| During the past 15 years a major world-wide | | | | alternative. |
| controversy has arisen concerning the earth's climate: | | | | As the biggest users of 'dirty energy' western |
| Is it getting warmer? - and if so the cause of this | | | | nations would bare the full impact of these severe |
| phenomena. | | | | measures. |
| Two different aspects of the same controversy, but | | | | The Realists want more concrete evidence of |
| rolled into one by many people. These people assume | | | | change |
| that acceptance of the global warming theory means | | | | The Realists believe that much more scientific |
| accepting that mans' industrial activities are causing | | | | evidence, collected over a longer period of time, is |
| the problem. Such people fail to see that the two | | | | necessary before any definitive conclusion can be |
| issues are separate. Belief in global warming does not | | | | determined. They consider that the 50 years period |
| mean belief in mans' culpability. | | | | that the Alarmists refer to is nowhere near enough |
| The man-made global warming theory polarizes | | | | time to determine the long-term trend in the world's |
| people like no other. Most of the average people | | | | overall temperatures, taking into account the age of |
| who have some knowledge of this theory are | | | | the earth being 4.5 billion years. They point to the |
| divided into two camps: | | | | ups and downs of the earth's temperature during its |
| 1) Those who believe implicitly that global warming is | | | | recent history and suggest that if a period of climate |
| taking place and that man is entirely responsible. I call | | | | change is starting then it's part of an ongoing cycle |
| these people the Alarmists | | | | that happens from time to time. |
| 2) Those who believe that much more evidence is | | | | They say that the relationship between possible rising |
| needed before any categorical claims can be made. I | | | | temperatures and man's industrial activity is at best |
| call these people Realists. | | | | tenuous. The Realists suggests that the Alarmists |
| So lets have a closer look at the points raised by | | | | have to produce much more tangible evidence than |
| these two groups. | | | | what's been presented so far. There is a feeling |
| The Alarmists predict a nightmare scenario | | | | amongst the Realists that some of the Alarmists are |
| The Alarmists believe emphatically that the earth is | | | | whipping up public opinion to further their political |
| getting warmer at an alarming rate, posing a severe | | | | ambitions |
| threat to the continued existence of mankind. They | | | | However, the Realists would agree that a switch to |
| point to the rise in global temperatures over the past | | | | cleaner energy resources would be beneficial in the |
| 50 years and suggest that this has been caused by a | | | | long term, but that the measures suggested by the |
| world-wide increase in greenhouse gases - industrial | | | | Alarmists go too far. |
| and pollution-causing activity - during that same period | | | | Generally, the Realists accept the need to find and |
| and earlier. They also indicate that they believe the | | | | install alternate means of energy for when the |
| problem is getting progressively worse and that | | | | present sources - coal, gas, oil, uranium - expire. The |
| higher temperatures will lead to higher sea levels | | | | Realists also press the point that there are more |
| causing coastal flooding; more violent storms, | | | | important issues to be resolved than the extremely |
| hurricanes, typhoons etc; possible problems in food | | | | slim chance of the Alarmists being proved right. Here |
| production; and a wide number of other situations | | | | the Realists refer to major issues of world-wide |
| that could cause devastating conditions affecting life | | | | poverty; the ever-increasing gap between the rich |
| on earth. | | | | and the poor countries; the decline in the quality of |
| The solutions they propose to halting and then | | | | political governance in Africa; threats of religious |
| reversing the situation include eliminating our | | | | confrontation; as well as the many regionalized issues |
| dependence on oil and coal and embracing 'clean | | | | that have been a source of continuous friction |
| energy' such as wind, solar, tidal power; finding an | | | | between nations for decades. |
| alternative to using oil for transportation; and most | | | | This is an attempt to put some balance into the |
| controversially, heavily taxing users of 'dirty energy' | | | | ongoing international controversy that is the theory |
| to compel them to switch over to the 'clean' | | | | of man-made climate change. |