Global Warming (Huh?)

Today I read, with amusement, this article about global warming.  Okay, it’s not really about global warming; it’s about a poll conducted by the Associated Press-GfK concerning Americans’ opinions regarding global warming.  Apparently, a lot of Americans have finally figured out that temperatures are actually rising, because their thermometers tell them it is.  That in itself isn’t what was so amusing.  It was the growing number of people that think that the government needs to do something about it.

Okay, maybe it’s not as amusing as it is disturbing.  Let’s try to think rationally about this.  Forget about how the government makes a mess of most things that it tries to do, and just ask yourself, “What can I do to help slow down global warming?”  If you believe the “science” on the subject, then you know you need to reduce carbon emissions.  So, you could, say, buy a more fuel efficient vehicle, or drive less.  You know, carpool or something.  Now, consider what the government can do.  THEY CAN PASS LAWS TO FORCE YOU TO DO THE SAME THINGS YOU COULD DO YOURSELF!  Sorry for shouting, but really, what else do people expect the government to do?  I realize that more and more Americans are taking the term “Uncle Sam” more and more literally, and expect “layers of paternalism” to protect them from the big bad world out there, but come on.  Enough is enough, isn’t it?  I, for one, would much rather have the federal government butt-out of my personal life, as much as possible, and I don’t even live in one of those (lucky) states that legalized marijuana.  So, I drive a little less.  I turn off lights when I leave the room.  Not because I’m worried about global warming, but because I’m a tightwad.  And maybe, if I do enough, I can keep Uncle Sam off my back.

Oh wait.  I do seem to recall that there was some sort of plan to spray some kind of crap into the atmosphere to help block the sun, but I’ve really been hoping that was just a rumor.

Anyway, after reading the article about the survey, I decided that I would just do a little research for myself about global warming, and what I found was truly fascinating, at least to a geek like myself who actually wants to understand the world, as opposed to walking around thinking “Huh?”  Unfortunately, the more I learn about people, the more I find myself saying “Huh?”  And this time is no exception.

I had never heard of the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory http://www.lbl.gov/ before today, or at least not that I remember.  The lab is “supported by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Office of Science” and “managed by the University of California (UC).”  The list of awards won by its scientist is lengthy; you can check it out here.

At any rate, on the Berkley Lab website, I found a real gem titled “brief introduction to the history of climate.”  I’m not going to go into detail here; it’s a relatively easy read and if you’re interested in such things, I suggest you check it out.  I just wanted to point out one paragraph in the midst of all that great info:

“These data should frighten you. All of civilization developed during the last interglacial, and the data show that such interglacials are very brief. Our time looks about up. Data such as these are what led us to state, in the Preface, that the next ice age is about to hit us, any millennium now. It does not take a detailed theory to make this prediction. We don’t necessarily know why the next ice age is imminent (at least on a geological time scale), but the pattern is unmistakable.”

  Huh?

According to these scientists, then, the real concern should be about the coming ice age.  I’ve always thought this but didn’t think there was anybody in the science community that would actually say that, except for nutcases that doubt “real science.”  And it’s the government, no less!

Of course, those people in the survey did have plenty of anecdotal evidence of global warming that extends back 60 or so years.  Things like “Having lived for 67 years, we consistently see more and more changes based upon the fact that the weather is warmer,” and “Storms seem to be more severe.”  You know, real, cold, hard facts.  Millions of years of data can’t possibly stand up to evidence like that.