Cross posted to Newsvine.
The other day, I entered a discussion with my math teacher (who happens to have a philosophy degree) on the subject of global warming. It is his position that global warming has been blown out of proportion and is not extremely different than the climate changes that have happened throughout the world’s history. What is going on right now is, in fact, smaller than what has happened before. I saw what he was doing, he even explained it. He was trying to get us to research a topic and come to our own conclusions.
My evangelical friends, however, took it a different way. I have recently branched off of the average Creation debates I have with these friends and have ventured into the touchy subject of global warming or, so the Christianists have redubbed it, climate change. A few weeks ago I asked a one friend whether he believed global warming was happening or not and he replied that he didn’t because “God wouldn’t allow that to happen to the earth before Jesus comes” (That might not be exaclty right but that is what I got out of it). Global Warming and the return of Jesus is a topic for another time but my position now is: “Why does it matter?”
Regardless of whether global warming is happening or not, we should be taking measures to cut down our contribution to the degredation of this planet and its precious resources. Like it or not, we are stuck here for at least the next couple decades, why not make the world a more livable place while we’re here? American’s are too stubborn and large corporations enjoy profits too much. This is the way it was with sweatshops in the late 1990s, until somebody protested the mistreatment of workers. More recently, those who protested the treatment of the environment are labelled as hippies or tree-huggers. Luckily however, green has started to become cool. Corporations are realizing that environmentalists are a lucrative market and major grocery stores have started providing more organic foods.
This is just a small step in the right direction but small steps lead to big changes in the long run. The United States has a tendency to let problems just grow and grow until one day everything explodes in their face but this will not be so with global warming. If the earth is indeed getting warmer, then the signs will be more subtle and, by the time we realize what is happening, it will most likely be too late.
Here in Hong Kong we’re pretty much all set in the belief that global warming is happening now. The weather has gone crazy, a few days ago it was the hottest November ever, now it’s just your average Hong Kong winter’s day, typhoon season came a few months late. Not to mention it, pollution is at its worst ever. But sadly, no matter how many newspaper articles come out, and no matter how many “No Plastic Bag Days” we have, we’re still completely helpless until GuangZhou starts bringing their pollution in check as well. I guess my point is that fighting pollution is a global effort, and not everybody’s heart’s in it.
So true buddy!