Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 This came to the owners-group - so I am forwarding it on. Jo Hello!We just went to see "An Inconvenient Truth" last night - and your message below is right. I thought I understood global warming... Wow, I was shocked at how much more there was that I just didn't grasp at all... It was seriously eye opening.I came home very motivated to make a bigger difference - and I've done some more reading online. Its overwhelming, the number of resources out there for living "greener." I have found ways I would never have thought of for reducing my enviromental footprint. One thing I am intrigued by is the notion of supporting renewable energy sources. Has anyone dealt with supporting green energy and becoming carbon neutral? Which group(s) are most reputable - are there any that aren't?? If I want to contribute, who does everyone recommend?Thanks!Fairy Realm Girlps - Our local movie house is showing "Who Killed the Electric Car?" this week as part of their annual film festival - has anyone seen it? Any recommendations?oh yes - another thing I recall somebody sending in was an article about the myths of bottled water... but I've since lost the link. Does anyone remember that posting? Again - I was shocked to learn that what I thought I was doing right for my health was so very wrong for the environment... , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:>> Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming> > August 16, 2006 â?" By Dr. David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation > Have you ever been to a focus group? They're very odd. Often used in marketing research, these small selections of randomly chosen people are brought together as a sampling of public opinion to gauge how folks feel about a particular product or issue. > > Recently, my foundation conducted a focus group about global warming to see where people are at in their understanding of this complex and challenging problem. The results? Let's just say they were disconcerting, to say the least. > > Simply put, most people don't have a clue. The majority felt that global warming was a pretty important problem and they were concerned about it. But when pressed as to why it was a problem or what caused the problem, all heck broke loose. > > Apparently, according to the average Joe, global warming is happening because we've created a hole in the ozone layer, allowing the sun's rays to enter the atmosphere and heat up the earth -- or something like that. The cause of the problem is cars, or airplanes, or aerosol cans. No one really knows for sure. > > This is really quite remarkable. I would have thought that such confused understandings of the issue would have been commonplace five or six years ago, but with global warming being in newspapers on practically a daily basis this spring, on the front cover of magazines, in theatres (An Inconvenient Truth), and a hot political issue as well, surely people would get it by now. > > Apparently I was wrong. People don't get it. This is a big problem, because if people don't get it, then they don't really care, so politicians and CEOs don't really care, and status quo rules the day. And blindly we march into the sunset. > > But while science magazines are all talking about carbon sequestration and climate-forcing mechanisms, the average person is still trying to decipher the nature of the problem itself. True, few citizens need to understand the complicated nuances of atmospheric science or the various mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, but people cannot care about things they do not understand. If our leaders are to take the issue seriously, the public must have at least a basic understanding of it. > > So, to clarify -- the ozone layer is a part of the atmosphere way up high that helps shield the earth from the sun's most harmful rays. A couple of decades ago, scientists realized that some of the chemicals we were using in our industries and homes were finding their way into the upper atmosphere, reacting with the ozone and destroying it. Scientists were concerned that if this continued, it would thin the vital protective layer, leading to increased skin cancers and crop damage. They sounded the alarm bell, the international community responded with the Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone-depleting substances, and today the ozone layer is gradually healing itself. > > Global warming is a quite different phenomenon. Again, it's a human-made problem, but this time it's due to the heat-trapping gases we are putting into the atmosphere from our industries, cars and homes. These gases act like a blanket, keeping more heat near the earth's surface. More heat also means more energy in the atmosphere, which means more frequent or severe extreme weather events like droughts, storms and floods. > > With each new piece of research, the expected effects of global warming become clearer, more urgent and more disturbing. Scientists say this will be one of the biggest challenges humanity will face this century. Right now we are not tackling the issue fast enough or direct enough to escape the most severe consequence. > > So if you understand what global warming is, and what it isn't, please tell your friends. Please speak up and help ensure that we don't continue to grope blindly into the future, searching in the darkness for a light switch. Because at this rate, by the time we finally reach it, it may no longer work. > > Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org. > > ENN welcomes a wide range of perspectives in its Commentary Series. To find out more or to submit a commentary for consideration please contact ENN's editor, Carrie Schluter: carrie > > > "NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President."> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 - jo Monday, September 11, 2006 6:26 PM Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming This came to the owners-group - so I am forwarding it on. Jo Hello!We just went to see "An Inconvenient Truth" last night - and your message below is right. I thought I understood global warming... Wow, I was shocked at how much more there was that I just didn't grasp at all... It was seriously eye opening.I came home very motivated to make a bigger difference - and I've done some more reading online. Its overwhelming, the number of resources out there for living "greener." I have found ways I would never have thought of for reducing my enviromental footprint. One thing I am intrigued by is the notion of supporting renewable energy sources. Has anyone dealt with supporting green energy and becoming carbon neutral? Which group(s) are most reputable - are there any that aren't?? If I want to contribute, who does everyone recommend?Thanks!Fairy Realm Girlps - Our local movie house is showing "Who Killed the Electric Car?" this week as part of their annual film festival - has anyone seen it? Any recommendations?oh yes - another thing I recall somebody sending in was an article about the myths of bottled water... but I've since lost the link. Does anyone remember that posting? Again - I was shocked to learn that what I thought I was doing right for my health was so very wrong for the environment... , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote:>> Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming> > August 16, 2006 â?" By Dr. David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation > Have you ever been to a focus group? They're very odd. Often used in marketing research, these small selections of randomly chosen people are brought together as a sampling of public opinion to gauge how folks feel about a particular product or issue. > > Recently, my foundation conducted a focus group about global warming to see where people are at in their understanding of this complex and challenging problem. The results? Let's just say they were disconcerting, to say the least. > > Simply put, most people don't have a clue. The majority felt that global warming was a pretty important problem and they were concerned about it. But when pressed as to why it was a problem or what caused the problem, all heck broke loose. > > Apparently, according to the average Joe, global warming is happening because we've created a hole in the ozone layer, allowing the sun's rays to enter the atmosphere and heat up the earth -- or something like that. The cause of the problem is cars, or airplanes, or aerosol cans. No one really knows for sure. > > This is really quite remarkable. I would have thought that such confused understandings of the issue would have been commonplace five or six years ago, but with global warming being in newspapers on practically a daily basis this spring, on the front cover of magazines, in theatres (An Inconvenient Truth), and a hot political issue as well, surely people would get it by now. > > Apparently I was wrong. People don't get it. This is a big problem, because if people don't get it, then they don't really care, so politicians and CEOs don't really care, and status quo rules the day. And blindly we march into the sunset. > > But while science magazines are all talking about carbon sequestration and climate-forcing mechanisms, the average person is still trying to decipher the nature of the problem itself. True, few citizens need to understand the complicated nuances of atmospheric science or the various mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, but people cannot care about things they do not understand. If our leaders are to take the issue seriously, the public must have at least a basic understanding of it. > > So, to clarify -- the ozone layer is a part of the atmosphere way up high that helps shield the earth from the sun's most harmful rays. A couple of decades ago, scientists realized that some of the chemicals we were using in our industries and homes were finding their way into the upper atmosphere, reacting with the ozone and destroying it. Scientists were concerned that if this continued, it would thin the vital protective layer, leading to increased skin cancers and crop damage. They sounded the alarm bell, the international community responded with the Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone-depleting substances, and today the ozone layer is gradually healing itself. > > Global warming is a quite different phenomenon. Again, it's a human-made problem, but this time it's due to the heat-trapping gases we are putting into the atmosphere from our industries, cars and homes. These gases act like a blanket, keeping more heat near the earth's surface. More heat also means more energy in the atmosphere, which means more frequent or severe extreme weather events like droughts, storms and floods. > > With each new piece of research, the expected effects of global warming become clearer, more urgent and more disturbing. Scientists say this will be one of the biggest challenges humanity will face this century. Right now we are not tackling the issue fast enough or direct enough to escape the most severe consequence. > > So if you understand what global warming is, and what it isn't, please tell your friends. Please speak up and help ensure that we don't continue to grope blindly into the future, searching in the darkness for a light switch. Because at this rate, by the time we finally reach it, it may no longer work. > > Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org. > > ENN welcomes a wide range of perspectives in its Commentary Series. To find out more or to submit a commentary for consideration please contact ENN's editor, Carrie Schluter: carrie > > > "NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President."> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2006 Report Share Posted September 11, 2006 i saw " who killed the electric car " about a month ago i'd recommend it... >fairyrealm_girl <fairyrealm_girl >Sep 11, 2006 10:24 AM >-owner >Re: Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming > >Hello! >We just went to see " An Inconvenient Truth " last night - and your message below is right. >I thought I understood global warming... Wow, I was shocked at how much more there >was that I just didn't grasp at all... It was seriously eye opening. >I came home very motivated to make a bigger difference - and I've done some more >reading online. Its overwhelming, the number of resources out there for living " greener. " I >have found ways I would never have thought of for reducing my enviromental footprint. >One thing I am intrigued by is the notion of supporting renewable energy sources. Has >anyone dealt with supporting green energy and becoming carbon neutral? Which group(s) >are most reputable - are there any that aren't?? If I want to contribute, who does everyone >recommend? >Thanks! >Fairy Realm Girl >ps - Our local movie house is showing " Who Killed the Electric Car? " this week as part of >their annual film festival - has anyone seen it? Any recommendations? >oh yes - another thing I recall somebody sending in was an article about the myths of >bottled water... but I've since lost the link. Does anyone remember that posting? Again - >I was shocked to learn that what I thought I was doing right for my health was so very >wrong for the environment... > > , fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: >> >> Public Doesn't Understand Global Warming >> >> August 16, 2006 †" By Dr. David Suzuki, David Suzuki Foundation >> Have you ever been to a focus group? They're very odd. Often used in marketing >research, these small selections of randomly chosen people are brought together as a >sampling of public opinion to gauge how folks feel about a particular product or issue. >> >> Recently, my foundation conducted a focus group about global warming to see where >people are at in their understanding of this complex and challenging problem. The results? >Let's just say they were disconcerting, to say the least. >> >> Simply put, most people don't have a clue. The majority felt that global warming was a >pretty important problem and they were concerned about it. But when pressed as to why it >was a problem or what caused the problem, all heck broke loose. >> >> Apparently, according to the average Joe, global warming is happening because we've >created a hole in the ozone layer, allowing the sun's rays to enter the atmosphere and heat >up the earth -- or something like that. The cause of the problem is cars, or airplanes, or >aerosol cans. No one really knows for sure. >> >> This is really quite remarkable. I would have thought that such confused understandings >of the issue would have been commonplace five or six years ago, but with global warming >being in newspapers on practically a daily basis this spring, on the front cover of >magazines, in theatres (An Inconvenient Truth), and a hot political issue as well, surely >people would get it by now. >> >> Apparently I was wrong. People don't get it. This is a big problem, because if people >don't get it, then they don't really care, so politicians and CEOs don't really care, and >status quo rules the day. And blindly we march into the sunset. >> >> But while science magazines are all talking about carbon sequestration and climate- >forcing mechanisms, the average person is still trying to decipher the nature of the >problem itself. True, few citizens need to understand the complicated nuances of >atmospheric science or the various mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, but people cannot >care about things they do not understand. If our leaders are to take the issue seriously, >the public must have at least a basic understanding of it. >> >> So, to clarify -- the ozone layer is a part of the atmosphere way up high that helps >shield the earth from the sun's most harmful rays. A couple of decades ago, scientists >realized that some of the chemicals we were using in our industries and homes were >finding their way into the upper atmosphere, reacting with the ozone and destroying it. >Scientists were concerned that if this continued, it would thin the vital protective layer, >leading to increased skin cancers and crop damage. They sounded the alarm bell, the >international community responded with the Montreal Protocol to phase out ozone- >depleting substances, and today the ozone layer is gradually healing itself. >> >> Global warming is a quite different phenomenon. Again, it's a human-made problem, >but this time it's due to the heat-trapping gases we are putting into the atmosphere from >our industries, cars and homes. These gases act like a blanket, keeping more heat near >the earth's surface. More heat also means more energy in the atmosphere, which means >more frequent or severe extreme weather events like droughts, storms and floods. >> >> With each new piece of research, the expected effects of global warming become >clearer, more urgent and more disturbing. Scientists say this will be one of the biggest >challenges humanity will face this century. Right now we are not tackling the issue fast >enough or direct enough to escape the most severe consequence. >> >> So if you understand what global warming is, and what it isn't, please tell your friends. >Please speak up and help ensure that we don't continue to grope blindly into the future, >searching in the darkness for a light switch. Because at this rate, by the time we finally >reach it, it may no longer work. >> >> Take the Nature Challenge and learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org. >> >> ENN welcomes a wide range of perspectives in its Commentary Series. To find out more >or to submit a commentary for consideration please contact ENN's editor, Carrie Schluter: >carrie >> >> >> " NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may have >read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this without any judicial >or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor protection save to call for the >impeachment of the current President. " >> > > > > > > > If George Bush said that the Earth was flat, the headline would read, " Views Differ on Shape of the Earth " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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