It seems the North American media is nuts about so-called 'global warming.' Some reports claim that we are doomed to destruction if we do not stop abusing the environment while others profess that there is little to worry about. Where does the truth - if there is truth - lie?
Professed scientists line up to make their claims that within a hundred or so years, this area will be under water and we will all have to either sink or swim. Others, equally professed scientists, claim that such is nonsense. What is a person not schooled in the sciences to do?
It is worth noting that not all scientists who put forward one claim or the other are 'professionals' in the field of weather - warming or cooling. I am reminded that David Suzuki is a geneticist whose claim to fame is meiosis. That he is a brilliant scientist in his own field is not in question; however, simply because he is a scientist does not make him an expert in climate change. What he does best is shill for the 'Chicken Littles' of the world; he and his fellow shill, Al Gore. Interestingly, the definition of 'shill' is: a person who acts as a decoy or confederate or barker or peddler or gambler in order to influence bystanders to bid or buy or bet, etc. That about sums up the pair.
Needless to say that global warming is a fact of life; what is not so universally acknowledged is that it has happened before [if we are to believe science] and that it might well happen again [if we are to believe science].
It is also acknowledged that automobiles and trains and planes have contributed to the warming; but what is not so well acknowledged is that manufacturers of these important vehicles have made giant strides to curtail emissions. The automobiles [and trucks] of today are much cleaner burning than were their cousins of a decade or two ago. Today, manufacturers are building hybrids that are much, much cleaner than cars of just five years ago. So, while the Chicken Littles of the world are running around shilling and screaming the world is about to end, intelligent individuals - scientists and engineers - are doing something positive about global warming.
The silliness that is Kyoto is equally a sham. Were this poorly-considered plan to be implemented in Canada, much of the economy of this country would grind to a halt. However, intelligent beings are working diligently to overcome emissions from plants that are named as the prime culprits in global warming. I believe that these industries will arrive at workable solutions that will permit the factories and such to continue to provide employment and keep the economy moving forward. The shills who continue to perpetuate the Chicken Little syndrome merely get in the way of progress. I suppose one might link these modern-day "The Sky is Falling" nuts to their close cousins of the industrial age when they proclaimed similar disasters were befalling England.
It is a given that individuals ought to do whatever they can to eliminate waste, reduce carbon emissions and generally hold a more favourable view toward our environment. No question about that; but let us not tie ourselves into knots simply because a few shills say we should. A little common sense and a firm belief in Mankind will fix the problem whether it's real or imagined.
Bob Orrick is a retired private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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