Before the reader
dismisses this article as just another one of the many similar authored
writings on the subject, I ask you to suspend judgment and hear me out; and try
to keep an open mind. I do not claim to be an expert and this opinion is just
for information purposes only [doesn’t this sound familiar??]. If after reading
my presentation of some personal reflections you are still not convinced of my
assertions, then I thank you for your time, and by all means hit the ‘delete’
key. Now, after my disclaimer it is time to start this journey and dive right
in. I think there is a difference between Climate Change and Global Warming. As
I see it, Climate Change has more to do with periodic fluctuations in
temperature that the planet undergoes, or has experienced since the earliest
prehistoric times when the glaciers melted. Afterwards, the process reversed
when the planet got cooler and the Ice Age resumed. This dance of nature has
been going on for millennia but Global Warming is something different
altogether and unprecedented in the history of planet Earth.
What I am talking
about is that today there is a gradual and constant worldwide temperature rise,
even taking into account temperature inversions and fluctuations here and there
over the past several centuries, and the only rational conclusion is that it is
caused our activities since the Industrial Revolution at the very least. The
evidence is based on taking samples of ice cores and tree rings using
scientific methods to determine the temperature rate of increase as well as the
average temperature now as compared to thousands of years ago. Even if a panel
of distinguished scientists, climatologists, and environmentalists did not
agree on this phenomenon, the cause(s) should be self-evident; which I will
introduce now. The first cause is people (we, us) or to be more specific, a
planetary population of over nine billion humans; not accounting for all the
members of the animal kingdom. All biologic forms as well as their waste
by-products contribute to the overall heat index. The average human radiates a
body temperature of roughly 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you don’t think
that’s warm try riding as a passenger on a crowded bus without air conditioning.
The second cause is
the overuse of fossil fuels, namely the carbon monoxide (CO) pollution of gasoline-burning
engines from automobile exhaust, but that might be an oversimplification. It
would be more accurate to say that it is hydrocarbons from Petrochemical
refining, fractionation, and manufacturing processes that make billions of
metric tons of nearly indestructible plastic or related components that do not
break down in the environment. It requires a lot of energy to manufacture these
products but these products also contribute to the overall planetary heat
matrix. Besides, remember Einstein’s famous equation: E=MC2
(basically, energy is matter and matter is energy; energy must also have
something to do with generating heat when it is expended). This presents a nice
segue into the Third cause, which is that very piece of equipment, machinery, or
thing (including us) consists of matter, and matter is just a form of congealed
energy. I know this is getting a bit too esoteric but just hang with me a
little bit longer. Energy is released when something is made and not only that
but what device do you know that doesn’t get warm when you use it long enough?
Every system is powered by some energy source and as such, heat is produced in
the operation of it; maybe unless it is some kind of cold fusion process in a nuclear
reactor, I guess.
A fourth cause is all
this stuff that we accumulate, billions if not trillions of metric tons of
heat-producing inorganic disposable waste, junk, demolished scrap material from
buildings, roads, bridges, discarded metal containers, rusting and broken
machinery, equipment, vehicles, and you name it. These objects overflow
landfills and litter the bottom of oceans and collectively with everything
else, warm the planet. This fifth and last cause is something that I learned in
elementary school about the primary colors- white reflects heat and the other
colors absorb heat. How many buildings have their rooftops painted in a coat of
energy-efficient, heat-reflecting white primer? Even the beautiful clothes we
wear with all the wonderful color combinations and patterns absorb heat. There
are only two aspects to this issue- either we use or make things that reduce
the amount of heat produced globally or we add to it. As a final point I find
it quite amusing when politicians among the Democrats, Republicans, Tea Party,
Independents, skeptical scientists, and even a few Evangelical preachers weigh
in on the who is right side of the debate-but all they do is just add more hot
air from all their talking. President Obama and members of Congress just don’t
get it-Green Energy initiatives to support Wind, Solar, Hydroelectric,
Geothermal or nuclear technologies will not work because they would have to
replace all the existing old and least energy-efficient industries already in
place. The Cap-n-Trade policy doesn’t work because it just allows one polluter
to buy credits from another company that doesn’t pollute as much, thus avoiding
the cost of upgrading to more energy-efficient systems; or the company might just
pay the fine for polluting because it might be less expensive in the long run
anyway. Besides all that, the ideal of zero emissions isn’t practical for the
simple reason that it means no output, and that translates into no job; because
that is the only way to not pollute at all is to not produce anything. So, in a
nutshell, Global Warming is here to stay and unless scientists discover a new
form of matter where the energy source does not emit heat when it is used to
power our needs, then I am afraid we have very few or greatly limited options
available to us at this point. You may hit ‘delete’ now.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St Apt
B11
Tacoma, WA 98402
July 6, 2015
