I give a lot of talks on climate change and what we should do about it. Invariably, at the end, some smug white haired guy in his sixties raises his hand and says something like this: “I’m a smart guy (Phd, engineer, whatever—he lays out the credentials) and I’m a critical thinker. (of course!) and in my research on climate, I’ve come across a lot of controversy on the science. I don’t think we’re even close to resolution on this.”
This comment is, of course, incredibly intellectually lazy, because the scientific community has rarely had such comprehensive understanding of an issue. It’s not a matter of consensus, it’s that scientists all over the world, speaking different languages, using different methodologies, and under different ideologies, are all finding the same thing—climate change is happening and is human caused.
What’s so annoying about Mr. “I’m a free thinker” is that if he really were a critical free thinker, he’d ponder for just a second the question of why, with all this good science, he’s still on the fence. And if he researched that just a little bit, he’d find out that ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel interests have spend tens of millions of dollars over several decades supporting scientific disinformation on climate, with the express goal of putting doubt into the minds of Americans, with the intent of protecting profits from carbon regulation.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory: ExxonMobil’s CEO recently renounced the practice. (Mostly—see here for details.) And the whole scam was even further, and perhaps penultimately, exposed by Andy Revkin in the New York Times. Revkin points out that the industry ignored its own scientists! But the damage is done—the most successful and destructive marketing campaign in the history of the world—using the same tactics, and some of the same people as the tobacco industry—has led to an American population that is actually less concerned about climate change as a human caused problem now than a few years ago.
In my world, we say: “these people are dying off.” Or “they’re so clueless, forget about them.” But these guys are coming through the windows at me every day, and they seem pretty damn healthy! Last week, our CEO handed me two climate denier CDs guests had given him (both have been widely, spectacularly debunked). Regardless, things seem to be getting worse, not better. This is a catastrophe, but one with a significant opportunity attached.
Mr. Skeptic, the most arrogant, damaging, useless and intellectually lazy branch of humanity living today, could use his particular personality and worldview to become a productive, hopeful, helpful, and constructive member of society by turning his self-lauded critical thinking skills to the question of exactly why he’s a doubter.
Skeptics claim global warming is fake after top scientists’ emails hacked at CRU
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Orng Crush Posted 2:51 pm
28 Apr 2009
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ArtWyrks Posted 7:12 am
29 Apr 2009
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Steven Earl Salmony Posted 8:06 am
29 Apr 2009
In one group, we recognize the "people of the economy" who have managed to institutionalize the 'goodness' of greed and arrogance associated with their idolatry of wealth consolidation and the power to continue accumulating filthy lucre. These people will uniformly say that their drive for economic growth and the power wealth purchases is not only good but also primary. They make it crystal clear that the protection of the Earth from industrialization and big business is secondary. In the other group, we have "people of Earth's ecology" who see, as you do, that the preservation of the Earth needs to be primary and the growth of global economy secondary because there can be no such thing as a manmade economy without the resources and ecosystem services the Earth, and only the Earth, can provide.
The Earth can get along quite nicely without the Masters of the Universe and their idolatrized global economy; but I do not think anyone can sensibly argue with the point that the economy cannot exist without a planet to provide for its viability. Even so, both of us recognize that there are many ideologues who do voceriferously argue that the human economy can exist independent of the Earth. I call it "money for nothing" thinking of do-nothing people. We also know that these ideologues are the very people who actually produce nothing, but end up with most of the world's wealth. In our time timorous emasculated, absurdly high-paid "talking heads" in the mainstream media support this perverse situation. People who are actual producers lose their jobs, health care, pensions, etc while the Masters of the Universe, who produce nothing, walk away with millions of dollars in neatly packaged "golden parachutes" into carefree lives of effortless ease.
As I see it, this is a problem. The institutionalized power of a few million selfish people who currently organize and manage the global political economy {for their own interests primarily} is much greater than the power that belongs to the billions of people who have very little wealth but hold a priceless vested interest in the preservation of the Earth as a fit place for human habitation by our children and coming generations.
The struggle today between the "haves" and the "have-nots" -- between the self-proclaimed Masters of the Universe and the people these masters call simpletons -- can be likened to the Biblical confrontation between Goliath and David.
Let's make no mistake about it. The duplicitous, avaricious Masters of the Universe among us are a modern representation of Goliath and the people these masters have dubbed simpletons, the ones who are honest, transparent, productive and accountable for their actions, are living examples of the courageous David.
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population
established 2001
http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1176
http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/index.php— Steven Earl Salmony, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Auden Schendler Posted 11:50 am
29 Apr 2009
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Jake Posted 9:28 am
01 May 2009
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