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Is the warming of our planet a legitimate issue?
Let me first start this out by saying I don't know much about the whole global warming concern aside from the obvious, so I don't believe one side over the other.
My debate stems from something I saw online yesterday and thought it was somewhat interesting (at least for me): Is climate change an issue we will look back on with regret 10, or even 20 years from now? An issue that is bigger than our own national debt?
Again, no right or wrong answer, but is this our biggest issue right now that is being ignored?
Robert Winner 50+
I would be more impressed if groups focused on one cause at a time and presented logical / rational change and supported that with valid research and projections. People doing their Chicken Little impressions do not usually impress me. On a personal level ... having Al Gore as their spokesperson made me have deep doubts that either the event or the cause leaders are serious. With all of the money donated to the cause over the years .. I would expect more than I have seen. It would be interesting to see how the money is being spent.
TED community members are super liberal and will dominate this discussion with the claim that we are all doomed. That is their right. I however, have not seen any "proof" from one side that has not been refuted by the other side. Until then I must remain neutral.
I do concede that we are doing some pretty stupid things that do not need a rocket scientest to explain how wrong they are.
I wish you well. Bob.
W. Ying 10+
Yes.
It is legitimate.
No body wants to take the risk of self-extinction.
Moreover, to reduce some of the harmful INVALID (ineffective, untrue, unreal) happiness is more than enough to solve this problem.
(For INVALID (ineffective) happiness and OPTIMAL POINT, see the 1st article, points 1-3, 10, 14, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents)
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Pabitra Mukhopadhyay 30+
However, whether it is an issue bigger than, say national debt in your country or corruption in mine is a subjective debate. It's like watching a forest fire at the distance and judging if the wooden horse in your back yard is going to be burnt by the end of the day.
Daryl Roche
Random Chance 30+
Unless you are speaking about the two most destructive populations.
The population of pollution and the pollution of populations of all forms of life.
Other than that, it was, is, and still remains to this day, the mismanagement of the world's resources, by allowing
corporations, countries or even individuals to "own" something that is and should be "un-ownable" by anyone.
If there was a Garden, earth was it. And it has been mismanaged. There is enough for all and was from the very beginning and it was all free, free for all as opposed to a "free-for-all" war.
Climate is not responsible for thirst as a main culprit. It is mismanagement for money, profit and power over others.
There are other issues that are involved merely to cloud the issue and keep people at odds with one another, fighting, killing, resource wars, pollution for profit and so on.
A bigger and more important cause is politics and politicians.
They haven't, don't and won't solve our problems because they don't intend to. Their power rides at the top of the
fraudulent and failure-by-default monetary system, which cares nothing for economy - don't waste, spend frugally
use wisely, save and share.
Truth is the worlds resources belong to everyone and every form of life there is, and there was enough. There still is
Mismanagement and fear-mongering keep telling us there isn't, so those that have will continue to fuck those who don't out of false fear.
Gail . 50+
Right now, climate is responsible for hunger and thirst in parts of Africa and Asia, but it will not be long before the hunger hits the most powerful nations (US, UK, etc). As droughts destroy wheat fields and corn fields, (and as corn is used for fuel rather than food because it's price is better sustained that way), and as automation is destroying jobs daily, there will soon be no one with the ability to consume, and those farmers who still produce will not be able to afford to get their crops to market. (This happened in the Great Depression)
It's not that climate change is more important than the national debt. It is that our fiscal paradigm is as much a threat to humanity's survival as climate change is. And they, along with the population boom, are a perfect storm. It's not the national debt that needs fixing. It is our monetary policy that rewards destruction of humankind's essential needs - clean air and water. We have passed the point of no return already. Now its just a matter of time.
george lockwood 20+
Justin Hardesty