Anti-Environmentalism

Anti-Environmentalism

Ok, so here's an argument I get. Global warming doesn't exist, because the world has actually cooled down, or the world does this naturally every few centuries, or it's all attributable to dragon flatulence. Ok, carbon from volcanoes, maybe not so much the dragon thing.

So what?

Dear Mr. Conservative, are you trying to tell me we should continue to pollute? Maybe we should leave the trash for the next generation? Because although my daughter is cute now, in 15 years she'll be an adult and will have had time to find a solution to the fact that the Pacific is a cesspool and can now be smelled from Kansas? Are the pollutants killing off fish in the Gulf of Mexico a good thing? What, precisely, is your objective by raising the grim specter of "maybe global warming doesn't exist?"

At this point global warming becomes a red herring. The thought is, pin the whole environmental movement to one issue, debunk it by any means necessary, discredit environmentalists, go back to polluting as much as we want. And yes, I'm talking about American industry and big business. Not because I hate capitalism, on the contrary I think it's great and applaud American ingenuity and industry. It's because industry has consistently shown that in the absence of regulation, it will take short term profits over long term sustainability almost every time, regardless of the consequences or the devastating consequences to people other than the CEO or large shareholders. Does anybody remember the Pinto? It would have cost $11 per car to retrofit a part that would have prevented explosions in rear end collisions; it was cheaper to pay victims a standard cash settlement based on the percentage of cars Ford researchers thought would explode. How many people died in blazing infernos to save Ford $11 per car? That's not the only example, it's just one I read about the other day while researching the fine vintage automobile I want to buy when I get out of Iraq. Pinto? No.

Back to the issue at hand. Discrediting environmentalists on one issue distracts from so many other issues. I offended someone once by pointing that out. I asked if he was saying we shouldn't recycle, or that destroying mountains for cheap filthy coal was a good thing, or whether or not he missed acid rain. Nope, he did care. He just wanted to point out that he thought my side was wrong. Maybe we are, I don't know for sure. I'm not a scientist, although a lot of them seem to think we are collectively ruining the planet. I could be wrong. Just so long as he acknowledges that all of the goals of the green movement are good things whether the Earth is heating up, cooling down, staying the same, or having cookies and milk before bed, I don't care.

I'm willing to be wrong as long as the greater good is still served. Save some gas, install some wind turbines, don't throw your trash out the window. There are lots of good reasons, I don't care which one you believe in.

Thanks for reading.