The Global Warming Debate

Judging by the response we received from a recent poll that ran in American Vegetable Grower’s e-newsletter, global warming is indeed a hot topic. More than 60% of our readers responding to the poll, however, don’t believe we are in a crisis situation.

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Some interesting comments follow. We have opted not to print the authors’ names, but at the end of the response, we have included the state where the respondent resides.

Fact Of Life

Global warming happens. So does global cooling. Humans have little to say about it in comparison to the sun.

Some scientists, who are not on a political bandwagon or have hands out for grant money, observe that the sun is past its peak for the current cycle, and we had perhaps better be thinking about researching how to grow an adequate amount of food in a cooling climate for the next 25 to 30 years.

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Most of the climate change Chicken Littles only see one solution — more government. I am far more concerned about the rise in socialism than any possible rise in temperatures.

— Oregon

Legitimate Science

“I was raised and spent 40 years as an agricultural scientist and educator (not a climatologist, however) and from what I can determine from “legitimate” scientists, we appear to have signs of increased global warming but not from what some have termed as the “microscopic influence of man’s activities.” Hopefully, science and reason will come to prevail over political emotions.

— Colorado

Global Cooling

I believe global cooling is just as much a threat as global warming. Based on material that I have researched and read, I do not believe we contribute much to either factor. I also don’t believe that we have records over a long enough period of time to determine a cycle that we may or may not be in. I also believe that we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a manner that protects our planet as much as possible for future generations, but not at the helter skelter expense to our corporations requiring that the tail wag the dog.

— Idaho

Raise Skepticism

It is my understanding that very, very few scientists in research positions in the field (meaning those whose livelihood depends on being at the cutting edge of the topic) dismiss the notion of global warming, and most think it is being driven largely by human activities. I heard a 45-minute presentation by a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change speak on the topic at a national meeting; her science was impeccable and her data were overwhelming.

It is the duty of scientists to raise skepticism in the face of any scientific claim. However, the scientific basis for the notion that the Earth is warming is much stronger than the general public thinks. Furthermore, ask yourself two questions:

1. What are the consequences if climatologists are wrong?

2. What are they if the climatologists are right?

If we care about future generations, we really have no choice but to act. I’m not prone to catastrophic thinking, but this really is a scary situation we are creating.

— Kentucky

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