| There's an old joke about how you can tell | | | | current problem has mostly been caused by |
| when a lawyer is lying - his lips move. Can | | | | industrialized nations and that their |
| the same thing be applied to politicians? | | | | developing economies should not have to be |
| Oops - most politicians ARE lawyers! | | | | constrained to their current low levels of |
| | | | fossil-fuel use. |
| Is the public's increasing apathy towards | | | | |
| politics partly due to the perception that | | | | Given the seeming hopelessness of the |
| politicians can't be trusted to give it to us | | | | challenge and the level of sacrifice that |
| straight? Have many of us become so jaded | | | | would appear to be required of the US to be |
| that we assume it's normal for politicians to | | | | part of a truly effective global solution, |
| lie? Where does "spin" end and outright lying | | | | it's easy enough to understand why most |
| begin? Is silence on an important issue the | | | | politicians would rather hide from the issue |
| same as lying about it? And why do | | | | in general or cast doubt on it, and why even |
| politicians fail to discuss these issues with | | | | the politicians who do publicly support |
| us in a frank and thorough manner? | | | | action on global warming are loath to discuss |
| | | | the whole truth. |
| Global warming may be the number one issue on | | | | |
| which politicians lie. The scientific facts | | | | But the potential effects of global warming, |
| of global warming and its predicted adverse | | | | such as increased bad-weather events, coastal |
| impacts are accepted by the vast majority of | | | | inundation, and - most seriously of all - |
| climate scientists. Opponents of taking | | | | disruption of global food production, are all |
| action on the issue are using a few | | | | likely parts of the future that will be faced |
| scientists who still have doubts - or who | | | | by our children and successive generations if |
| find financial advantage in having doubts - | | | | we don't fix the problem. The challenge to |
| to try to keep global warming in the "no | | | | finding solutions is one of leadership - |
| clear evidence" category as long as they can. | | | | leadership that will devise programs to: |
| But there IS clear evidence of a long-term | | | | |
| warming trend, and the consequences of | | | | 1) replace our CO2-producing cars and power |
| continued inaction may indeed be globally | | | | plants with clean technologies; |
| catastrophic. | | | | |
| | | | 2) reduce sources of methane (another leading |
| Unfortunately, those who call global warming | | | | greenhouse gas) by confronting the issue of |
| the "greatest hoax of all time" are not alone | | | | large-scale animal farming operations; |
| in the Global Warming Liars Club. Even those | | | | |
| politicians who are courageous enough to | | | | 3) eliminate chemicals that cause global |
| fight for action on the issue are not telling | | | | warming and replace them with non-problematic |
| us the whole truth. | | | | alternatives; |
| | | | |
| The Kyoto Protocol, whose implementation was | | | | 4) devise innovative programs to reduce the |
| rejected by the US Senate 94-0, would have | | | | loss of forests (which serve as "carbon |
| required the US and other industrialized | | | | sinks," thus keeping substantial amounts of |
| countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions | | | | CO2 from getting into the atmosphere). |
| to 5% below 1990 levels by 2012. Given the | | | | |
| amount that emissions have grown since 1990, | | | | Politicians and technologists will be needed |
| that may seem like a daunting challenge. But | | | | to devise and implement solutions to global |
| the problem is really much worse than that, | | | | warming, and we consumers will have to be |
| and it causes all but the bravest politicians | | | | supportive with our dollars and our votes. |
| to lie. | | | | But to get there, politicians must lead, not |
| | | | lie. |
| The Kyoto treaty, while a step in the right | | | | |
| direction, is vastly insufficient to reverse | | | | We saved the world from waves of Nazi |
| the climate change trend. The global | | | | stormtroopers, from hordes of Red Communists, |
| reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions | | | | and from the very ugly, unfriendly aliens in |
| probably needs to be more like 50% to have | | | | "Independence Day." Surely we can also save |
| the desired effect, and it needs to happen | | | | it from a few kazillion tiny greenhouse gas |
| sooner rather than later. Even tougher is the | | | | molecules! |
| fact that developing countries claim the | | | | |