RE: [ihc] About those parking brakes .....

[Tom Harais <THarais@xxxxxxxxx>]

Steve:

The Kyoto treaty and it's concept of "global warming" are sacrosanct with
the general public, politicians, media savvy scientists, environmental
groups, the news media and the intelligentsia here in California.  This
includes Dr. Steele (the CARB scientist I was referring to) and the entire
CARB board, which includes a PhD or two along with local polls and
environmentalists.  Even our new Governor has announced his "green
intentions" as of late.  It's blasphemous to speak against global warming
here and I certainly wouldn't do it in public for fear of being ostracized,
beaten or stoned (without benefit of any 49 state illegal substance of
course).  I listened last year, to a local JC professor tell us that one of
the most significant but unreported world news events in recent history was
the signing of that protocol by 100 Nobel Laureates a few year's ago with no
fanfare or press coverage!

On the other hand, although I've heard the protocol is based on "junk
science" and I tend to believe that, I have not seen any good documentation
of respectable sources who think this way.

I've been exposed to a little theory about the earth's climate and it's
history over time.  This is what I think I understand:

The Kyoto supporting scientists are concerned about an average temperature
increase of only one or two degrees and there are only 100 years or so of
human monitored/measured data for comparison in the first place.  Based on
the geological and biological record, the earth's average temperatures have
certainly varied by a lot more than 1 or 2 degrees over a broader span of
time than the last 100 years AND this was due to geophysical forces way
beyond the burning of carbon based fuels by mankind.  The significant
variances happened before the human population had a significant impact on
the biosphere in the first place.  Didn't I learn in anthropology or maybe
geology that that current hotbed of controversy that we now call Iraq,
formerly known as Mesopotamia was probably the Garden of Eden in recent
history geologically speaking?  That what is now desert was once tropical
and the most likely place from which all of the human population of western
civilization sprang?  This desertification, which resulted from radical but
slow climate change happened in the last 10,000 years, a miniscule time
frame compared to geological time?  Wasn't this area known as "the fertile
crescent" within the time covered by the early books of the Bible, Koran or
Torah as well as less religious based references on history?

I'd love to acquire some viable references I can use to upset some of those
who would oppose my ownership and operation of old IHC iron on the grounds
that I'm contributing to the problem of global warming beyond my allotted
amount.  Perhaps you can refer me to such.

:-)


Tom H., '76 Traveler