I saw several articles recently related to a recent poll finding "that the number of Americans who believed that man-made global warming was occurring, or that a hotter planet was a serious problem, had fallen precipitously. In April 2008, 71 percent of Americans said that global warming was happening, and 47 percent said it was man-made. In the new poll, only 57 percent of Americans said any global warming was happening, and 36 percent said it was man-made."
It reminded me of an on-air conversation I had with a right-wing radio host in Columbia last year during so-called 'Earth Hour' where people across the country (world?) turned off their lights simultaneously for an hour. This host, by the name of Gary Nolan, was encouraging his listeners to turn ON their lights during earth hour in protest. I was driving home when I heard this and had to pull over and call into the show to point out to him how pathetic that was. We had a fine on-air conversation about some of the negative consequences of energy production. Unfortunately we were cut short by the end of his time slot. After I returned home I felt compelled to write him and e-mail clarifying and expanding on our conversation. It went like this....
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Hi Gary,
My name is C---, I called your show Monday at the end of your discussion on global climate change. I've actually never heard your show before, I just happened to be flipping stations and the topic caught my attention. Therefore I don’t know much about you or your politics. I’m assuming from our short discussion that you are libertarian and I would bet that we could agree on many points. I for one support gun ownership rights, very limited small government, and I dream for the day that people in our society will take responsibility for their own actions rather than forever shifting the blame and making excuses. Above all, I believe in the importance of wilderness preservation and of clean air, water, and land, accessible to everyone, because without those things we cannot have true freedom. Without clean air, land, and water we will always be utterly dependent on those in power for our very lives. Whether that means being forced to buy water from a corporation because we can no longer drink from our own wells (as is the case in many parts of Appalachia due to coal mining and gas drilling) or being dependent on the pharmaceutical corporations for the oxygen we breathe (as is the case for hundreds of thousands of children and adults in the southeast United States who have developed asthma and other respiratory diseases from breathing air polluted by particulates and heavy metals from coal fired power plants and are now dependent on inhalers and medications for their ability to breathe).
When the environment that literally sustains our lives is destroyed and polluted we lose our health and we lose our freedom to live independent lives. I could go on and on about the ways in which freedom and healthy ecosystems are absolutely inseparable. I can only guess at your stance on guns but I am always amazed at how forcefully many conservatives will fight for their right to own firearms while ridiculing those of us who fight for our right to clean air and water, as if a healthy environment is any less critical to our lasting freedom and self-determination.
That is actually what motivated me to call in to your show. When you boasted of turning all of you lights ON during earth hour I felt as though your broader statement was to ridicule and diminish the importance of the work being done to conserve energy and other resources around the world. Like I said on your show, I don’t know if human instigated global climate change is real or not. And I don’t particularly care. I agreed with your guest, the professor, on the point that there probably is no ideal climate for planet earth, the climate moves and changes in cycles and life on earth adapts. My reason for calling was to point out that uncertainty over the global climate situation really should not detract from our resolve to change our habits as individuals and as a society because those solutions invariably address other major issues of public health, national safety, and the extent of our liberty. Global warming or not, our actions have real world consequences. We need to stop mining and burning coal, we need to embrace energy efficiency, we need to change the way our cities are structured so that people aren’t forced to drive, we need bike lanes and more efficient cars, we need to do ALL the things that global climate change activists are working for but we don’t need to do it to prevent global warming; we need to do it because it will make us happier, healthier and make our cities and our planet more pleasant and livable. So fine, debate global warming all you want, but don’t let your skepticism of one issue be an excuse to ignore the inarguable consequences of our way of life.
And yes, like you said, when things get bad enough and resources scarce enough then market solutions will likely emerge. Unfortunately we don’t always have the luxury of waiting for a market solution. If we’re not switching to alternatives until all the coal is gone, then that means my homeland is gone with it. That means the mountains, valleys, rivers, streams, forests, and communities I love and was raised in will have been completely wiped out so the rest of the country (not to mention china) can burn “cheap” coal till the very end. The market doesn’t care about the mountains of my home or the people who have lived in them for generations; the market cares only about the cheapest and most efficient way possible to extract the maximum amount of coal.
I’m interested to learn more about your comments on water ownership rights and how well that has worked where it has been tried. Unfortunately, about 75 percent of the land in the WV coalfields is owned not by individuals but by corporations. So could we sue them for infringement of fishing rights, etc. even if we aren’t waterfront landowners? My other concern is that historically, many if those living in coalfield communities are extremely reluctant to challenge coal company practices, even if they oppose them, because of the likelihood of retaliation against them and their families. In southern WV coal industry employees who speak out against the coal companies lose their jobs. Their family members lose their jobs. Those who don’t work for coal are threatened. Their families are threatened, they are run off the road by coal trucks, their dogs are mysteriously shot. In an economically depressed area with few employment opportunities the choice too often comes down to participating in the destruction of your own community by working the mines or being unemployed (or maybe commuting an hour for a min. wage job at the nearest wal-mart).
Resource and energy issues are close to my heart. Boasting of turning on all your lights to make a point about global warming implies that there are no consequences to our unnecessary consumption, it implies that people are not suffering for our excess. It’s important to remember that people really are suffering when we flip the switch. Right here in our own country.
-C---
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i love you man.
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