The World's Longest Emergency Is Called Off

by mememine69 | November 20, 2008 at 11:25 am

555 views | 84 Recommendations | 25 comments

I have been an active advocate for the environment all my life of almost 60 years. I’ve done the earth day thing, marched and helped clean up riverbanks. I was in step with my brothers and sisters in what is obviously the most important issue of our time. Or is it? I did a thought experiment and did some research that you should all take note of. I told myself to be open minded about my usual google searches that have always reinforced my beliefs in the environmental causes, especially the CO2 theory. I stopped demonizing the other side of the CO2 theory and thoroughly read up on questioning the validity of what is now a 23-year-old theory. Let that stick in your mind for a while. Call it a quarter of a century of a pending climate crisis. The reason I tell you this is because I’ve been on this crisis train since the beginning. I’m tired. I’m tired of telling our children that they probably won’t have grand kids. That isn’t an exaggeration because we call it a climate crisis after all. Never heard of a good crisis. Have you?

It bothers me as an environmentalist that we can only achieve our goals through some sort of a threat that produces fear and crisis. Why can’t we all work together to preserve, protect and respect our planet? Have you ever talked to someone and said something about the weather and they look up with a glassy eyed and worried look on their face and say, “Yes, what IS going on with this weather? Something is out of wack. This just isn’t right.” Are we fearing FOR nature now instead of fearing IT? I enjoy clear blue skies and breath in fresh air and who would miss the smoggy 50’s, 60’s and 70’s when a river caught fire in Ohio. I’m student of Rachel Carson and a lot of you probably don’t even know the name. That is sad. She brought in all the protections, laws and standards that made the environmental movement accomplish so much in such a short amount of time almost half a century ago. This is about the CO2 theory, that’s all. I don’t believe it anymore but I’m still trying to look at environmentalism without the threat that the theory has presented us. What is left is a world that needs to get off war causing oil and to maintain the successes that environmentalism has accomplished. We don’t need to fear anymore. We can all lead environmentalism down the responsible road now.

Thanks for your time but please consider one last point. We are living longer now than at any time in human history as a species so it’s plainly obvious that the environment is not killing us. We have so much to be thankful for and like I said, let’s protect, preserve and respect our natural world. Because time has proven the CO2 theory to be a self-fulfilling prophecy after two and a half decades of predictions. Now we can now continue with optimism, not fear.

Does anyone understand where I’m coming from in trying to abandon the CO2 theory? Is anyone else willing to join me because I’m kind of alone with it now? I don’t mind being remembered for living through the Disco era but I refuse now to be laughed at in history for believing in the CO2 crisis. I’m convinced that not only where WMD’s a neocon lie, but so is the climate change theory. I think we all have to man up to our mistake and stop spreading so much fear into our culture. It’s a beautiful planet and I refuse to believe any longer that it is dying by human hands.

Pollution does not stay in air forever, volcanoes? She’s a 5 billion year old planet and I think she is more resilient than we give her credit for. I’m going to embrace earth, not fear for it any longer.

At first they just came for the light bulbs and I did not speak out.

Because these days, I like to hide out in the darkness of my nice warm basement.

Then they came for the plastic bags and I did not speak out.

Because I was already using the replacement bag they had issued to me as per the minimum consumption laws made of 100% Polyester (imitation weave no less).

Then they came with this giant, tandem diesel powered monster of a truck to pickup and compost my “bagged” leaves and I did not speak out because I didn’t have any bags.

So they issued me their new paper bags with 100% of the 30% portion being recycled paper, or a 70% loss in real trees.

Then they came for my oil and I did not speak out.

Because they had already confiscated my Smartcar and recycled it into a wheelbarrow that they forced me to use every Earth Day to help them discover new sites to plant more and more and more trees.

Then they came for the BBQ and I did not speak out.

Because it doesn’t matter what the F*&% you do to a vegetarian hotdog, it still tastes like $hit.

Then they came for the air conditioner and I did not speak out.

Because by this time, the inevitable cool climate trend had cycled in once again as it has for billions of eons all by it’s poor little self, for reasons we do not and may not ever understand.

Then they came to register me to vote, and I did not speak out.

So they impaled my poor little weed infested, pesticide free front lawn with one of their plastic Green Party reelection signs.

Finally they came for me and I COULD not speak out.

