When I was a kid in grade school, they taught us that the world population was around 2 billion or so. Now it's - what - about 7 billion.
Many of those 2 billion weren't big consumers of energy, or much of anything else, for that matter. Now, all over this earth, standards of living are increasing quickly. So is that 7 billion headcount.
I ain't seeing much interest from folks - even the ones that claim to be interested/believers in climate change - in tuning back their greedy, wasteful ways.
Ever noticed how many folks have their houses heated so warm in the winter time that they're sitting in there in shorts, T shirts, and flip flops? (While I sit in my 63 degree house in double fleece trying to stay warm while helping to "save the climate and the environment?")
Drive their big SUVs back and forth all day, with no concerns?
Perpetually dump chemicals and water on their ridiculously manicured yards, just so they can mow 'em (I mean HAVE them mowed) twice as often and keep the weeds and "wrong" kind of grass out?
And their cart full and six extra bags of trash every Tuesday (while we have about a quarter of a cart full.)
I have no idea how much man is affecting the climate change, or whether it will make my region more or less desirable. Unfortunately, though, I don't see attitudes changing much to protect our environment and resources.
It won't matter much to me, I'll probably not be around long enough to see much of it. But the really amazing thing to me is that most of these "greedy" consumers have kids....and seem to have no interest at all in considering what they're leaving behind for them to clean up.
I'm one of those folks that has a stong opinion against pollution and the greedy waste of resources. Less so on climate change. Partly because I don't believe we have as much expertise as we think we do to determine exactly what was and is happening and how much we are causing it. Also because I don't know if it is net good or net bad if it warms up a little. Sure will move around the winners and losers though, huh?
Interestingly, as a weather geek, I have paid ridiculously close attention to the weather all my life. I have stats from way back for here where I live. I have the weather service's data for average daily high and low for every date of the year for various years. The coldest time of the year here is in late January, on average. In 1980 - with nintey years' worth of data - it averaged 2.5 degrees warmer than the average is now with an additional thirty years of data. The hottest time is late July and early August. The new average is one degree higher than 1980's.
I wonder how accurate that historical data was a hundred twenty years ago, though?
All I know is, I continue to fume as I watch my "peers" consume energy and resources like as if it was limitless and w/o any impact at all.
I'm not a "winger", by the way. I was a Republican for several decades, until they became what they are now. I detest them now. Worse to be "betrayed" by your "friends" than your enemies, I reckon. Now I wander lost in the wilderness of the center, while the GOP lets the far right co-opt them. And the Dems aren't smart enough to move away from the equally far left.
Third party, anyone?
D&O
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