Is it Global Warming or Climate Change? - Flathead Beacon

By John Fuller

My atheist friends often ask me how can I “accept on faith” such things as the existence of God, Christ’s atonement for my sins and other canons that are the foundation of religion. But when I ask them about their beliefs regarding “global warming” or now that the planet might actually be cooling off, “climate change," they verbalize sentiments that require a greater leap of “faith” than that required of any Christian.

In order to believe that “global warming” or “climate change” exists there are several tenets of “faith” that must be strictly adhered to: (1) any climate alterations must be the effects of man; (2) these climate alterations are “bad”; (3) the climatic effects of man are cumulative; (4) these effects are probably irreversible; (5) the effects have never happened before; (6) they are only caused by developed, industrialized nations; and (7) dealing with them must be done through the centralized control of powerful governments.

It is easier for me to accept on “faith” the tenets of Christianity than to accept the “global warming” premises.

So, I ask the questions: “Why did the dinosaurs disappear?”; “Why did the glaciers disappear?” and “Were those two events bad?”

 

By Joe Carbonari

So God is on your side in this one. End of discussion. I’m not so sure. That strikes me as a cop out. Has God been whispering in your ear?

Don’t cloudy nights seem to be warmer than clear ones? If clouds can slow heat’s dissipation, for me, it’s not a large leap of faith, or thought, to accept that other agents, such as smoke, might do the same. Perhaps even invisible agents such as CO2 may do so as well. Does that mean that there are no natural, cyclical, climatological dynamics involved? Of course not. Have there been world-wide climate changes absent human involvement? Of course.

But if, as the vast majority of the experts in the field believe, human production of CO2 is a significant factor in accelerating a new round of global warming, then I’d suggest that we look at the likely ramifications … and what we might do to lessen their threat.

Rising sea levels and extreme weather. Coastal areas in danger. It all makes sense to me. If we can retard the process, and live more efficiently, isn’t that better than just hoping for the best? For the good of all of us, let’s suppose that God does help those that help themselves.