I am not one to usually get preachy to others about things I believe in or causes I support. But, this is something entirely different that deserves at least a short blog entry. Bear with me as I get on my soap box.
Last night Danyel and I watched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", which tells candidly the dire situation we are facing in Global Warming. It is basically an hour and a half of Gore presenting scientific data that has been done in recent decades on Global Warming. It is astonishing and indisputable. I think any person who sees this movie will agree. What he presents is scientific FACT, not theory. The movie is not political (with the exception of a few jokes he makes at his own expense in relation to his "loss" to GWB in 2000). The movie is not liberal nor conservative. It doesn't cater to republicans or democrats.
Global Warming is serious and will probably effect my generation later in life. However, our children, will suffer the worst of it. Our children. How can we continue to ignore the problem when it's consequences are dire for our children? We can't. The movie offers many simple suggestions on how we can help. First, educate yourself about the facts. This movie does this very well and it is very simple to understand. Then, act. Recycle. Buy energy efficient appliances. Use energy efficient light bulbs. Drive fuel efficient cars. Drive hybrids. Call your electric company and inquire about green energy. If they don't offer it, ask why and then try to find a local company that does. Use natural sources of fuel, if possible (biodiesel, E85, etc.). Write your congressman. Vote for politicians that support the cause. Go to climatecrisis.net for more information on other ways you can help. Though Danyel and I do a lot of these things already, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Look, just see the movie. It only takes an hour and a half of your time. Even if you think that you don't "believe" in global warming, just check it out. You may be surprised at what you learn. Men will love it. It's like watching a discovery channel special. What man doesn't like the discovery channel? Don't worry, the movie is not a scare tactic and is not all doom and gloom. Gore presents how much we can remedy the situation just by making very simple changes.
There are lots of causes that we all find important to us individually... donating to cancer research or helping the refugees in Africa. No matter what your cause, shouldn't this be one of them? Without a livable Earth, we will all be refugees.
One last thing... There is an agreement amongst civilized nations that was signed in 1997 called the Kyoto Protocol Global Warming Agreement. Basically, it sets limits on CO2 emissions. In 2001, Bush renounced the protocol and reneged on his campaign promise to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants. The United States is ONE OF ONLY TWO civilized nations (the other being Australia) that REFUSE TO SIGN the Kyoto Agreement. Bush is afraid that doing so would harm the US Economy. This has been studied and proven to be false. The oil companies would suffer. But, many other industries would boom and jobs would be created. I am not adding this little paragraph in here to bash Bush. He is choosing to ignore the problem as many US politicians have done for years, whether democrat or republican. It is our moral responsibility to show politicians that it is an issue we are concerned about. In doing so, they will take note and act. I know, I know. The majority of Americans are concerned about terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, etc, as am I. But, again, without a livable Earth, all of these worries are gone. They simply become insignificant.
1 year ago
8 comments:
The real "Inconvenient Truth" I have learned from my tenure in oil & gas is that it is not money nor love nor virtue nor truth that makes the world go 'round - it is oil.
Oil is the foundation of civilized society - try to live one day with out it or it's by-products - and it is the production of these by-products that contribute to the global issue.
I believe in global warming, I believe it is a problem however I also see the emission limits on refineries first hand and TRUST me when I say the US has some of the strongest and highest standards in the world.
Recycle - yes, Green Energy - sure, Hybrid cars - why not? The only other thing I would suggest is gather some additional info from other places other the a "movie" that is nothing more then a thinly veiled campaign ad for the Dems. ;)
One last thing - the Kyoto Protocal was opened for signature on March 1998 and closed for signature on March 1999, Bush was not President.
