The Human Footprint and Self-Loathing?

Question

For eons, life on earth has had one goal: To survive on a planet that is trying to kill it. In fact, earth has killed 99.9% of everything that has ever lived on it.

Bacteria and plants have drastically changed the earth since their inception, changing the climate and chemical composition of the planet and atmosphere forever with oxygen.

When I see a human footprint, I am proud of us for mastering our environment and providing even more CO2 as of late to help plants grow better. Scientists have grossly overstated the impact (which they can never know) to our planet as a result of our remarkable survival.

Do you think that you have been made to loathe and hate yourself by liberals? Do you think that if you didn't hate yourself and humanity that you would have a different outlook on global warming and your belief on its ultimate origin and outcome? Would you be more concerned with the wrath of the planet and preventing disasters that are actually inevitable?

Answer 1

And I suppose you're qualified to judge scientist on their science? If you were, you would be posting in science journals. You have a right to an opinion, but that doesn't make you intelligent.

Every other animal/insect works in harmony with nature. Except man. I don't loathe myself, as a matter of fact, I'm happy with myself, but I know I can improve. You sound like the kind of person who thinks everything was made for you. Enjoy your fantasy world while you can, because nature has a way of biting back. Everything we have is dependent upon nature. You would do well to realize that.

Answer 2

You have a point. Others here have an opposing view. None of us have to have it all. We could make a footprint just a lighter footprint. We could save vast spaces for all those plants that all this CO2 is so good for.

Answer 3

I think you're making an assumption that people that choose to live green do so because they have hate or guilt. I can't speak for all, but for me it's not an act or way of thinking based on loathing but on loving. It's really hard to care about something without the caring part (thank you Capt. Obvious!)  I'd turn the question around to say if I didn't care about myself / humanity I would have a different outlook.  As far as global warming in particular I believe what I do because of my education on the earth's processes and the subject matter which includes balanced reading on all sides, but really paying attention to real experts not celebre-perts (yes I'm looking at you Al).  And no, the liberals didn't do it to me.  My parents, staunch conservative Republicans, took me camping and hiking and lived green even before "green" was the new the black.

Answer 4

In the religion of radical environmentalism, our carbon footprint is the equivalent of original sin, and carbon credits are the equivalent of indulgences from Pope Al.

(By the way yes, he does co-own a carbon credit trading firm).

Answer 5

I haven't been made to hate myself by anyone.

I just know it's smart to avoid a bad situation by fighting global warming.

It won't be a Hollywood movie style disaster. Gradually coastal areas will flood and agriculture will be damaged. But it will be very bad. Rich countries will cope, but it will take huge amounts of money. In poor countries many people will die of starvation, but not all of them.

These people don't hate themselves either, are certainly not liberals, and also want to address global warming:

"Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich challenged fellow conservatives to stop resisting scientific evidence of global warming"

"National Review (the most prestigious conservative magazine) published a cover story calling on conservatives to shake off denial and get into the climate policy debate"

The impact is not overstated, it's been very well analyzed and  documented:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6096...

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNe...

http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.h...

Answer 6

Take off the rose colored glasses.

There is no liberal loathing that I'm aware of. In any case, I'm more of a "leave no trace" kind of woman.  I'm considered "liberal" by some, but I  love myself and my family, and working to reduce the human footprint and our impacts on climate change is the least I can do in exchange for having lived on a beautiful planet that is chock full of resources.  But a planet is not wrathful.  That is a human term.  Our world isn't static, and we've known that for quite some time.  Still, what's happening with climate change isn't inevitable at all. That's widely acknowledged at this point.

I have to go to work soon so can't deal with your misconceptions on CO2.  Oh that it were that simple.

Answer 7

I don't hate myself, but I do like to live in a nice environment.  I do want to have a bit of nature to enjoy when I get to be old.

And oddly enough, I do hope that the weather patterns won't go all crazy over the next century and bring stronger hurricanes to the U.S. Gulf Coast -- or more forest firest to California -- or more disastrous floods and sometimes disastrous droughts to the corn and wheat growing baskets of the American Midwest.

It isn't because I "hate myself" that I want to avoid a lot of rotten climate-driven disasters happening to me, my family, my country and the human race in general over the next century.

It's because I "love" myself and my fellow humans -- well, on good days, anyway -- that I hope we will somehow find a way to stop changing the climate with too many CO2 emissions, and thus halt global warming aka global climate change before it's too late.

I must say I DO hate propagandists for the oil, coal, auto and electric power industries that keep trying to lie to people about the global warming threat, however.

And I really, really hate people who try to confuse the general public about CO2 in order to excuse what the fossil fuel companies and auto companies are doing.

Everyone knows that CO2 is needed to sustain plant life, and everyone knows that it is something that we human beings give off just by breathing.  

On the other hand, climate scientists have recognized for 100 years now that CO2 and other "greenhouse gases" in the atmosphere have the effect of keeping infrared heat waves from radiating easily out into outer space.  

For a good 50 years, scientists have been accumulating a growing body of evidence that when atmosphere CO2 levels rise -- as they've been doing for decades, as shown in a famous series of measurements taken by American climate scientist Charles Keeling -- "global warming" aka global climate change is almost sure to result.

For anyone to try to fool the public into thinking that greater CO2 emissions that cause global warming are "good" because CO2 in moderation is an essential plant food -- well, I think that's really despicable.  

And a person doesn't have to be "liberal" or "conservative" or anything else to know that this kind of lying and misrepresentation is despicable.  People who do it are helping to make the future worse for everyone - politics has nothing to do with it.

Answer 8

I agree with a lot of what you said except for th part about being made to loathe yourself "by liberals."  I think corrupt politicians and opportunists trying to make money and with their own selfish agendas are responsible for that.  Also I disagree that we've always tried to survive a planet that's always trying to kill us because it also provides us will so much!  But I agree that people have made a lot of progress by turning deserts into arable farmland, gardens, etc., and even though no one here supporting the AGW agenda will admit it, technology and modernization it also beneficial to us--it's not just a curse or virus on the earth.  There's a lot bad things about it but a lot of good things that I know that most AGW proponents could never give up--or would want to give up.  They're here aren't they?  Many even admit to driving SUVs, having several refrigerators, and mining in addition to using their computers and they shouldn't feel guilty for that--and shouldn't make anyone else feel guilty about it!  They should be focusing on petitionining government for incentives to bring back electric cars (not hybrids, CFL bulbs, ethanol, or other unproven schemes) and focusing on industries that break the laws and poison our water and food supply.  That would be a goal to be proud of.

Answer 9

What ultimate outcome would that be, may I humbly ask?

Chris A.

p.s.  "Disaster" is a man-made concept, so I believe that no disaster can possibly be inevitable

Answer 10

The Earth will kill mankind also, no way around it. Any power capable of taking 250,000 humans at one time is a power to be reckoned with. When I see a human footprint I see a fossil that someday an intelligent being will find and wonder "What would drive such a race to destruction."

Someday when your children are hungry, thirsty, and defeated you'll understand.