Yeah, I know there's room for all of us and our opinions on this good planet but seriously, my paper (The Telegram), published this letter this morning. Extracts below and offered without comment by me. (Reminder: This is 2012 and scientific data, blah, blah)
I would like to make a few comments about the recent increase in warmings and threats about global warming. “If ” the temperature increases the ice caps will melt and cover the whole world with water. How much money has already been wasted on this false information?
Just think of all the cold weather we have had this past winter; it was 50 degrees below zero in Russia less than a month ago. Europeans were freezing to death according to the news reports. So which report should we believe?
Did you ever read the story of how Henny penny tried to convince all the animals in the forest that, “the sky was falling,” just because an acorn fell on her head? She caused such a flurry of panic among all the other animals they all ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. The sly fox though, convinced all the animals, mostly poultry, to come into his lair and he would save them. However, he had them all for lunch instead. I hope we are not all chickens in Canada.
If people would read the Bible in Genesis, chapter 8, verse 22, God made a covenant with Noah and his family after the flood which destroyed all living creatures except the ones who were saved in the ark. In verse 22, God says while the Earth remains, seedtime and harvest and cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.
I think God is true and every man a liar. Just imagine how much money could be saved to do better things in this world, feed and clothe the nations of people who are hungry and destitute as we read this.
If the nations of the world would eliminate the atomic weapons and bombs as they used to in the past, along with better forest management, maybe the Earth’s environment would be safer for human habitation.
And then I toddle over to this, another gas-oil leak, but this one with the potential of a catastrophic blowout:
Jake Molloy, of the RMT union which represents offshore workers, was asked if the incident was the most serious in the North Sea since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil platform tragedy which saw 167 men die.
He told BBC Scotland: "Fortunately we have dealt with the human side of it, but the potential exists for catastrophic devastation.
"If it somehow finds an ignition source we could be looking at complete destruction." [...]
Are we a planet of cretins?
Re: the letter: well aside from all the biblical c**p, (s)he does make a couple of good points in the last two paragraphs of the quote. While I agree with the idea that current climate change is largely due to human activity, we can see from recent history that no amount of warnings and threats makes a bit of difference, it does seem like a waste of money. However, the biggest waste of money right now is what we invest in the promulgation of war, and the diversion of that investment would be an even better source of funds for the betterment of the world.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the catastrophic blowout, well I do hope Mr Molloy's union members are in the process of moving to Mars in order to avoid "the human side of it".
Living in a province that is currently considering the benefits of fracking, I also hope this latest catastrophe will give gas drilling a very, _very_ bad name.
I share concern WWW ironically as I sit at my laptop some of whose parts are made from petroleum clad in a warm sweater partly orlon made from petroleum near our electric fireplace using an energy derived from petroleum.That's the problem.
ReplyDeleteThere is no fixing it unless we all want to turn our civilization into a North Korean like one or return to the 17th century.
Thank you for mentioning Genesis 8:22.There are times when outside and looking upon God's wonderful creation that verse comes to mind.
To everything there is a season.
Well, if Mr Molly is correct and we are in for catastrophic devastation, My toes will be warm and more than my fringe singed. It would save Elly having to organise a cremation and mean one less person for her to worry about.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are. But there is hope yet for all of us. I think that you should take a look at "The Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley.
ReplyDeleteWe are a planet of cretins, the more supposedly civilised we become the more truly cretinous we really are!
ReplyDeleteI was drafting a post myself yesterday for later this week and used a quote from the late Carl Sagan, also appropriate here:
There are not yet any obvious signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and this makes us wonder whether civilizations like ours always rush implacably, headlong, toward self-destruction
First I knew of the gas leak. Apparently it's had a bit of coverage in the business sections of the media but nowhere else. Considering the potential devastation it could cause, I'm amazed it's had so little attention. Getting at the remaining reserves of fossil fuels to satisfy our greedy world is turning into a very dangerous business.
ReplyDelete"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10
ReplyDeleteThe Bible never can make up its mind. God is even more of a flip-flopper than Mitt Romney.
Yes, greedy, self-obsessed, cretins. But, then, so were the dinosaurs.