Even Scientists Don’t Agree

Anywhere that theory goes, disagreement is bound to
follow. Any set of facts can be interpreted
differently, as the theories of global warning prove.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, two of the
definitions of the word theory include: the analysis
of a set of facts in their relation to one another;
and a plausible or scientifically acceptable general
principle or body of principles offered to explain
phenomena.

There are many “facts” about the earth’s atmospheric
changes; many scientists believe we are experiencing
the start of a warming cycle that could change the
climate so dramatically that humankind would cease to
exist.

Other scientists, using the same data, draw vastly
different theories: the atmosphere is experiencing a
harmless blip in its natural and normal cycle and that
humans only minimally affect the amount of CO2 in the
atmosphere.

There is vast evidence on both sides of the argument,
and there seems to be very little middle ground. Al
Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” and Spencer R. Whert’s
“The Discovery of Global Warming” came to the
forefront in warning us about global warming; Fred
Singer, former Chief Scientist with the US Weather
Program and Professor Wilfred Beckerman, former member
of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution are
just a few of the scientist who view the data from the
opposite angle.

There are innumerable articles, papers and books that
support both sides of the global warning issue. The
only common ground in these opposing camps seems to be
that the data fails to back enough years to be
absolutely indisputable, and that, as good as they
are, computers cannot model nature.

Being “Green”

It seems almost inconceivable to think that starting
my car and letting it run for five minutes to get the
heat or air conditioning going has any effect on the
earth’s pulse, but when you multiply that millions of
times, there’s no doubt that it has a serious effect.

Simple things that we do, or don’t do, have an effect
on our planet’s precious atmosphere. How many times a
week do you go to the coffeehouse and get your coffee
in a paper or cardboard cup? You might have thought
about how many years it takes for that cup to
decompose, but have you thought about the energy that
went into the production and transportation of that
cup? Multiplied by…?

Do you reduce, re-use and recycle? Make it a goal to
reduce the amount of garbage you produce by recycling
and composting. Your town office or city hall will
provide you with a list of how to separate your items
for recycling. Every item that you can re-use or
recycle is one less item in the landfill.

One of the simplest ways to help is to purchase and
use cloth shopping bags. The hard part is remembering
to take them out of the car and into the store, but
once you get into the habit, it becomes second nature.
Resolve to not accept plastic bags in a store.

Traveling in a gas-powered vehicle as little as
possible is a great way to conserve. Walk or bike
whenever and wherever you can; it’ll help the planet
and your health. If you live in the city, use public
transportation. Likewise, if you live in the country,
carpool to work and instead of making several trips a
week to run errands, save them for one trip.

If you take the time to think about your daily
activities, and how you can do them a little
differently, you may find yourself not only helping
the environment, but helping your wallet. Do only full
loads of laundry and dishes; cut your shower by two
minutes; switch to energy-saving light bulbs; turn
your refrigerator and air conditioner up a single
degree and turning off your electronic devices at
night are all painless ways to help.

Challenge yourself to think before you act for a few
days and you will surprised at how easy it is to begin
the process of going green.