Because there was nothing left to give, or take.

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Amy Judd

at 11:34 on November 20th, 2008

Very interesting opinion piece. I agree with what you are saying here; we are definitely living in a culture of fear, for everything. And it's all tied to the environment. The fear of climate change, global warming, sea levels rising and the lack of money in this current economic crisis to do anything about it.

JeffHuang

at 11:36 on November 20th, 2008

Very interesting piece. Thanks

poolparty

at 11:39 on November 20th, 2008

great opinion piece!

sara star

at 13:45 on November 20th, 2008

I agree with you. We need a new paradigm shift, away from fear and war. There is no emergency. I believe people's views are shifting and we are reclaiming our power.

The newest ideas talk about the Power of Intent.

What we focus on Expands. What we resists, persists. I think this is partially what you are talking about.

Studies done on prayer (a type of focus and intent) show that patients do much better even when they don't know they are being sent prayers.

Quantum Entanglement states two entangled systems appear to interact across large spatial separations. A complex subject, but to me it means that what we do here (especially our thoughts), can affect faraway nations.

As a human being, we are more powerful than we can ever imagine. I have always said that the power of thought is the strongest energy there is on this planet.

Let's choose love and peaceful thoughts, even for those that seem to plunder the earth.

LIVE NOT IN FEAR CREATED BY OTHERS, BUT IN LOVE CREATED BY SELF.

I would also recommend the magazine called Shift (Noetic Science). Their founder is astronaut Edgar Mitchell . They marry science with spirit, coming up with a more appropriate language and way to communicate.

sara star

at 13:52 on November 20th, 2008

Good stuff Mememine69! Is this really your first story? Look forward to more. On the contrary, I believe that happy stories do sell papers.

mememine69

at 14:06 on November 20th, 2008

I'm a playwrite and won this big award for a comedy I produced about this subject but I can't get it performed anywhere. I'll keep trying.

playingwithmatches.ca

Paschen

at 14:24 on November 20th, 2008

Interesting, however not objective. Perceptive and good yes.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 15:36 on November 20th, 2008

Very interesting Opinion! Thanks for this!

danesller0127

at 16:08 on November 20th, 2008

Very timing! Thank you for sharing...

Paschen

at 16:32 on November 20th, 2008

Emergency yes there is as far as environment goes and yet the facts have to be based on sound science!

Emilio Lizardo

at 17:39 on November 20th, 2008

Does anyone understand where I’m coming from in trying to abandon the CO2 theory? Is anyone else willing to join me because I’m kind of alone with it now?

Personally, I am tending toward the opinion that our Sun is warming up. This is not at all a scientific opinion, just my read of the current situation on our planet where we see things like skin cancer rates sky-rocketing, aurora borealis activity on the increase, sometimes even visible in Florida now, and, oh yes, last but not least, global this, and global that ...

Of course, it could all be a bunch of coincidence, and I am not saying we're not making far too much Co2 - we are ... but remember - we chopped down most of the rain forests now, and most of the ocean reefs are dead or dying. These systems formerly converted Co2 back into oxygen and now they're gone ...

Anyway, it seems like there's lots of evidence the other planets in our solar system are warming up as well ...

Which is all fine - as long as the Sun doesn't warm up too much ...

Barbara McPherson

at 18:43 on November 20th, 2008

I enjoyed reading your piece, but I disagree with you. Humans are pushing to extinction many species of living things even before we're aware of them. We are experiencing climate change, some of which may be normal oscillations, but some is pushed by release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The oceans obligingly absorb CO2 and so mop up most of the excess. Already the pH of the oceans is swinging towards more acidity. This will spell disaster for the shelled organisms. (Remember the old experiment with the egg in the coke beaker?). As the oceans warm up, even a teensy bit, the water expands and raises sea levels. Most of the world's great civilizations live close to present day sea level. So, I think the world has two choices, modify behavior to live in greater harmony with nature or party hearty until we wreck the place.

Barry Day (not verified)

at 01:00 on November 27th, 2008

Barb,Please Google and read;

A Compilation of the Arguments that Irrefutably Prove that Climate Change is driven by Solar Activity and not by CO2 Emission

http://alsblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/time-for-an-australia-new-zealand-royal-commission-o

Lazylizards

at 03:19 on November 21st, 2008

I just finished reading "The State of fear" by Michael Crichton who's no fan of environmentalists. (Learnt he's just passed away, God bless his soul.)

