Global Warming, Personal Health, & Finances
Like many people I've been doing a LOT of thinking about global warming. I keep coming back to the realization that many of the actions that are good for the environment are good for personal health and finances.
Drive less; walk or bike more = better health & lower expenses.
Consume less electricity: turn off the tv = better mental health, more personal time, less advertisement driven spending, lower electrical bill, lower personal spending.
Eat less meat = lower food bill, improved health.
I know people who may be concerned about global warming but can't talk about it because they work for an indistry that can't admit the problem exists. It seems to me those folks can still take action and explain their conservation behavior as good for their health finances.
The world will be floundering in rubbish if we don't rethink our practices.
Is anybody out there concerned about how much is being produced for a throw away society mindset? It just amazes and worries me. I hate waste, and our society is becoming very wasteful. I know there are recycling efforts, but is it truly, totally recycling that is happening, or re-use and then toss? It's a hard question, and I don't know if there is a solution as we have travelled so far down the consumerism path. The major countries economies revolve around us buying something they produce to make a profit. Is it too late? Somewhere there is a huge electrical appliance/car etc cemetery. Why aren't industries required to produce items that can be repaired or returned for component replacement or reuse?
On another note......I do feel that I'm trying to do my bit for the world. I try to ride and not use the car. I don't toss out perfectly good stuff just because I would like a change and I take as much as I can to the recyclers to do what they do with it, instead of chucking it in the bin without a thought.
This stuff is probably in the wrong forum - Sorry...:eek:
Where to start suggestions
For those who want to understand global warming better, here are a few places to start:
Rent the movie An Inconvenient Truth. A good overview of the science supporting the theory that global warming is real and a threat to us all.
Read The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery
Quote:
How man is changing the climate and what it means for life on earth.
Mr. Flannery is an internationally acclaimed scientist. I heard him interviewed on National Public Radio's Fresh Air Program. He was a global warming sceptic until he pieced together data he had collected from several trips to New Guniea over a period of years. The book details scientific evidence that supports the theory that global warming is real.
Listen to the show from this link
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5293273
Read Uncertain Science...Uncertain World by Henry N. Pollack
This book clearly addresses the precise language scientists use like "Theory" and "certainty", and explains what it really means. This is the language that people with an interest in business as usualy exploit when they say things like "Well, science has never proved that smoking causes cancer, (or burning fossil fuels causes global warming).
Dr. Pollack is a professor of Geology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. He does research into the historical temperature records that can be derived from core samples in the Antarctic and in rock formations. I attended a lecture he gave last week on this topic. He recommended that we all let our elected officials know that the environment is a high priority with us as voters, and we'll be voting that issue in all upcoming elections. A quote from his lecture: "We have to stop using the atmosphere like an open sewer."
He was also a presenter at the US Global Change Research Program seminar. A good summary is here:
http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrp/seminars/980112DD.html
Please give these careful consideration and try to separate the science from the current political responses. Thanks!