Xavier has a good post on global warming over at Kete Were. global warming is an irrationally emotive topic.
I've seen and been involved in some pretty heavy debates, mainly around evolutionary biology, but nothing compares to the astounding level of name-calling, labelling, character assassination and hysteria around global warming. Simply offering up an opinion or a dissenting voice, or perhaps a piece of research, opens one up to the most disturbing amount of lazy ad hominems, from both sides of the alleged 'controversy'.
He puts himself somewhere in the middle of the argument, sceptical of both sides, and writes about an evolutionary impact on frogs from rising temperatures. My question is simply why should we interfere in a natural evolutionary process. If species are unable to handle a warmer world they will make way for species that are able to handle it.
There is an excellent wall in Londons Natural History Museum (My New Years Eve destination yippeee) that shows how global temperatures have risen and fallen and the impact that various natural changes have had on species. At various times the earth was enormously hotter and colder than now.
I am a believer that mankind has indeed contributed something to global warming but I think its effect has been grabbed as a tool and completely misrepresented by anti capitalist environmentalists using it to achieve their own neo religious objectives. Instead of the Catholic church telling people they will go to hell it is the environmental doomsayers. Get over your guilt already!
My conclusion is that species that cannot cope with evolution and changes in their climate do not deserve to cope. Having said that, it would be immensely irresponsible to choose to completely despoil our earth when we have the opportunity to preserve what we have. We simply should not blindly follow a stupid Kyoto agreement that would be an immensely costly drag on world growth..
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