Dear Americans: What are your thoughts on climate change?

Question

There are various opinions being bounded about by several countries and populations. It would be easy to swipe at your Government's opinion but I would welcome your own...

My standpoint:
I am English, I try to be good in terms of the Environment but i'm not as perfect as i'd like to be. I like the fact that our Government and economic industries at least make an effort to try and make amends.

Answer 1

I live in rural Montana and have personally witnessed many changes in the last 10 years. We used to be able to cross country ski on our property when we first started to build out here. I have not been able to do this in several years. The trees are dying all around us do to the on going drought and the pine beetle infestation that goes with the drought. The river that is nearby is shut down for fishing every August it seems for the last several years because the water is so low and it makes the the water too hot for the fish. We have been evacuated twice due to danger from forest fires.... I could go on and on with personal observations but the point is we are in a crisis and we need to realize this. It is shameful that my country is not doing more to combat this situation. In fact they are still "debating whether there is a problem" I wish those in charge would visit my house. I would show them what is happening all around me.

Answer 2

I am an American and do try to do what I can for the Environment also. But passing laws are not that easy to do. First they have to go through the Congress then it goes to the President and if the President kills the bill. There is still hope, however, it has to go back to the Congress to override the President's veto by 2/3. And it is not that easy.
If there could be anything done, I believe that it is going to be up to individual States to get Environmental Laws passed.
And if anything that needs to be done on a Federal level, people need to speak out and tell the Congress, we are tired of this, and when elections come up. If you can't do the job, then we need to get someone in there that can.

Answer 3

I believe Climate Change is a natural cycle the planet we live on goes through and even during it's trends up and down have spikes up and down, just like the stock market. I know the Climatologists are claiming this one is happening much faster than the other climate changes in the past, but I still feel that they can't be 100% sure of that.

(Do a little experiment, put an Ice Cube in your freezer, leave it there and watch what happens to it. I bet it will degrade all on it's own. So are you going to tell me that Ice Outside doesn't do that? That's also blatantly false. I see it happening in the winter all the time, even on extremely cold days. (Subzero, -15 degrees Fahrenheit or -26 degrees Celcius) So to imply that wouldn't happen in Antartica or the Arctic is very hard to believe. And to me that's what they are stating when they claim the Ice Core data is accurate. They are also claiming that their starting numbers are accurate. My mind can't help but question these assertions.)

Edit: I am an American.

Answer 4

Dear British Guy:

My thoughts about climate change are that the planet is getting warmer, mainly due to mankind pumping too much CO2 into the atmosphere.

Try not to use all the answers you see here as a valid random sampling of all Americans. I've been cruising around they Yahoo Environment board for a few weeks, and I've noticed far more GW skeptics and deniers around here than I've ever met in my entire life! It seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that some of them are here constantly spreading doubt because someone paid them to do so. The poll posted by Dana provides a much better view of the American opinion towards global warming.

Answer 5

The fact is there is no credible, conclusive evidence to show that human activities cause any meaningful increase to global warming. It just doesn't exist.

The costs of engaging in reactionary, chicken little-esque, measures to a problem we don't understand will be MASSIVE. Not only in money, but in human life. The kind of cuts being proposed will cause massive economic slowdown on a global scale.

The sheep are always quick to resort to "greedy" this and that.. but they refuse to actually think beyond that. It's not just corporations that will have less money.. it will be the average citizens of countries all over the world, a few billion of which are barely able to feed themselves now.

Before you blindly follow the crowd here.. at least take the time to understand the true cost of what you're asking for.

Answer 6

I am an American living in England. When it comes to everyday life and what people do for the environment I can't see that the average Briton does anything more than the average American. We can't control what our government or company ceo's do.
I am also a bit sceptical about the whole global warming thing. This planet has gone through several ice ages and hot ages, how does anyone know that this is not what is supposed to happen? Now people are saying that the hole in the ozone is shrinking. Make up our minds.

that first answer really was a long winded answer

Answer 7

Here is the science:

The ice age was caused by the heating of the oceans melting the polar caps. This heating of the oceans came from heat INSIDE the Earth not from the surface.

The climate is always changing; change is the norm. Two centuries ago, much of the Northern Hemisphere was emerging from a little ice age. A millennium ago, during the Middle Ages, the same region was in a warm period. Thirty years ago, we were concerned about global cooling!!!!

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, environmentalists want people (especially those living in capitalist countries) to believe their conduct is causing global warming and, thus, destroying our planet. Therefore, environmentalism has capitalism in its crosshairs.

Answer 8

I think climate change is natural. We are nearing the end of an ice age. It's happened before and it will happen again. I think we, man in general, shouldn't put our own needs and wants in front of the earth's by attempting to change her natural cycle. My gut tells me that we will cause more harm by attempting to delay the end of an ice age (for our own convenience -- our own selfishness -- our own wants and needs) rather than allowing the earth to do as she must and learning to adapt and deal with her cycles. We should serve her...she shouldn't have to serve us.

My particular religion is very tied in with nature and I think we need to respect her in every way. I own an organic farm. I drive a hybrid vehicle. I work with environmental programs in restocking our lake. I compost on a large scale and recycle diligently. I have a windmill and use it for much of my energy uses. At times, I can even sell my excess back to the power company. I've considered adding additional windmills to begin "wind farming" but am having difficulty with local restrictions.

I am also an American and a republican. I love this earth and try not to damage her, but I certainly think that attempting to stop her cycle of climate changes because it's more beneficial to us is a huge mistake.

Answer 9

Firstly, let me say that the first answer was a load of hot air, irrelevant, long-winded and crap. Oh yes, and typical American. 6% of the world's population consumes 27% of the world's energy? And then they come out with all these comments about, it's not too dramatic, or, we are going through a hot climate phase.

And still they continue to waste energy like hell and then make the situation even worse by supporting the world's worst pending ecological disaster, the tar oil sands excavations in Northern Canada.

I am not anti-American, but it angers me that there is really little being done on energy conservation, just a few politician mouthing platitudes. As for "green" education, this almost does not exist. The AC units continue to run, winter as well as summer, but sooner or later something will have to be done and here America is well behind Europe.

Answer 10

The climate always changes. This is only natural. Man doesn't cause the climate change.

We should do what we can to be good stewards of the environment. We should do what we can to reduce pollution, including green house gases.

But we shouldn't enact laws based on faulty science, like the science behind "global warming".