"On July 25, 1997, before the Kyoto Protocol was finalized (although it had been fully negotiated, and a penultimate draft was finished), the U.S. Senate unanimously passed by a 95–0 vote the Byrd-Hagel Resolution (S. Res. 98)[40], which stated the sense of the Senate was that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations or "would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States". On November 12, 1998, Vice President Al Gore symbolically signed the protocol. Both Gore and Senator Joseph Lieberman indicated that the protocol would not be acted upon in the Senate until there was participation by the developing nations.[41] The Clinton Administration never submitted the protocol to the Senate for ratification."
Via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
Like I said - A very expensive campaign commercial for the dems - just have to dig a little to find the truth. ;)
Love ya!!
:)
S
One more thing before you accuse me of Gore bashing - I actually have a quote of his about this movie cut out of the Chronicle and taped to my monitor in my office which proves that I do believe that he has some important things to say and I think we should listen - I mean afterall, he invented the internet!! ;)
Oh, Sommer. I hate to get nasty about this, but you brought it, sister.
Why do you have to make this a partisan issue? By trying to diminish the movie's value because all it is is an "expensive campaign commercial for the democrats", you did just that. I am not naive. Al Gore is a democrat and would love for his movie to swing a couple of republicans his way. He's a politician. Politicians don't do anything without an alterior motive. But, for the most part, the movie leaves the politics out of it and simply presents scientific data. I am assuming you haven't seen the movie, so how can you label it as anything?
I think my post was pretty unbiased either way. I tried really hard to make it that way to draw attention to the issue and not the politics. If you read the entry again, I stated that democrats were not innocent in all of this.
The movie NEVER suggests that oil is evil and it certainly never tries to argue that the world doesn't need oil. But, we depend too much on it, especially from foreign sources. After all, we've lost thousands of lives in Iraq because of Bush's quest for it. (You have released my partisan demons - beware!) With the technology we have today, there are other sources of energy that we could be exploring and creating to help us decrease our dependence upon oil. In fact, many are already out there and are growing in popularity and mainstream acceptance, which is really encouraging.
As for the Kyoto, when Bush became president he had his chance to add the US's signature and he chose not to because he believed it would harm the US economy. However, there was NEVER a study even conducted on the matter. Independent studies suggest just the opposite. And, for your information, I have done some research on the subject outside of this movie. For you to suggest that I haven't is insulting.
The main focus of my entry was to do my part to draw attention to something that I think is important. I thought the movie presented some really simple things we as citizens can do to help the problem (and climatecrisis.net expands upon them). This was encouraging to me and I thought there might be others out there that may appreciate the tips as well.
I am still trying to figure out the purpose of your comment... You agree that Global Warming is an issue, you support recycling, green energy, hybrid cars, etc. Other than going on the defensive about Bush (get over him already - 65% of the rest of America has) and labeling the movie a campaign ad, what is your point. What "truth" am I in the wrong about?
One more thing...
As for your belief that Gore is just trying to drum up votes for the dems, consider this. The movie is basically just a taping of his speech that he goes around the world making. He has made the speech to help inform people in over 1,000 cities, probably half of which have been on foreign soil. How does this serve him politically in the US? It doesn't. He spends his time and energy doing this because he is committed to the cause.
Your right - I was feeling kinda saucy that day - However a kidney stone and a trip to the ER tends to knock all of the wind out of your sails though so I have no fight left in me, however I never stated that your were wrong - just offering a diff opinion. No harm - no foul I hope...See you on Sat! Love ya!!
:)
S
No harm, no foul. Though, next time you want to do some politcal bantering, offer up your comments on a political entry. Perhaps my entry last month about the elections would have been a more appropriate place for the sauciness. I think this issue transcends partisan bickering, or it should at least.
I just started reading Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope. Perhaps it will inspire a political blog entry in the near future. Feel free to let loose.
Sorry to hear about your kidney stone and trip to the ER. I hope you are feeling better. I REALLY hope that you didn't go to Northwest Memorial on Ella's ER. I took Danyel there once and after he was there about 30 minutes or so we decided that maybe his emergency could wait until the morning. Holy hell, that place is a nightmare.
See you Saturday!
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