Global Warming = Power and Money

I got an email from a friend last week asking me to check out Gristmill - a site devoted to the environment. The specific section I was directed to was the one on skeptics -- you know, those kooks who don't believe global warming exists. Anyway, the timing was remarkable because in the past week, I finally sat down and read all 35 articles that have been posted on Climate change: The Deniers (I encourage you to do the same – start with #25 and then go back to #1. #25 is the one where the author gives the background behind the series). Essentially, this is a guy who started out doing some reporting on the fringe few who didn’t believe that global warming was a done deal and ended up writing 35 articles about it. After reading all of it, the main thing I came away from it with is the fact that the “science isn’t settled” as Gore and others (including Gristmill) would have you believe. It doesn’t mean it’s not happening, but given a rigorous application of the scientific method, it certainly hasn’t been proved either. I haven't yet worked my way through the volumes of information on Gristmill, but I did click into a couple of the articles. Maybe I’m jaded (of course I am, we all have a bias, but the extremes on both sides refuse to admit they have one), but comments like this bother me, “If we require unanimity before being confident, well, we can't be sure the earth isn't hollow either.” It’s tantamount to saying, “If you don’t believe what we are telling you, you’re an idiot….” I prefer someone who presents facts. They can state their opinion of the facts, but don’t bully or insult me into believing what you are telling me.

At this point, here's what I believe:

1. The earth is a living organism. It is in a constant state of change. Always has been and always will be. I think it is incredibly egocentric for us to think that the earth is at its perfect state right now and that we need to try and keep anything from changing.
2. At the end of the day, it’s about power and money. He who controls this debate, has both the money and the power. The left is very adept at using fear to scare everyone into being willing to spend (be taxed) Billions and Billions even though the science isn’t settled. And then, several years from now, they can all say, “ya, but just think how bad it would have been if we hadn’t spent all that money.” There are not double blind trials, there are politically motivated people and organizations funding scientists to find the ‘right’ answer….and they do find the ‘right’ answer because they want more funding next year.
3. I believe that we should be drilling and using the resources we currently have to keep the cost of living down.
4. I believe that we should protect the environment, but not to the extremes, and not to the detriment of our economy or our citizen’s livelihoods. There has to be a balance, and I don’t hear that perspective very often…at least not in the media.
5. I believe that we should be taxing gas to fund alternative/renewable energy sources (wind/wave/solar/nuclear etc.). It should also be funding true research, without a predetermined outcome. Within the next 50-100 years, we should be off fossil fuels.

So there you have it. Thoughts?