Heating Up Over Global Warming

   We have been hearing a lot about global warming lately. So, let us start by defining exactly what global warming is. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, when CO2 and other heat-trapping emissions are released into the air, they act like a blanket, holding heat in our atmosphere and warming the planet.  Does not sound so bad? Well, let’s take a closer look. To realize the urgency of global warming, it’s important to understand the ways it affects us. Sea levels are rising and glaciers are melting; record high temperatures and severe rainstorms and droughts are becoming increasingly common.

       

     

    

     But not everyone is convinced that global warming is a real issue. Global warming conspiracy theorists would have you think it’s a major hoax. A Washington Post article describing the views of global warming skeptics quotes retired hurricane researcher William M. Gray as having "his own conspiracy theory," saying, "He has made a list of 15 reasons for the global warming hysteria. The list includes the need to come up with an enemy after the end of the Cold War, and the desire among scientists, government leaders and environmentalists to find a political cause that would enable them to 'organize, propagandize, force conformity and exercise political influence. Big world government could best lead (and control) us to a better world!'" In this article, Gray also cites the ascendancy of Al Gore to the vice presidency as the start of his problems with federal funding. According to him, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stopped giving him research grants, and so did NASA.

     

     Many of the claims by conspiracy theorists can range from the rather mundane, to the very bizarre. Here are a few more of the claims being bandied about:

1. 1.       It's all a hoax invented by all the world's climate scientists to get funding. The "evil" scientists have managed to fool the UN, the European Union, and the entire world.

1. 2.       It's a plot by those nasty environmentalists who want to prevent Africa developing a carbon economy. Alternatively, it's a plot by environmentalists who want to promote a carbon economy in Africa while damaging the USA's industrial output.

1. 3.       All climate scientists obviously own stock in green and renewable energy companies and they're pushing the theory to inflate their retirement funds and the green energy companies will make out like bandits.

1. 4.       It's an attempt by Jacques Chirac and the secret Bilderberg group to use the Kyoto accords to take over the world. Ahh, the Bilderberg group, a favorite among conspiracy theorists.

1. 5.       And my favorite. It's the Weather Channel! Follow the money. Who profits from extreme weather? The elite cabal of the Weather Channel, of course. By manipulating the climate for better ratings, the CEO stands to make tons of money.

     Even members of our government (current and aspiring) have gotten in on the bandwagon to denounce the scientists who have tried to raise awareness of climate change. James Inhofe , Republican Senator from Oklahoma, takes the climate conspiracy theory to new heights, even as global warming bakes his home state. In his new book, The Greatest Hoax, Senator James Inhofe  reveals the reasons behind those perpetuating the Hoax of global warming, who is benefitting from the general acceptance of the Hoax and why the premise statements are blatantly and categorically false.
      Inhofe went on to attack evangelical leader Rich Cizik, the former Vice President of the National Association of Evangelicals, who has made the religious case for fighting climate change pollution. Inhofe said Cizik has been “exposed as a liberal” and that he is like idolatrous Romans described in the Bible as those who “give up the truth about God for a lie.”
     In the interview, Inhofe did not mention he has received $1,352,523 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, including $90,950 from Koch Industries.

     Presidential candidate  Rick Santorum has also expressed his thoughts about global warming. Rick Santorum told attendees at the Gulf Coast Energy Summit in Biloxi, Mississippi,  to trust his judgment on the environment, highlighting his position on climate change—that is, that it's a liberal myth. "The dangers of carbon dioxide? Tell that to a plant, how dangerous carbon dioxide is," Santorum said, according to the Associated Press

     Even ex-professional wrestler and former Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura chimes in his opinion of the subject in a seven part series of videos:

     Conspiracy theories aside, most hard data from scientists predict that there is indeed a climbing trend in the climate. Our planet is getting warmer, and most scientists are in agreement that it is largely because of human abuse to our planet.

                            

                                                                                                                                                                                Being the dominant species on the planet, I believe we need to be good stewards of the home we call Earth. Future generations will want to know why we carelessly destroyed our planet. This is not the legacy I wish to leave my children. I believe with investments into greener technologies, we can reverse this trend and make life better for all the creatures on this planet, not just ourselves.