danieLion wrote:Dan74 wrote:Would it be better if assertions in all posts here were actually supported by facts referenced from reputable sources?
I mean we can all shout our opinions passionately past each other 'till the cows come home, but what are we actually trying to achieve with this?
Hi Dan,
I do not mean to be facetious, slippery, sophistical, cute or mischievous, but it depends on what you mean by "facts" and "reputable sources."
I've cited what I believe is a reputable geologist (James Hutton), a reputable (living) paleontologist (Greg Graffin, Ph.D), and a reputable physicist (Albert A. Bartlett, Ph.D).
Best,
Daniel
Daniel
You seem to argue that we are not draining the planets resources, that overpopulation is not a legitimate concern and anyway when the Universe explodes again, we are all startdust, so why be concerned at all.
Alex seems to argue that Global Warming is a global conspiracy.
The former position is entirely a matter of perspective and I think a very self-centred and short-sighted perspective in this instance. What Alex asserts is a fringe opinion supported neither by the bulk of evidence nor by the most serious experts in the field. It is similar to the argument that smoking does not cause cancer that held sway among some people mostly supported by tobacco companies, and even a few who should've known better like the great statistician, RA Fisher. Oh, how quickly we forget!
So what I am trying to ask for is to separate opinions from evidence, personal perspectives from facts. You may not care about the planet and you are in good company there - from Louis XIV to Exxon Valdez, there have been plenty of people like that. If you are a rare contemplative, a recluse who shuns modern comforts and massive energy usage bought at a dear expense to this ecosystem - fine. If you are a modern Westerner who is happy to use but not to think where it is coming from and at what cost - this is sheer hypocrisy.
As for what Alex maintains, again this is an emotionally-laden bias that the corporate lobbies and growth-wallah have nurtured successfully in the great US of A and a little less here. There is nothing anyone can say to convince people like this because they are not interested in the facts - the mind's made up. Probably the same with you too, on this topic.
There is so much crap floating around all these topics, I don't know where to start - even this population "calculation" above...