During an interesting discussion at work, this article came up. Now, I urge you to read it as it is intended, an abstract. This is simply one article in the myriad of articles on global warming.
Whether or not you believe in global warming is not what I’m interested in discussing here. For the purposes of this note, I do believe it is happening – that is to say I have faith in the scientific evidence to show that global temperatures are rising, as are sea levels and what have you.
What I am still to be convinced about however, is the causes of this rise in temperature – be they man made or natural. Again, that is for another debate. And if you are still to be convinced I would urge you to read around the subject. There is an awful lot of information out there.
No – the point of this piece is the astonishing reaction of one of the directors of my company. Someone who has in the past sent around rather sensationalist literature on the subject of global warming, including urging us all to sign up to the Guardian supported 10:10 campaign. Yes – the same Guardian that deleted any comment from its website on the rather dubious scientific data mentioned in the article above. I don’t think that the 10:10 campaign is a bad one at all, indeed many of its motives are to be lauded, but I object to the campaign for quite a few reasons, which I might go into later.
Anyway – onto the five minutes of mis-guided vitriol, in a torrent of shouting littered with swearing. Quite who it was aimed at was lost in the swathe of noise, although the person that had brought the article up was at this point quietly sinking lower and lower into his chair.
Amongst other things what struck me as amusing was the irony of his diatribe. A passioned belief in “going green” I do not dislike, and in many ways support, but what I find so hard to swallow about the whole global warming debate is the evidence, and how it is used on both sides. And what I dislike most of all is people that take evidence, manipulated or otherwise, and use it to their advantage whilst discounting any contrary evidence at all costs. Indeed, this person said as much about this type of close minded individual, and that they are, amongst many other things, “fucking morons”. And yet, here was someone ranting and raving and claiming that evidence to show global warming is not man made is “fucking bollocks”. Odd, given that this person is an extremely intelligent man.
Or perhaps, sadly, it isn’t odd. How many times has global warming been mis-used for both political and scientific reasons? Too many to count. Whatever side of the argument you are on however, it was a little too much for a Friday morning.