Should global warming be the No.1 political concern?

Question

Man made global warming is here. It is a fact. As much a fact as gravity. Worse still the most recent studies in the polar caps show that it is accelerating at an alarming rate, possibly worse than some of the less optimistic predictions. It may or may not be possible to stop/reverse.

Added to the problem itself is the fact that each country is operating in competition with every other. For one country to make the necessary changes proportional to its contribution, that would put that country at an enormous economic disadvantage, leading economic collapse and ultimately massive loss of life. Therefore only unilateral agreement will allow effective counter warming action to be taken. Even then countries will flout their commitments in order to give themselves an economic advantage. Add to this fact that some counties rely soley on sale of global-warming products for their survival, additionally politicians of other countries are in their 'pockets'. Do we really have a chance?

Answer 1

I think we really need change because if we don't stop what we are doing to our earth or find a way to counteract what we are doing, it will just keep getting worst. What I think is that the ice caps are really going to start melting and our future relitives will be underwater in no time at all. They have already started to melt, I think that Al Gore should have been elected into office this was his big topic/concern. He would have done something to help to slow this down or at least get peoples eyes open. My mother & I watched a show about global warming it said how you can help to slow it down, and it was very cool. I am pretty sure it was on National Geographic channel I am not sure if you get that. But it showed how if you do diff. things or use your car less and other things less that it was like so many cars not making CO2. Also they has said in that show to buy the energy saving appliances because that helps to reduce global warming. To use the florecent light bulbs, the ones that last a very long time. They also talked a lot about the Rainforest and how much the rainforst helps to get rid of all the CO2 that we make everyday, but the our chopping it down. So Maybe you can look on that website if you wanted to know more that documentary was awesomeNation. The other thing I thought about is, how could we get other counties to slow their Global Warming down, I don't think we would be able to, but I think the USA is the country who is the worst. It drives me nuts that no one sees this as a problem. I wish they would open their eyes, my mom and I also thing that it is going to start raining a lot more, and it already has in out area. We have 9 days of straight rain in our area, and then 2 months later we had the worst flood in 500 years. It is going to start raining a tone, the plants wont get enough sun, they will stop growing well, food suppy will decrease, oxygen will decrease and then we will decrease. I guess it is just a Darwin survivles of the fitest and that will be the cockroaches. This isn't going to happen tomorrow but it is in the future if we don't do something. I wish the politisions would wake up and see what is happening to the earth before it is to late to fix or slow down.
http://google.nationalgeographic.com/search?q=Global+Warming&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&output=xml_no_dtd&site=channel&spell=1&oe=UTF-8&client=channel&proxystylesheet=channel that is the resource national geographic channel came up with when I searched global warming on their site. Hope this helps and I hope I game you my best answer that I could give you.

one last thing there has been the knowledge to stop using gasoline in our vehicals for years & years but they didn't want it to be used because the oil market would have been done for, I am not sure but I think the oil comanies paid the car companies not to make those cars that didn't use gas, so we can do it.

Answer 2

Global warming is not made by man but a natural event. The earth's climate changes over the millenia and it is time we are due a change. Man's interference in tghe environment only makes it happen a few years earlier than it would anyway. We really can't do much to stop it happening.
We should be less concerned about global warming and more concerned about the state of the worlds poor and those dying because of famine. That is something we can do something about.

Answer 3

No! and here is why!
I believe Global warming is cyclic! and there isn't a damn thing we're going to be able to do about it, other than some feel good measures that will not do anything about it either.

For God's sake the polar caps on Mars are melting too. Doesn't that mean anything? Could it be that the real cause is the Sun?
Some day the sun is going to explode, and I guarantee you that somebody Like Al Gore will try to profit from it before it kills us all.
But then his bumper sticker reads...."whoever dies with the most money from trickery wins"

Answer 4

There is no choice but to adhere to commonly fixed reduction program. That weather has become More erratic is obvious. therefore the argument that more proof is needed - can be ignored. the possibilities are frightening. 25% of the land mass - mostly thickly populated could be inundated. The phenomenon is not without some positive elements. food production may be easier due to higher carbon di oxide content. I opine that in about 25 years, and after a few dozen more major hurricanes and cloud bursts, a consensus will emerge.

Answer 5

I think it should certainly be among our top priorities. I'm not sure if it is more important than working for PEACE (but since we're not doing that anyway....)

Speaking as a high-school teacher who has recently moved to and started working in the US, I try to keep my students aware of the environmental results of their actions, and STUDENTS TODAY ARE MOSTLY IGNORANT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES!! I am constantly shocked about how under-educated American young people are about these issues. THIS IS NOT THE FAULT OF THE CHILDREN!!

It is our responsibility as adults to make young people aware that every small thing they do has a result. I remember learning these things from my father in the 1970's - I remember being scolded for letting the water run too long while washing the dishes, and constant reprimands for showers that took more than 10 minutes!

Yes, we need to make the environment a top priority, but we need to start at home, in our own communities. Then our communities can join together and influence the state government, and then the state governments can influence the nation, and perhaps the world.

Just my perspective...

:-)

Answer 6

Global warming is way over emphasized
Granted there are and will be studies that show this is happening
but the question is
How do you prevent a Monolith like China from continuing to
propagate an industrial machine that is probably the number 1 culprit in terms of pollution emissions ?

you come up with a solution for that and I applaud you

otherwise I would go to the following web site for more
information

www.smokinggun.com

Answer 7

Yes it should. However i doubt if people will be able to change in time. Its really sad to think that life as we have known it for millions of years could all be changed in 100 years.

The government has a responsibility to give economic incentives to create the changes that are required.

Answer 8

It is all about scare mongering. A government tactic to divert people's attention from more serious issues. Mankind is not going to destroy the earth. The earth has ways of balancing and taking care of itself.
Having said that of course we have a responsibility to look after it as best we can.

Answer 9

I think we need more proof first. We are at the tail end of an ice age. Perhaps this "global warming" is just natural.

Even assuming that burning fossil fuels is releasing so much more carbon dioxide into the air than volcanos and forest fires and warming the earth, what do you intend to do to change that?

Will you stop burning gasoline in your vehicle?

Will you stop burning fuel oil or natural gas to heat your home?

Will you stop using electricity?

Will you stop using hot water?



What should the government do?

Should they stop burning fossil fuels to power ambulances, fire engines, aircraft, ships, etc...

What do you think should be done? And why are you NOT doing it?

Answer 10

pollution from exhaust emissions of heavy goods vehicles contribute to global warming ,why isn't more use made of the rail network to reduce hgv pollution ,is it because blair and co would loose the massive tax revenue from road fund tax ,fuel tax ,vat from tyre sales spare parts etc.