Emperor's Rants and Observations

When it comes to climate change, I think the only real question is how much of an impact man has on the climate. Not whether we do or not. There is a scientific precedence in the study of Chlorofluorocarbons used in aerosol cans effect on the Ozone layer in the atmosphere. See The Ozone Hole. We know from that we do have an impact, and that by changing our activities, the atmosphere can “heal” itself.

There is no question that there are naturally occurring climate change cycles. We also know that there have been naturally occurring cataclysmic climatic changes in the history of the world. Whether it’s intense volcanic eruptions or meteor strikes. So we know that it is possible for the atmosphere to be severly impacted by conditions on earth.

So if we take what we know as facts about the climate, it’s reasonable to believe that humans are having an impact on the atmosphere, and that in combination with a natural cycle we are accelerating the changes in severity and speed.

The fossil fuel industry is acting much like the tobacco industry did. I believe they are lying and funding “research” that contradicts the majority of climatologists in an attempt to maintain the status quo while diversifying into other businesses. It doesn’t help that environmentalists have been largely marginalized over the years, which makes it easier to discredit the research in support of human impact on climate change. Of course the recent email flap isn’t helping at all either. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hack job was funded by someone with a stake in discrediting the climate research, particularly since it was so close to the Copenhagen summit.

Bottom line for me is I believe we are contributing significantly to climate change. That we have to wean ourselves from fossil fuels, move quickly to alternative renewable, sustainable sources of energy. I also think we need to find alternatives to other petroleum based products. I don’t know if we can do this fast enough. I don’t know if we can afford it. I don’t know if we can afford not to. Understanding this is just one of many challenges we are facing today, we have to at least put out the effort to do what we can