Why do people think we can stop global climate change just by changing light bulbs and riding our bikes more?

Question

Where is the common sense? The only way to change it, and even this would be a stretch, would be a super large-scale effort by all the nations of the world. We would have to eradicate factory farming, industrial pollution (which is growing at an alarming rate in countries like China, where industry is just beginning to take off), find alternative fuels and more.

And no one seems to realize that the climate of the earth has changed many times over it's life. We can change our lightbulbs all we want, but the real inconvenient truth is that it will do not one bit of good besides saving you a dollar or two on your electric bill. We can't control nature or God; we can just enjoy our lives while we're here and be prepared for the day it may all end.

Answer 1

It has nothing to do with the climate. Sure they would like to say so, but it all comes down to patting themselves on the back. Make them feel all good inside. "I just rode my bicycle to work, I did my part." Doesn't that sounds as ignorant as what they are claiming us to be?

Answer 2

I agree, but the way Gore (Unless you stating "the real inconvenient truth" was just a coincidence) is doing things is by convincing as many people that global warming is real... and that we are all gonna die because of it. Even in different nations.

Now AMERICANS think "ooh, lightbulb + hybrid car = no global warming" but other countries have been doing that for ages *points at japan*. Even on this site there was an article refrence showing the last UN summit 'forced' Bush to play ball with them. No wonder we're number 1 in CO2 emissions.

The thing about changing lightbulbs is that it is much more drastic than you put it. I think its like a 30% energy reduction (well, for lighting)? (Check that) meaning we use less energy and 50% of America's CO2 emmissions come from burning coal to make electricity.


Little Known Fact. Outsourcing is a great way to get around Environmental Laws

Answer 3

A lot of what you say is very true. We can't stop GW by changing lightbulbs and riding bikes but we can slow down the effects that GW is having on our planet.

To stop GW altogether by simply reducing greenhouse gas emissions would require such a massive reduction that we'd have to all but abandon transport, power, communications, industry, intensive agriculture etc. In short, we'd have to return to life in the Middle Ages.

One of the problems with GW is that there's a point where the damage to the planet becomes irreversible - the tipping point. The longer we can stave off reaching this point the more time we're buying to develop technologies that will remove CO2 from the atmosphere or cool the planet by other means.

The climate is always changing, for the entire life of Earth it's either been warming up or cooling down, never static. The difference now is that it's changing so much faster than has ever before been known and it's no great mystery why this is.

There are schemes that are being developed now to combat global warming, they will take years to implement, we need to buy as much time as possible and every little bit helps.

Answer 4

Absolutely! Now the new term covers all bases. They learned (I know, it's surprising) from their global cooling debacle in the 70's (we are supposed to be buried under hundreds of feet of glacier since 2001, remember?) and from the actual fact that the warming trend of the current mini-cycle has peaked. With the new terminology, it matters not whether the planet cools, warms, or stays the same it will be anthropogenic and taxable. New information here from 2007 NOT 2001: The globe is warming. This statement is a lie. The globe is currently cooling. According to the CSSP Report (Karl et al 2007), there are currently nine authorities currently involved in providing a dataset of monthly global temperature anomalies. They are NOAA’s National Climate Data Center (NCDC, GHCN-COADS) NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia (HadCRUT2v) NOAA radiosonde network , (RATPAC) Hadley Centre Radiosonde Network (HadAT2) University of Alabama Lower Troposphere TLT MSU (UAH ) Remote Sensing Systems Lower Troposphere TLT MSU (RSS) National Center for Environmental Protection Reanalysis (NCEP50) European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis (ERA40) Eight of these authorities agree that the globe is currently cooling. Only GISS disagrees.

Answer 5

In the last 2 decades we have had 7 out of 10 top heat breaking record years. Winters are milder. Flowers are blooming earlier. The statistics show that the heat up of the last decade is out of characteristic compaired to another record keeping. Check the facts for yourself.
We can't afford to wait for the 'world to unite' and start working on a grand scale; it will be too late. The inconvienient truth is if all of us (as individuals) start changing our lightbulbs and practice other energy saving short cuts that we can at least HOPE to make a difference and show our concern. No one says you have to stop enjoying your life just because they urge you to change a lightbulb. And if all you believe is that it will save you a dollar or two, isn't that enough reason? I ask you, where is the common sense......

Answer 6

The whole push for more energy-efficient light bulbs is to reduce oil use . Doing that reduces the price of oil, & therefore the ability of countries such as Iran, Saudia Arabia, etc to cause trouble .The global warming part of that is a minor side-effect.

Answer 7

because if we use energy efficient bulbs we can save enegy and if we stop useing so much gas that polutes our world we can have a safer life on it...so the next time u see a car or truck that is blowing out smoke or someone who never turnes the lights off arter they are done ...think about how fast we are destroying this magnificent planet we live on and how much there is to see and discover.. but if we polute the world we will never get to find or see those things...so lets make the best for the planet and the generations to come! i dont know about all of you but i want to take in the full experience of life as we know it before its gone! so lets all work together to save the world!!!

Answer 8

Though you can't reverse course on global climate change doesn't mean you shouldn't drive a hybrid if you can afford it. Or plant trees. Or recycle. Don't have such a fatalistic/defeatist attitude. We can steer a different course and do what's in our power. One person such as Governor Schwarzenegger can get things rolling.

I hope you don't subscribe to the philosophy of let's eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.

Answer 9

The less fuel we use; the better. The global warming in-proof.The more fuel we use. The worse global warming gets. And God haves nothing to do with it. We are the wants that's doing this to the planet. Which god gave us to live in it. We must save our self's. So god can save us threw us.

Answer 10

Countries like Japan and China are eco-crazy. They don't buy things for how cheap they are like we Americans do. They buy them for how energy efficient they are. America obviously doesn't understand how to use "teamwork" with the rest of the world and neither does Russia.