 emitting coal energy plants. I am strongly opposed to any kind of corporate advancement that endangers our environment. I support the troops, but not the war. Bill O'Reilly is a fascist, and an uneducated idiot.
The Individualistic (my side) and Communitarian's side: It doesn't matter. We don't influence politics like we should. The corporate America, controlling the government, has helped to ensure a two party system, controlled by the same puppeteer, which argues back and forth over issues, while always coming out to the same conclusions. Just distractions covering up what is really going on in America and throughout the world.
The real story...
In the 1950's the research around global warming began. As the results started to show over time, a pattern emerged with scientists that, not only is the temperature rising, so is the CO2 concentration. These two things go hand in hand, which is how we have been able, through drilling in Antarctica, determine the weather patterns over the past couple hundred thousand years.
Today, the CO2 concentration in our atmosphere is at all time highs. Put two and two together, what do you get? Higher temperatures.
Of course, nobody in my daily life seems to care about our future generations. It's a bit frustrating to be someone who cares so much, surrounded by a group of people who care so little. Karma comes to mind. In our lives we live to please nobody else but ourselves.
The real truth, we are all one. Connected through something that we cannot see. Once you realize this, you can never see life the same way. When we kill another person, we are killing a part of ourselves. When we kill another animal, or plant, or causing something to suffer, we are causing that same pain to ourselves.
Case and point, when you make someone else smile and happy, doesn't it make you happy? Even with a dog or a pet. What about when you hurt someone? Even when it's vengeance, it still weighs on you, whether you admit it or not.
I suppose, I am coming to a point where I no longer understand anyone else. I think I have found a cause to this effect. All my life I have prided myself, because I have never let anyone influence me into thinking how they wanted me to. It starts in the socialized school system, and ends in our jobs, which destroy all creativity, I might add. But I digress, of course, this information will help, if you understand it, explain my point.
Now, the politicians, mainly the right-side but we can't stereotype, some liberals included, want you to believe that global warming is not real. It is simply a pattern the earth follows. The only problem with this, is the fact that, in all of our earth's researchable history, we have never had this high of a carbon-dioxide concentration.
What is behind all this, one might ask? Well, since the car first hit the streets as the late T-model Ford, we have been adding extra CO2 to our atmosphere. Today, everyone owns a car. America, has the most traffic. America also has the lowest standards worldwide on gas mileage, and emissions testing. Our cars are heavily polluting our atmosphere. Let us not forget the industrial revolution. Ever since factories started springing up in America, like the marijuana plant used to, we have put very large amounts of CO2 into our atmospheres. Our electric plants, fueled by coal, paper mills, car factories, and just about every major thing that uses electricity is adding to our dilemma.
For years, for decades, we have been warned. But wait, imagine if people knew the truth. Even worse, what if people knew the truth and took action. The Kyoto Treaty would have been dangerous to the big money in America. Restricting their CO2 emissions would have meant that we had to slow down our emissions, therefore, slowing down production, (one more time) therefore, slowing down profits. I'm sure the political lobbyists, have had nothing to do with this (wink, wink).
Of course, there are ways around profit loss in this situation. Why not, with the new job opportunities this would have created, invest your money into one of these new business? Seems, like a gold mine to me. Also, our economy would be radically boosted, due to the new jobs all over the states that could have been created. Obviously, more jobs + more money + more boost for the economy = no recession. The major variable, our oil dependency would have decreased also. Why is oil important? I am so glad you asked!
The truth about oil.
George W. Bush, a well-groomed, business oriented, cowboy, was the second Bush to be elected in office (not without major controversy). What was his previous occupation? Before congressman, he was president of an oil company. Dick Cheney, a man with health problems who shoots you on hunting trips, is very involved in the oil industry today.
The war in Iraq. Was there any real motive to bring down destruction and kill many innocent people? Weapons of mass destruction was the answer. Or was it? Not one WMD was found in Iraq, even until this day. Isn't the middle east an oil landmine? Who stands to profit from these oil fields? Well, none other than Dick Cheney and George Bush. But what happened? Why are gas prices soaring?
It seems that 12 countries , Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Venezuela and Ecuador, form OPEC. This group holds meetings whose goals are to determine oil outputs and and related items. In short, they control our oil prices, due to our massive import of oil. Recently, they have convened and determined that outputs are fine where they are. This happened before, in the oil crisis of 1973. The answer then, was to drill the Gulf of Mexico, relieving the U.S. of middle-eastern oil, for a period of time.
Why is it so easy for OPEC to still manipulate oil prices? Easy. Our country is built on oil consumption. Our entire society revolves around using oil. We use it to go wherever we need, it heats our homes, and it has been vital to our growing economy ever since the car hit the middle-class of America. Our major import of oil comes from the middle east, and OPEC knows this. We've banned off shore drilling, ignored alternative energy solutions, and have lived in a comfort zone for way too long. We are now facing the consequences of our actions.
Instead of becoming a self-sufficient country, we rely on other countries for just about everything that we need. It's so easy when you are the richest country in the world. But now China, has modeled themselves after America, and are in need of imports (especially oil) as much as we need them.
In a round-about way, this all comes back to global warming. If only we would have seen the effects of our actions years ago. Like many people tried to warn us about. If only the Kyoto Treaty would have been implemented when it was designed. We might have been able to become more self-sufficient, and less dependent on other countries resources. We know why it's come to this. The almighty dollar (probably the euro, actually).
Is it too late? The answer is no. Americans need to see the facts, and they need to see the world for what it really is. I'm here to deliver you truth and I stand behind everything I say. Nuclear energy is very safe, and the best alternative. I have seen first-hand (having previously worked in a nuclear plant) how safe and sufficient this is. Three Mile Island is not a good argument against
nuclear energy. Nobody was effected by anything, during this incident. In fact, nobody has been seriously affected by nuclear power, outside the plant, ever in America. A nuclear power plant also emits no CO2. We also have wind power, and solar power. While not as efficient, these are still great renewable resources.
So, what can we do? Leave it to the politician. HA! Isn't that what we've been doing for the last 50 years, and where has it left us? You already know the answer.
Action needs to be taken by you. There are many things you can do to. The first, probably the most important, is to help raise awareness.
Here is a list of simple everyday things that you can do. Use compact fluorescent bulbs, change your air filter, inflate your tires, fill your dishwasher, take shorter showers, buy minimally packaged goods, drive fuel-efficient cars, carpool, don't leave your car running, unplug unused electronics, and wear warmer clothes rather than jacking the thermostat. Guess what, not only do these ideas save greenhouse emissions, it also can save you thousands of dollars a year. Why wouldn't you want to be a part of this when it is so beneficial for you and the environment?
There are many other things you can do. For tips and more ways to take action visit these websites. www.stopglobalwarming.org, www.climatecrisis.net, www.greenhouse.org, and www.campaignearth.org.
For more information you can visit the sites above and check out www.epa.gov/climatechange.
Together, we can end this crisis, and make this planet more habitable for future generations, and especially our children.
