Thinking Environmentally

The environment has been very much in the news these days, or rather stories about people's opinion on environmental issues and whether they have validity. There is a recent article about a radical group that objects to fossil fuels of any kind and wants us to return to a individualistic agrarian society. They made headlines for getting arrested while attempting to halt the delivery of a coal generator destined for a energy plant in NC. Then you get the supposed Climate-gate news about leaked e-mails. These e-mails supposedly say that evidence submitted about climate change and the greenhouse effect is not as solid as has been largely accepted. Then there is the upcoming Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where leaders and scientist from around the world are planning to attend. I have issues with all three of these.

The first.

While I understand that we need to work at using cleaner sources of energy and that renewable sources such as solar, wind and others are hopefully the wave of the energy future, the infrastructure isn't here yet, and the rest of the world is likely far behind those nations who are beginning to implement them. While I also understand that small farms often produce high quality products, they cannot meet the needs of the billions of people on our planet that need to eat every day. On both there are solutions that people are trying very hard to research and implement while at the same time working to help our current system work better. What bothers me about such groups as Rising Tide is that they spend a lot of time and energy, protesting the very thing that allows them to do what they do. They use  electricity provided from coal or nuclear sources to access the internet for their websites, they need to travel, and most likely need to use automobiles to get to their locations. It is quite likely that many cannot produce all their own food, fibers for clothing or even household items like toilet paper and must visit a grocery store. If they are against all the things like they say, then stop using them.

The second

Then there is Climate-gate and those emails. Climatology is an interesting science. It is a bit like fortune telling, you make guesses based on things or trends in the past. Yet one cannot be quite sure things will turn out that way, because we really cannot foresee the future. So again time and energy, is going to be literally wasted as this gets hashed out in the press and the news. Imagine the kilowatt hours that are going to be burned up just "getting to the bottom" of this supposed scandal. Anyone else see the irony?

The third

Then there is the upcoming conference. There is already criticism about this as people fly, often on private planes to gather together. Here is a conference on saving energy, and the reduction of carbon emissions, and yet so much is going to be used just getting to and from Copenhagen, not to mention traveling around the city, using lights in motel rooms, meeting rooms and the conference hall, preparing all that food, cleaning up afterwards, etc. Again, anyone else see the irony?

I am very willing to try to be less of a polluter and try to take small steps to lessen my environmental footprint.  I know that I am not alone as more and more people try to find practical ways to save energy, and use more efficient sources of using that energy, as well as taking simple steps such as composting and recycling. Yet I do wonder at the waste that is being caused and the mixed messages being sent. Not by businesses, power plants, or manufacturing plants. Many of these entities are already working to implement things to reduce their energy footprint and be better stewards of our natural resources. I am thinking of the people who protest so mightily against these entities while still readily using them. I find it rather hypocritical.