Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Trusting in history or computer modelling?

By James Fairbairn - posted Wednesday, 16 September 2009


The big banks are no different to any other corporation. They are in the business of making money as a return on investment for shareholders. The difference here is of course the motivation of potential money involved and the clout of the big banks to manipulate the agenda, whether it be with other corporations, governments or the mass media. This is no conspiracy, just psychology. The potential financial rewards of getting governments worldwide to pass climate change legislation is all out there in the open, and there are a thousand examples of corporations and governments manipulating agendas for their own good in the past, from cigarettes to pharmaceuticals, to WMDs.

Of course the advocates will say, this all may be the case but climate change legislation will help the environment in other ways too. If that is the case it seems remarkably inefficient to deal with just a handful of man's environmental issues, and ignoring most. Take smog for example. Partly this comes from car exhaust fumes which consist of harmless gases (CO2, nitrogen, H2O vapour), pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and PM-10 (very small particulate matter).

Smog also is generated by burning after deforestation, and from the hearth fires that more than a billion of our fellow humans use each night to heat their food and themselves. Smog kills people, plants and animals every day. Will anti-CO2 legislation help reduce smog? If anything it will make it worse as third world countries will be unable to afford to produce cheap electricity due to Western pressure not to use energy sources like coal. Now coal isn't ideal, as it too puts out soot and other pollutants (as well as CO2), however, it is a lot better than what they have currently. Meanwhile deforestation rates are increasing and less food is produced thanks to the planting of crops for bio-fuels, top-soil erosion from poor land management, or enforced inefficient farming methods, such as no-tilling farming, as advocated in Science Magazine recently to “reduce carbon emissions from soil bacteria”.

Advertisement

A standard, and rather sinister, retort to this is “well maybe we just need less people”. Perhaps, however the best way to reduce population growth rates is to raise people’s standards of living, not impoverish them further.

Will anti-CO2 legislation deal with oceanic pollution, such as the plastics which destroy marine life en masse and work their way at a bio-molecular level into the food chain? No.

And what about coral reefs? Only last week headlines warned that “Climate Change is killing the world's reefs”. What the articles also mentioned was that there were other factors involved: imported species (from ship ballast tanks); over fishing; dredge fishing; and most significantly agricultural run off (fertilisers, pesticides etc.). Now looking at your history books which of these factors has happened before, and which are modern man's introductions?

In order to receive further research grants many scientists may wish to take their DaneGeld. After-all I would imagine the audience at the recent Eureka National Science Awards got the message loud and clear when the New South Wales Premier said that “Climate sceptics are like Nazi appeasers”. Luckily for historians, research grants are few and far between at the best of times, and historians know how criticism of the status quo has been suppressed throughout history whether it be “The Inquisition”, “McCarthyism”, or the rise of the “Nazis”.

Many very well meaning people on the left side of politics in the early to mid 20th century had a heartfelt admiration and gave tacit support for the Soviet system after believing the PR put out by “Uncle Joe” Stalin. Millions had died before they slowly accepted the truth of the situation. The big question is how many millions will die until those with equally heartfelt “green” convictions accept this bank enriching scam for what it is, and realise that ensuring mankind's survival will require a lot more than just “tackling CO2”? Perhaps the so called “Green Movement” is now lost to us. We live on a largely blue planet, so perhaps we need a “Blue Movement”, independent of corporate or political influences, to keep campaigning until this PR driven fog clears.

Despite the endless PR assault there is a silent mass of people out there who do care about their planet and humanity's future, and do not believe the central tenets of this cult: that a gas which is just 0.038 per cent of the atmosphere, and according to the IPCC has risen by a further 0.0015 per cent due to man's CO2 emissions, drives climate change on the planet, and that critically this change will be unprecedented and catastrophic.

Advertisement

There are a few trillion reasons why your position will be attacked, but stand firm as you are not alone. As Gandhi said “All through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall.”

In meantime those of us who choose historical lessons over computer predictions will keep campaigning for the action on the real environmental issues, and will turn the other cheek to the sincere passions that our beliefs will inevitably stir up.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

48 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

James Fairbairn, "The Historian", is co-Founder and editor of www.openyoureyesnews.com and is also Vice-President of The Humanist Society of Western Australia. A historian by training, prior to emigrating to Australia he was a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in the UK (2005 General Election).

Other articles by this Author

All articles by James Fairbairn

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 48 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy