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The final word on climate change.
hermitwin
Veteran
Does anyone still have any doubts ?
1
Comments
But I also think we need to look at what Bill Maher is doing about it. First, let me assure you that I'm somewhat of a Bill Maher fan. I watch most of his "Real Time" episodes, and have since they first began. And if I find one of his stand-up specials on cable, I always watch. He's a genuinely funny and witty man. But I'm not at all sure that making fun of the non-believers, making them look (and perhaps feel) like morons is a very realistic way to make them believers. In fact, if anything, it will just alienate them even more. Believing that climate change isn't man-made is no more ridiculous to some people than the idea that some chap could sit under a tree and divine all the workings of the universe. Maher is very funny, but he's not always very wise...or very nice.
In fact, let's not forget what Maher said about Buddhism: "[Buddhism] really is outdated in some ways — the “Life sucks, and then you die” philosophy was useful when Buddha came up with it around 500 B.C., because back then life pretty much sucked, and then you died – but now we have medicine., and plenty of food...Tiger (Woods) said, “Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves” makes us unhappy, which confirms something I’ve long suspected about Eastern religions: they’re a crock, too. Craving for things outside ourselves is what makes life life...I don’t want to learn to not want, that’s what people in prison have to do...And reincarnation? Really? If that were real, wouldn’t there be some proof by now? A raccoon spelling out in acorns, “My name is Herb Zoller and I’m an accountant.” …something?...People are always debating, is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy: it’s a religion. You’re a religion if you do something as weird as when the Buddhist monks scrutinize two-year-olds to find the reincarnation of the dude who just died, and then choose one of the toddlers as the sacred Lama: “His poop is royal!” Sorry, but thinking you can look at a babbling, barely-housebroken, uneducated being and say, “That’s our leader” doesn’t make you enlightened. It makes you a Sarah Palin supporter."
Bill Maher is a very funny man, and I will continue watching his cable shows. But, he really is doing nothing more than what people like Sarah Palin do -- speaking in a way which I feel would be a perfect example of wrong speech...attempting to divide people based on whether or not they are enlightened (pardon the pun) based on his personal beliefs. And, he's doing it for
the good of society and mankind...I mean, he's doing it for money and fame.He's a very funny man. And I like him. But I would hope that the last word on climate change might actually come from someone who can begin to convince the other side, rather than just alienate them more.
New Rule: If we want to give Bill Maher last word status, then we ought to give him the same status on other things -- like his view on Buddhism -- not just on the things that we like him to say.
Bill is a vocal PETA supporter. I abhor PETA. I'm completely in agreement with several animal rescues and wild life conservation organizations, (and have been a long time member of a few), but PETA?? No thanks. I believe they do more harm than good and frankly, their true agenda is outrageous.
Last I heard, Bill is also a vegetarian (not a vegan), and he's a Fat-basher, too.
Now as I've mentioned in this forum before in other contexts, I'm an active Size Acceptance advocate and a HAES (Health At Every Size) supporter, and I do what I can to make people aware of fat stigma, and the bullying and discrimination against fat kids and adults. Bill still makes up fat jokes like an 8th grader.
I may have a thick skin, and yeah, sometimes even I chuckle a bit... but I really would rather he didn't make those kinds of jokes, because even if they are legitimately Funny, overall they are still hurtful and destructive to a cause I hold dear.
So @vinlyn, I absolutely get where you are coming from; I respect Bill's enthusiasm for promoting the acceptance of climate change, etc... but sometimes he uses wrong speech and hurtful language to back himself up, and that turns way too many people OFF - instead of getting them to THINK.
.... Catch more flies with honey and all that, right?
Yes, he does tell fat jokes, as well as makes visual jabs at fat people. And while I am against making fun of fat people (I am one), I also know being fat is causing me lots of problems.
It's part of media's way of getting ratings today. Don't tell the news...have commentators argue about the news. Create division. Funny though he is, he's also part of that problem. I personally have known conservatives who seethe over him.
Honest question.
It took million of years to reach this equilibrium.
Think of an island. Only animal and apes lived there.
Population; 100,000 animals.
100 years later, human has settled and build
a huge city. Population 5 million, with 3 million cars, etc.
It is not Just a question of warmer weather. We are destroying the natural environment and we are polluting it to the point of making it inhabitable.
It is a question about the quality of air and water, etc.
It is also about being far-sighted enough to realize that our children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to deal with the mess.
It is about caring about the balance of nature.
100 yrs ago, people were ignorant. Now we should know better.
The population in China in 1600 was 60 million.
Now, it is 1.3 billion.
Experts say if Chinese live like Americans,
we need another planet earth to provide all the resources they would consume.
Now, you mentioned the population of China, so you must think that the population of China is a problem. What is your solution?
You say that humans didn't create nature. Ok. Who or what did? We just don't know. Balance that you mention has never existed as far back as we can measure. The climate is in constant flux if you take a big enough picture.
What is the perfect temperature? Do we need to be colder? Hotter? Or is now just right? I guess it depends on if you live in Siberia or the Sahara.
Well. let's see, my activities has no impact on the environment.
Ok, the world population is 7 billion and is increasing rapidly.
No problem.
Wonderful.
Let's party.
I really wished you were right...
I am no scientist, nor climate change expert, but let me give this a layman's shot:
Yes, everyone agrees that the Earth's climate, as a whole entity, does in fact cycle through its phases.
However, what Climate Change Deniers (CCDs) refuse to admit is that for some reason, it appears that a cycle which in the past would have taken thousands of years - if not longer - to pass through, is now rushing at us at a phenomenal pace- like only a couple of centuries in duration, instead of thousands of years.
That 'some reason' is one thing and one thing only: human interference/intervention/invasive action; which is speeding up the process like nobody's business. And yes! Pollution is a big factor in that equation as well! Pollution that is now, without a doubt -overwhelming the Earth's, and the atmosphere's, natural cleansing systems...
As for Siberia vs Sahara and why can't we just get over it.... Well what happens in Siberia and beyond, (more melting ice, less snow fall, disappearing ice floes and habitat for wildlife who depend on it, etc) will directly affect every other area of the planet - eventually.
When it starts to rain in the Sahara, instead of areas where rain has always been a constant, sure, maybe we can grow crops in the Sahara then, but what about the kazillion acres of 'rain forests' that will then begin drying out and dying off?
You can't deny that what happens in one ecologically specific area of this Earth has a HUGE affect on the other areas. It does; it's fact. Climate change isn't about the average temperature going up (or down) a few degrees here and there, it's about throwing the Entire Earth's ecosystem out of balance.... maybe forever.
Deniers who stick to their denial against these simple scientific facts; well, I will refrain from name calling or labeling such people. (practicing right speech)
But they are dead wrong (pun intended) if they think rapid, human caused climate change is 'no big deal' in the long run.
Don't drive don't fart don't breathe!, but smell the diesel, the exhaust and the breath. 'Brainwashed - yes you may be, but freedom you know it'
Also, if you think there aren't people or corporations getting rich off of this latest scare you are deluded.
Middle path, people. We are born here, we are gonna die here, and everything that happens around you in the mean time is gonna happen whether you enjoy life, try to do the right thing and be happy or if you wring you hands with worry about the friggin weather patterns, how many little buggers are living in China or if the temp went up .8 degrees in the last 20 years.
He doesn't even know the difference between Britain and England. If he's going to take the piss he should at least get his terminology straight.
People are stupid. Period. Not individuals. People collectively. We have an infinite capacity to ignore obvious truths and justify our own actions and listen to people who tell us what we want to hear. If not, there would be no need for the Dharma.
As for Buddhism, he has a point.
Life on earth especially plant life, could do with a little more carbon dioxide and a little warming. Greenland used to be green. There is nothing man can do if the globe warms or cools.
Some people have an agenda and that agenda is often passed along as gospel. Many Christians think Buddhists worship the Buddha and are Idolaters. Those closer to the subject know better but there is so much wrong information and ignorance that it is hard to inform a Christian otherwise. The earth is not particularly warming, the total ice mass is growing and we couldn't change anything even if that were not true. Please
don't get sucked in by people with a hidden agenda or those like Maher who ignorantly go along with those who have a hidden agenda.
This is also not Buddhism. Care for the earth, our home, is important. Care for each other is also important. Saying high minded things is not the same as knowing and certainly not the same as doing high minded activities. Buddhists can avoid delusion
by following in the Buddha's footsteps and not getting distracted. Best, Dennis
I don't know what your connection is with global warming and Buddhism and Christianity.
Yes, it appears that the ice mass in Antarctica is growing a bit, while the ice mass on Greenland is diminishing significantly. Inconclusive. But, either way, are you planning to live in Antarctica???
You are not a scientist, neither am I.
Please listen to the scientists.
The ISSUE is that like with most things in the west, this topic has become attached to a political view, so those on the left accept anything thrown at them and expect the government to solve something that it can't, and those on the right are expected to totally deny it.
as Ajahn Chah said, one is right, but not correct, and one is correct, but not right.
of course the other issue now is due to grant monies and such science can be controlled and steered in whichever way both sides(or any side) wants it to be.
That is my hidden agenda.
How do we cut emissions and defeat poverty in the world at the same time?
Half the world gets around on motor scooters or bicycles or on foot. What happens if they are no longer poor and want to buy cars and speedboats and snowmobiles.
Apparently there will soon be 100 million Chinese tourist trips made each year.
What will 2 or 300 million be like? They want to fly everywhere like the rest of us.
Travel to, and inside China is huge as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_China
In my view climate change is a done deal.
We better just get used to it.
Too bad so much of the US will turn into a tornado and hurricane ravaged wasteland. Good thing Alaska is so big.
"never ask from the world what it can never give you"
And
"the buddha did not change the world, he made peace with the conditions in it. "
" a healthy environment" is something basically totally out of your control with the exception of some very local/personal actions.
Personally i think overpopulation is/will do much more "damage" to the planet then carbon emissions.
Now if enough people decided it was important enough they would take action locally and that would create change on a massive scale. Social change happens from the bottom up, not top down.
Like all things, not even the universe itself lasts forever, humanity is living on borrowed time, our actions other shorten or extend our lifespan. The dinosaurs lasted over 100 million years, lets see how long it is for us.
But, the one thing that bothers me is when people talk about how bad extreme weather is going to be. THAT is kind of brainwashing, because it's what scientists use to convince unintelligent, unimaginative people that something needs to be done.
The real biggest threat of climate change is millions of people having to quickly change the place they live. It's hard to convey the idea of how rising temperatures will create rising sea levels, droughts and resulting famines, and unusual animal migrations and extinctions that will lead to people having to pick up and move somewhere else, which will lead to refugee crises, increased political and ethnic strife, crime, etc.
Though that's a real possibility, it's a lot easier to scare a not-so-bright person into believing in global warming by telling them that a tornado is going to kill them. Or a tsunami will drown them. Or a wave of climate change will literally chase them down a hallway:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=E87raPj9m0A
I live in the heart of tornado-alley. I've seen a tornado. Yes, they are scary when they happen, and they can be destructive and kill people. But really, your odds of being killed in a car crash are probably astronomically higher than your odds of being killed by a tornado. I'm sure most people who live in hurricane country feel similarly about their extreme weather. Learn the warning signs, take precautions, but beyond that, what else can you do?
I really can't believe that this stuff is becoming significantly more powerful or more common. Knowing the "dirty laundry" nature of the news media, it's gotta just be that they love to have scary disaster stories to cover. It caters right to the huge crowd of disaster and catastrophe enthusiasts out there. It goes beyond just extreme weather (like people who think war and crime are out of control when they're really not compared to other times in human history), but extreme weather is definitely a popular one.
I listen to Coast to Coast AM, and I've listened to tapes of the show going back to 1991. According to all the "experts" who were going on the show, the entire world should have been completely destroyed about a hundred times already by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos, solar flares, asteroid impacts, gamma ray bursts, radiation, swarms of killer bees...all bunk. My BS meter tells me not to buy into this "tornados and hurricanes are going to get stronger, like extreme weather on steroids" stuff either. It's just too similar to all that other stuff.
Lots of "hidden agendas" are just beliefs a person has, with nothing "hidden" about it.
A "hidden agenda" is more like (as an example) when an organization creates a title for itself that hides its real purpose.