Why "Global Warming" doesn't matter

Earth day was last week, and my friends hosted a benefit concert for the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in the Ecuadorian Amazon. As a result, I have been thinking a lot about the environment and causes, and why exactly I feel so strongly about conservation, recycling, and the environment.

So I decided to give this blog a purpose, or theme, or whatever you prefer to call it. It's going to be my search for a "cause" and then the efforts I made to pursue this "cause." There are likely to be off topic posts and unrelated tangents, but I feel good having a purpose for this blog.


I'll start first with some thoughts on Global Warming.

I've done a little bit of research on global warming, and to make sense of the incredible amount of research, data, political jargon, and ridiculous name calling, I feel the debate on global warming should be divided into two categories:

1.) Is the Earth's temperature actually getting warmer?
2.) If the Earth really is getting warmer, are we (people, our actions, etc.) causing this, or somehow making the increase in climate temperature significantly worse?



Let me start with #1.

Now, one would think that the evidence on temperature trends would be relatively thorough and easy to find. After all, we've had weathermen and we've been tracking at least since I was born. And the first mercury thermometer was invented in 1714 by Gabriel Fahrenheit, allowing people for the first time to gage changed in temperature. You would think after nearly 300 years we would be capable of creating a system of accurate data on temperatures by some arbitrary location (like by region, country, latitude/longitude, or specific locations strategically placed throughout the world).

I guess not. Now I only halfway understood the majority of the statistical information provided, but after reading the comments I have come to a conclusion: many of the people doing the calculations seem to be doing so in an academic mind-frame. Someone posted a comment as the "devil's advocate" and was answered with a philosophical response.

The language and method of comments shows that many of these people are not there to pick a fight, or maybe they are, but instead of name calling and blaming Al Gore for all their problems, they're using data, statistics, and science. They are discussing methods of statistical calculations that are important in modeling, discussing the validity of the one used, and other potential models.

Important to note; they are not simply calling the model wrong (if you're curious where I am getting this part of it, check comments starting around 30 on the "I guess not" link above) they are discussing the errors in the model, why they exist, and ways to correct or adjust for the errors.


Basically what I gathered is there are sometimes missing sections of data, for example a month missing from a station measurement. That "hole" in the data is filled in by an overall average of that month from all data. Please correct me if I'm wrong?

What the article above (and this one) is attempting to prove however, is that the data used, specifically data published by NASA, is skewed and rotated at approx. 6*, creating a steeper upward climb in temperature data that is essentially an error in the data. And while I am sure there are a dozen websites proving that the NASA data is correct, and the model is correct, I would like to quote my proffesor here and say "All models are wrong, but some are useful." That being said, I am greatly concerned over the differences between NASA, RSS, UAH, and the Had-Crut data.

I refuse to say whether or not I feel NASA is wrong, or the three other types of data that all show decreasing temperature averages is wrong, because I honestly do not have the education or research to run the numbers and make an educated decision.


It is however, enough information for me to say that my belief in Global Warming is not as strong as it once was.

And that got me thinking about something else entirely.


WHY does global warming matter? Why does #1 or #2 matter in the scheme of the big bad world, or the entire universe for that matter?

Well, I don't feel it does. In fact, I'm angry about it how important the argument that is focused around #1 and #2 has become. I'm angry that in order for the world to care about the planet we have to believe we are causing a catastrophic apocalypse that will likely be the end of earth as we know it due to an onslaught of typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes and massive disasters Ala The Bible.

Why can't we recycle because throwing all those plastic bottles away is wasteful? Why can't we unplug our appliances when we're not using them simply because it will save us money? Why can't we look towards alternative energy such as wind technology because it's better for the environment and puts less pressure on crude oil, which is not a renewable resource? Why can't we shop locally and eat less processed foods because overall it's better for our health and uses less waste?

(As a side note, the economist in me says this would hurt the overall economy, but I choose to push that part of me back into the recesses of all things less important than advocating for a cleaner earth. The only thing this would really hurt is business/the economy but it would quickly recover in new sectors such as renewable energy and more efficient agricultural practices. That is of course, unless the big political forces of corporate farms were prevented from paying off the politicians and securing more subsidies and tariffs.)



Why, as a species, are we incapable of doing things simply because we do not KNOW what the future holds? Why can we not admit we have no effing CLUE what the world will look like in 50, 100, 250 years and live because of such a vast lack of knowledge.

We in America (ME ME ME included) are extremely wasteful and take so much for granted. I cannot imagine what it is like without clean water, or a roof over my head.

I am not afraid to admit that I do not know where I go when I die, or whether or not there is global climate change, or what I'm going to eat for dinner tomorrow, or where I'm going to live if I don't have a job come August and I'm in Texas.
I fear the Apocalypse of humanity is likely to be our inability of dealing with uncertainty.


For these reasons, Global Warming will not by my "cause."