THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VIII, Issue # 31, February 12, 2006
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
ADDICTED TO NONSENCE
By Alan Caruba
UNITED STATES ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY -- OBSTACLES IN THE PATH OF MEETING AMERICA'S ENERGY NEEDS:
POLITICS, ENVIRONMENTALIST IDEOLOGY, PSEUDOSCIENCE, POLITICAL PROPAGANDA, & LACK OF COMMON SENSE --
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM & NONSENSE ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING, CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE CHANGE, ADDICTION
TO OIL, & DEPLETION OF THE WORLD'S PETROLEUM RESERVES
FULL STORY:
On February 7, 2006, I received an email from the office of the U.S. House Minority Leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi, with
a headline that read as follows: Pelosi: “It is Long Past Time to Take Action to Prevent Climate Change.”
Referencing “a gripping presentation to House Democrats on global warming” by former Vice President Al Gore, Pelosi’s
office quotes her as saying:
“The science is clear. It is long past time to take decisive action
to prevent climate change. The energy proposals in the House
Democrats’ Innovation Agenda, which will move our nation
toward energy independence, will also help reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. And we must do even more.”
This is the politics of nonsense. What is needed is common sense. What do you think the Democrats, the Republicans, and
the entire U.S. government can do about preventing climate change? Can the government prevent hurricanes? Tornadoes?
Blizzards? The next Ice Age? The obvious answer is no.
There is nothing any government on the face of the Earth can do about the climate except, perhaps, to help those affected by
it. And, if hurricanes Katrina and Rita are any indicator, government doesn’t do a particularly good job, despite throwing
billions at the problem.
Then, too, the science about climate is not “clear.” The best climatologists in the world have no really good idea why clouds
do what they do.
The entire “global warming” theory is based on computer models. Ginned up by the UN’s International Panel for Climate
Control, they have been revised and revised, until it is quite obvious their creators and interpreters haven’t a clue whether
global warming is anything more than a perfectly normal climate cycle. At best, there is no indication of any dramatic change,
other than whatever the computers calculate. The data they use is, to be nice about it, limited at best.
What is truly remarkable is the way satellite and other data does a fairly good job predicting the weather in any region of the
U.S.A. about a day or so in advance. If you are counting on the accuracy of a prediction for next week, you might as well just
roll dice for an answer.
As for Pelosi’s lament over “energy independence,” someone better explain to her that we are currently importing slightly
more than half of the oil necessary to meet our needs and that it comes from sixty different nations. Given the uncertainty of
events in the Middle East, any shock to the system will drive up the price, but blame the Islamofascists for that. Meanwhile,
the Democrats in Congress have spent the past twenty-five years preventing access to the development of ANWR’s oil
reserves.
The buzz in the energy industry is something called “peak oil” -- the view that the world will be tapping its last barrels by
pick-a-date. On at least five occasions in the past, the public has been told that the world was running out of oil. Rarely is
the activation of new oil fields reported, but there are new fields, and there are likely to be more in future. If, however, you
trust the alarmists and naysayers, then buy a bicycle.
The good news is that the U.S.A. has huge reserves of coal that account for half of the electricity generated. (Previous efforts
to begin coal gasification were dropped when the price of a barrel of oil hit $10, rendering the process financially unfeasible.)
We need more nuclear facilities to generate the electricity we need. And, after we have accessed offshore and other known oil
fields, we may well begin to extract oil from the vast shale deposits in U.S. western states, if it becomes economically feasible.
It is sad to hear the House Minority Leader spouting such nonsense and scary if she really believes what she is saying is
true. In fairness, the President, in his State of the Union speech, called for energy independence, saying, “America is
addicted to oil.” No, we are not “addicted.” We are, like all industrial societies, dependent. There’s a difference.
If our political leaders don’t know the difference, if they continue to blather about “global warming” and “energy
independence,” then we all need to worry that our grandchildren could be back to lighting their homes with whale oil or
kerosene.
And here’s where common sense should kick in. We all need to be more confident that the global energy industry is not
going to leave us in the dark.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
© Alan Caruba 2006
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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