Arguably, if you extend your argument further, you could end up with the same conclusion as that of the main fictional character in the novel, that states (and pressure groups) impose a perpetual state of fear in its subjects so as to control them. Global warming is only the latest weapon.

Great piece. We need more independent thought.

sara star

at 04:42 on November 21st, 2008

We should all read it. Me included. Thanks for the message.

Adam Purple

at 05:33 on November 21st, 2008

Yours is interesting point of view, world-weariness from world-saving. I agree that all sides (some more than others) seem to cultivate fear as a means of influence, and I myself would prefer to focus on an optimistic future. But just because climate scientists have been raising the alarm for so long doesn't mean that the threat itself is trivial, or imagined. I prefer to think that had we only given greater credence to these alarms years ago, we would have already taken positive action toward a positive outcome.

sara star

at 05:53 on November 21st, 2008

Well put... focusing on an optimistic future.

reno_fog

at 08:31 on November 21st, 2008

Outstanding piece... I just put up a story on the Arctic and ice cover... I do wish we could all come to a conclusion.

No fear and no war best idea yet

sara star

at 10:08 on November 21st, 2008

What we resist, persists.

From Eckhart Tolle's book : Despite the war against crime and drugs, there has been an increase in crime and drug related offenses in the past 25 years ; 300,000 in prison in 1980, now 2.1 million in 2004. Also he mentions the war against disease, brought us antibiotics for infections, but now the bugs have mutated into non-treatable superbugs that are worse. As a nurse, I never understood why we give tylenol for a temperature, and blow out the natural healing process. Then we turn around and give them antibiotics, instead of letting our bodies build up natural antibodies.

Perhaps it is the intent behind the whole thing. If it is based on greed, it will amount to no good.Nature's quantum physics.

Perhaps we should let nature do its work, which it will in the end anyways.

robertopastor

at 05:07 on November 22nd, 2008

robertopastor has contributed a photo to this story.

digital deadhead

at 08:47 on November 22nd, 2008

Probable Solutions to Global Warning but need Scientific help at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/salmo_gairdneri/2223733306/

mememine69

at 10:19 on November 22nd, 2008

Global warming is a solution looking for a problem.

And instead of showing pictures of windmills, show pics of drowning polar bears, falling ice and torandos everywhere.

Do polar bears, windmills, falling ice and rising sea levels cause global warming? One would think so when all global warmers talk about are the affects of this aging 23 year old theory. Polar bears do not cause global warming. Show us the proof. Even the IPCC is quoted as saying they are "90%" sure. Now thats science.

digital deadhead

at 15:53 on November 22nd, 2008

just check it out before commenting if that is what you were doing, mememine69 ?

mememine69

at 13:44 on November 27th, 2008

The global warming theory predicts a dim future for our planet. My daughter sarcastically said that means she will never have grand kids and if she does they will be suffering an unimaginable hell on earth, on a dying planet. That is exactly what this now hotly debated CO2 theory has been predicting for almost a quarter of a century. This 23 year old theory hopefully will be laughed at in history because I’ve seen first hand that humans cannot permanently harm the environment let alone change the temperature of the planet. We have an entire generation that is afraid of an invisible demon in the sky called CO2, one of the building blocks of life, and it makes my beer nice and fizzy.J

I vote we encourage the joy of nature, to preserve and protect nature and most of all to respect nature. I do not what to bring another generation into this world that is of the belief that we need to save our 5 billion year old planet from what is obviously a mistaken crisis.

Our impact on the planet is like farting in a tornado. How has pollution affected you personally? Do you have some 1970’s soot on you? Are you living like us, with longevity rates greater than at any time in human history? Ya ya oil is bad for peace but back in 1900 they wondered what to do with all of the horses needed by the year 2000.

A lot of libs think that critical thinking and reasoning is somehow heartless and cruel. Heartless yes because we think instead of just react with emotions but isn’t making the correct decision better for all of us rather than letting emotion dictate consequences that we all “feel”?

I think that this aging 23 year old theory that taps into every emotion from it’s willing believers is typical liberal “feeling” to “heartlessly” instill needless fear and crisis as the only method of motivation. I think that global warming is a myth if La Nina is stronger than all of the magical powers of “glowbull whining”.