Politics and Society, Science and NatureFebruary 23, 2008 4:37 pm
I saw this quotation on a Starbucks cup a while back and thought it was worth posting.
The Way I See it #289
So called “global warming” is just a secret ploy by wacko treehuggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start 21st-century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don’t let them get away with it!
-Chip Giller, founder of grist.org, where environmentally minded people gather online.
Yesterday I went to Starbucks to pick up some coffee beans for work, which meant I needed a receipt. Printed on the receipt was a survey, which made the receipt about 14 inches longer than necessary, and therefore not very green.
As for the quotation, I think it’s part of the problem as it paints global warming deniers as against those other things. I value clean air, energy independence, etc., yet I am simply not convinced that global warming is the impending disaster it is often depicted as being. There certainly is room for disagreement about global warming, yet if the argument is that skepticism about global warming means the skeptic does not value all those things, then it’s time to get a new argument.
Comment by Timbo — February 23, 2008 @ 5:39 pm
I don’t think I would read such a negative sentiment in the quotation, Timbo. If anything, I think the quotation offers a common ground for those who do and don’t buy into many of the “global warming conclusions” (for lack of a better term). If both sides have a common goal of developing energy independence, why not work together for that? I don’t think we have to completely agree with everyone’s premises in order to cooperate for a similar goal and I think this quotation gives room for those like yourself who say they’re not convinced about global warming’s “impending disaster” to work with those who are concerned about lasting ecological damage from global warming for things such as energy independence and clean air.
Comment by Tyler Watson — February 24, 2008 @ 1:57 pm