As someone who has gone through a year of training to be an electrician, the subject of “Global Warming” and alternate/clean energy has been fairly important to me, and a major consideration in my field.
As the graph posted above shows, temperatures do change, and have changed dramatically for thousands of years. The issue with global warming, is that scientists and politicians are jumping the gun, in spite of the evidence AGAINST global warming, and are demanding that incandescent bulbs be banned, and gas powered cars be weeded out in favor of electrical, hydrogen or Ethanol.
Geothermal energy accounts for about 7% of global electrical production, and other methods like solar and wind account for less than 1%. I’m all for producing electricity in a clean and efficient manner, but it simply isn’t possible at this time, and taxing companies that produce emissions, or burn fossil fuels is just unfair. For the consumer, while fluorescent lights, and CFLs seem attractive, not everyone wants a light that contains mercury in their home. As of now, the safest and most efficient lighting method is the LED light, but LEDs are expensive, and a lot of people can’t afford them.
The fact that there is so much pressure from the global warming group, both politically and socially, should be a warning that we are rushing towards temporary “fixes”, with little logic put into them. There is much fervor over pollution from the car and factory industry, yet the greatest “offenders” are actually cows and other animals used for meat.
Watch this video:
youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvM
It’s kind of funny, but it’s mostly just scary. The idea that anti-warming regulations might be enforced in just this way, should be sobering to those who blindly rush towards fixing a problem that isn’t what it seems. If anything, the greatest danger posed by pollution and CO2 emissions is the effect on people’s health. Pollution is never a good thing, and if we can begin to use clean energy and safer materials in our everyday products, then I’m all for it. I’m just not for more government regulation, or making criminals of people who can’t afford the latest “green” fad, or perhaps don’t consider them safe, as in the case of CFLs.
Whatever your stance on global warming, please don’t make it political, and don’t make it religious. We should be careful not to pollute the Earth, but it’s not as simple as it sounds, and until solar and wind energy is efficient enough to be used on a much larger scale, clean energy for the world will be a distant dream.
Oh and I should add, yes a Catholic can disagree on global warming. It makes me sad that anyone would even have to ask this question, as it shows just how much guilt has been infused into people about this subject, and how many lies have been spread in its name.
Also thanks for making a great point Ender. Your are absolutely correct about wind/solar farms compared to fossil fuel and hydroelectric methods. Gas, coal, nuclear and oil methods not only produce much more electricity, but they also produce it on a constant basis. Solar and wind are fantastic, but they vary greatly. A solar farm at peak capacity may generate enough electricity to power a medium sized city, but at minimum capacity, they may only generate enough for a small town, which means wind and solar farms usually have to supplement other methods, or be so big, that even at minimum capacity they are sufficient.
Thankfully, new technology in wind and solar power is in the works that will push efficiency to new heights, and allow us to generate much more electricity with the same amount of land and panels/turbines required.
