Another oil train explosion

[hbelkins]

I could go for some global warming right now. We had a foot of snow, followed by record low temperatures (-32 in one location about an hour from me), followed by more snow and wintry precip.

Funny how it used to be called "global warming" until the lid got blown off that concept; now they call it "climate change" which can mean either warming or cooling.

[empirestate]

I could go for some global warming right now. We had a foot of snow, followed by record low temperatures (-32 in one location about an hour from me), followed by more snow and wintry precip.

Funny how it used to be called "global warming" until the lid got blown off that concept; now they call it "climate change" which can mean either warming or cooling.

It didn't get blown off; that's still the underlying concept. It's just that people were getting confused by the name, thinking it would mean winters would go away, so they changed the name so that people wouldn't stop believing in the phenomenon when their observation didn't match the concept. I guess they forgot to take into account the fact that the mere act of changing the name would engender as much doubt as the misleading old name.

[cpzilliacus]

Funny how it used to be called "global warming" until the lid got blown off that concept; now they call it "climate change" which can mean either warming or cooling.

I am pretty convinced that excessive CO2 emissions are impacting the global climate (and the (relative) warmth of the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. coast has contributed to the heavy snowfall in eastern New England).

What I am not convinced about are the remedies.  Smart Growth and light rail projects will do little (if anything) to reduce carbon emissions.

Any project purporting reduction in CO2 emissions must be priced so that only the cheapest (and implicitly the most cost-effective) are implemented.  One of the cheapest ways is to displace coal-fired electric generation (especially older and usually the dirtiest power plants) with other technologies such as natural gas (still has some CO2 emissions) or nuclear power (zero emissions).

[hbelkins]

Yes, nice of you to admit humans are causing climate change.

I've never denied that humans influence it (and that's the proper term - the causes of it are multiple, learn some science, SPUI, instead of spouting Green talking points).

If you think your existence is harming the planet, then may I suggest unplugging yourself from all that creates any and all greenhouse gases?  You use a computer, or plug in a phone, right?  The electricity made (as you are in Florida) comes from coal or natural gas.  Stop using it.  You ride a bicycle, right?  The bike was made using processes that release greenhouse gases.  Stop using it.  In fact, strip naked as your clothing even used greenhouses gasses to be made.  Stop using soap and shampoo for the same reason.  Hell, even stop using the municipal water supply and sewer system.  Both use processes that make greenhouse gasses at the power plant.  As far as I see it, you're nothing but a hypocrite, and please do us all a favor and fuck off.

And Brandon's a kook too.

And Brandon's a kook too.

Whatever, fear-mongering fucknut.

I've noticed a common thread that runs among those of a certain extreme political persuasion. They seem to think that humans are parasites upon the earth, much like fleas on a dog or tapeworms in a cat. They believe that the earth would be better off if humans weren't here. The only problem is, without humans, there is no purpose for the earth. I realize that many of these same extremists have no religious beliefs, but the earth was created to sustain us, not the other way around. The resources were put here for us to use. They do us no good if they remain buried underneath the ground.

[Pete from Boston]

Can I delete a thread I started?

[NE2]

[SSOWorld]

Locking thread since the subject got lost in the shuffle of... randomness.  Please read the rules about politics and flaming