I received the following in an email from a friend. I think it’s a great article and gives a much bigger view and a more FACTUAL one of what is really happening. I thought I’d put it up for everyone to see.
Global climate change is a complex subject with many factors to it. I’ve been reading the various articles posted on the ‘net “proving” how it’s all a hoax or it is not manmade, etc.
The problem with each of these articles is that, regardless of how “scientific” they may appear, they omit important data which ends up skewing the result. It helps if one knows enough about environmental science and related topics (oceanography, climatology, studies of ice and water, etc) to be able to judge the information. If one does not have at least fundamental understanding of these subjects, it is easy to be fooled by impressive charts and scientific jargon.
One could examine who has the greatest interest in forwarding propaganda on the subject (who stands to make the most profit, gain the most power, etc), but that might not tell you the truth for sure either. It is important to have some context on this subject in order to fully understand it.
A man named James Lovelock forwarded a theory of ecology in the 60s called the “Gaia Theory.” In a nutshell, he said we have to look at the Earth as an interdependent, organic whole organism if we really want to understand its operations. Like a human body, though there may be seperate organs, they all work together to make the body work. Thus, if one organ is affected, it can affect other parts of the body as well. If one strengthens the liver, one’s skin may become more healthy. If one’s lungs are weak, this can put more strain on the heart, etc. If a vital organ fails, such as the heart or the liver, this can cause massive failure and death. If more than one organ is attacked or fails simultaneously, death is exponentially more likely (lung and heart failure both, for instance).
This is also true of ecosystems. They may be able to withstand a blow in one area, such as a heavy drought, but if there is also a significant temperature change, pest infestation, or other stressor, this could be enough to shut down a significant part of the system, resulting in what environmentalists call “desertification.” (creating environmental conditions that make it difficult for any life to survive). Lovelock’s Gaia Theory is widely accepted by scientists who have found that it explains many hitherto not understood phenomena. When a single datum aligns many other datums, we call that a “fundamental.”
Most global climate change naysayers do not take the whole organism into account when they forward their theory. For instance, there is an ocean conveyer belt system that warms up Europe, that, paradoxically, is shutting down because of ice melt in Greenland, which could send Europe into a mini ice age while Greenland and the pole are melting! Google “ocean conveyer belt” for more info on this.
Some of these articles talk about natural cycles, but omit that the CO 2 levels are significantly higher than they have been in any “natural cycle” for the past 650,000 years. Thus, this is an unpredicted anomaly outside the scope of any known previous natural cycle for that number of years. We do not even have a prediction on what effects will be created, because we don’t have clear cut weather patterns, temperature, etc, to compare to CO 2 levels as high as they are today. And they are still rising.
There are a number of similar key omissions these articles overlook, that they would not so likely miss if they were looking at the “big picture” – at how all systems interrelate and affect each other. When the balance goes out, these systems create a “positive feedback” vector in which they feed each other’s imbalances and increase them. Ask Earth Org regarding this point.
Because of this interdependency, global climate change is far from the only thing we have to worry about. Deforestation creates conditions for desertification which creates conditions for more CO 2, which encourages ocean dead zones, which in turn increase CO 2 (since oceans absorb CO 2 when they are live), etc, etc, etc.
This web site includes some articles and a free downloadable book on the subject of the Gaia Theory as it relates to environmental solutions. This data hasn’t taught in schools, etc (at least it wasn’t when I went). http://www.ratical.org/LifeWeb/
This scenario is why it is important to come up with environmental solutions that address the problem as a whole, not just the individual parts. Too many scientists today tend to become so specialized, it is difficult for them to even look up and see who else is in the room! Many of them have a very hard time thinking outside the box and actually seeing the entire system – they can only see their “part” of it, like blind men feeling an elephant. So that is an important point to keep in mind as you read about the subject. Look for the people who can think with information across a broad spectrum and actually have shown they can think with it through their work.
There ARE solutions and answers. It is not all black. Planets have been through far worse and survived and recovered. There are actions that each of us can do to reduce personal waste and pollution. There are some very positive actions being implemented by large organizations who want to take responsibility for the environment.
It is not just climate change. We are simply taking far more than what we give back to Mother Earth, and that is not a sustainable way to live. And that is the bottom line – we need to give back into nature at least what we take from it.
Best, Cory
This is truly the most concise and understandable description I have read. Thanks Cory.
.jpg)
