Reaction to My Poll

I received the following email regarding my poll regarding global warming.  It's from a fellow Carleton alum that as you may see does not necessarily agree with me on many issues.  But as a man of peace, I allow his this forum for your information.

 I looked at your poll and would like to protest the wording of your question. A lot of political conservatives in the US still refer to the concept as "global warming". I don't follow the discussions inside the US very much, but I think it's more accurate to call it "climate change" because the effects are much more complex than just a warming of temperatures. In some cases, it might even get colder. In some areas, like in much of Southeast Asia, sea levels will rise enough to flood major urban areas. In some areas, rivers and water sources will dry up. In many areas, the changing climate conditions will alter disease vectors. People in some parts of the world will be exposed to more illnesses, and agricultural productivity could be wiped out because of new pests, etc. But in other parts of the world, people might become healthier and agricultural productivity could boom. In either case, climate change will lead to a realignment of who has access to scarce resources, so of course there are broader political and economic implications.

Also, as I understand it, the debate is not whether climate change is happening. It is. The debate inside the US is the extent to which humans have contributed to climate change, and the extent to which human intervention can help avoid (or adapt to) climate change. Of course, this has economic implications for companies & consumers who potentially face increased costs of regulation. The debate internationally is largely about equity -- if climate change is manmade, then it was made by developed countries such as the US and EU which benefited economically from their industrial growth. So many developing countries say that they should not be punished for the harm caused by others & in fact they should be compensated for the harm that has been caused.

In the end, this issue is much like every other issue. It's about money, about power, and about poverty.

He said what he said, alright.