Everyone knows that I read The Economist and from time to time feel that there is something worthy of sharing with everyone here: another simulcast, by the way.
You may have read or heard about how the Antarctic ice cap is melting and how that is PROOF that global warming is nigh and that we are all doomed. The article I am about to refer to says that if all the ice on Antarctica melted today (don't panic, it's not going to happen) then sea levels around the world would rise by 70 metres. In general, this message has been spread far and wide and we are being encouraged to panic because if, say, just 10% of the Antarctic ice melted then sea levels would rise by 7 metres ... Taking a very simple and linear view ... Feel free to tell me that such changes would occur exponentially, geometrically or otherwise and I'll happily concur with the proof. Although The Economist says, Even if part of that ice melted, the sea level would rise dramatically.
Moreover, the article says that of all the ice in the world, about 90% of it is on Antarctica.
It was a surprise for me to read that In much of the Antarctica so little snow falls each year that it is technically a desert. Nevertheless, the article also says that lots of snow falls in the East of Antarctica; and this means, they say, that the Eastern ice sheet is thickening at the moment although the Western ice sheet is thinning at the rate of 10cm to 1 metre a year.
So in addition to redressing the scare tactics of the global warming mongers who only tell us about the Western Antarctic ice sheet, the article also says So far, it looks as if the ice sheets have advnaced and retreated more than 50 times over the past 5 million years. They know this from the work being done on core samples taken from the ice sheets that allow scientists, literally, to drill back in time for many millennia.
My point is this, here in the UK we have had ice ages and now we haven't. In the Antarctic the ice has thickened and thinned: at the moment thickening in the East, thinning in the West. The world may be warming but I really, seriously, ask everyone to learn as much as possible before falling for all of the histrionic hype that we are all climatically doomed.
Yes global warming happens: it happens naturally. Yes man is pumping noxious substances into the atmosphere at an alarming rate: it should stop. The Al Gore film you might have seen, whose title I can never remember, has done more damage to the global warming crusade in my opinion than one excess tonne of carbon emissions. Anyone who watches that film and falls for his nonsense is guilty of the sin of having fallen asleep in their maths lessons and statistics lessons when they were around 14 years of age. Yes, in my opinion, Al Gore is using the maths and stats of the 14 year old to strengthen an argument that in my opinion is not as strong as such people would have us believe.
In conclusion: stop burning and using fossil fuels as a matter of routine for all our sakes, not just to feed this global warming frenzy. Stop driving around in a car with just one occupant: walk when you can, too. Turn lights off that you don't need. Do you really need an air conditioner in your house or office ... really need? Switch it off when it's not vitally necessary. Do you buy processed and pre packaged food and other items where that packaging serves not functional purpose? Stop buying it. Recycle where you can.
I have changed many light bulbs in my house from incandescent to energy saving and now spend just one sixth on them compared to before; and before you say that these new bulbs cost the earth, not at Home Base they don't. I work from home and told one client who wanted me in the office every day that I would continue to do stay at home as much as possible as I was wasting as much as £50 worth of petrol a week to fend off his loneliness: that's around 35 litres of petrol a week I saved. I am a lacto ovo vegetarian and because of that and because I buy loads of fresh fruit and veg, my packaging needs are tiny. When I am alone, I need my rubbish collecting no more than once a month. I recycle my plastic, paper and glass: they don't recycle card board where I live. In addition,once I learned that it could be costing me £1 a week to leave my television on standy by I switch it off at the set every time I go out or go to bed or stop watching it. I also know from carrying out a simple experiment that my laptop uses a lot of electricity when it's in stand by mode
Finally, please read State of Fear by Michael Crichton: it's a novel with some very useful and fascinating information on global warming and climate change. Really well worth reading as he takes the same stand point as me: man is a nuisance because he is doing lots of stupid things with the planet. However, he says, just look at the hype carefully please: you will be shocked at what he tells you. Your mind will, however, be better balanced as a results. The story in the novel is enjoyable too so that's an energy effiicient book to boot! You can read my review of this book here http://www.duncanwil.co.uk/cri.html although I have just found out that the graphics linked to the page have suddenly stopped working ... I'll find the cause and cure it!
Duncan
