Sooey Says

Sadly, all he ends up doing is revealing his lack of understanding of the science that has been done to date. Even I understand it's not about predicting the weather. It's about analyzing recorded weather to try and figure out if humankind is partly responsible for weather we are experiencing right now. And I'm not just a woman. I'm left-handed.

What. Is. His. Problem.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the science says a dramatic rise in the emission of man-made greenhouse gas has caused something uprecedented in human history, a man-made affect on weather patterns that is going to cause us enormous trouble down the road.

Roberta Bondar, who got herself all the way from Sault Ste. Marie to the moon, ferchrissakes, remarked that the advantage of being in space, the real advantage, is the perspective, the unique perspective, it gives you on the Earth. Our home. Our home in the big wide universe.

She said, essentially, that because you are away from Earth, travelling in space, Earth is home. Not Sault Ste. Marie. Earth.

Now, Mr. Warren makes the claim that global capitalism must not be hindered by a bunch of wild-eyed scientists in finding replacement energy sources for fossil fuels because global capitalism, doncha know, has been working away feverishly all this time trying to save the Earth.

If not, global capitalism - then who? asks David Warren.

Hm...

Which put me in mind of the crazy astronaut. Not so much because she's been charged with attempted murder, or somesuch, but because she was wearing a diaper in the attempt.

Or, at least, that's what the media reported. That, because she wanted to drive non-stop to meet her nemesis's flight, she wore a diaper. The story then explained that little gem away by adding, "Astronauts wear diapers in space."

Oh. So. Yeah. But. She's not in space now. And. Like. I'm not saying there's not necessarily a connection between being an astronaut and being a nut, but I think wearing a diaper while being an astronaut, is quite different than wearing a diaper while being a nut.

I mean, even addicted gamblers save their diapers for gambling jags. Er, not that I know that for sure. Although, I did read it in a newspaper article about gambling. The article came about because people were leaving their babies in their cars while they gambled. Apparently, it was happening a lot up in cottage country. I guess because people are away from their usual routine and can't find babysitters. So when they get a hankerin' to gamble, there's nothing for it but to leave Johnny Jr. in the car while you try and win gas money to get back home. Around about the middle of the article, the whole diaper thing came up. That not only were people leaving babies in cars while they gambled, but they were also wearing diapers. The gamblers, not the babies. Although, hopefully, the babies were wearing diapers, too.

Speaking of diapers, when I was at home with babies, I tried using cotton diapers because the entire developed world was pointing fingers at mothers at home as the cause of all the developed world's landfill woes. They don't work very well. And they're very expensive. So next I tried a diaper service. They don't work very well. And they're very expensive. Then a friend dropped by with a bag of disposable diapers. She said, "Fuck the environment. Use these. They're great."

And so I did. And my bitterness went away. Suddenly I was more generous, more tolerant, more understanding. I stopped making my own baby food and started buying the crap that comes in little jars. I'd weaned the baby, already (we'd persevered for six months) but I pretended to the other drop-in Moms (one of whom was a La Leche League Commandant) that I was still breastfeeding. Then one day the Commandant said, "How come we never see you feed your baby?"

I froze. How to get out of that one. Then, the only man in the group, my landlord at the time, spoke up and said, "I don't allow my tenants to breastfeed."

Phew. He created a diversion just long enough for the subject to move along to tenant rights vs, well, OTHER tenant rights, actually.

So here's my point. I don't want to believe in climate change. I really don't. I like living the way I want. It's a brand new thing for me, actually. I've gone up against family, friends, all of society to do it. But it took almost all of my life so far to summon the courage. (And I'm talking lifestyle, here - going up against convention and the right. I took on convention and the left the first go 'round when I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mother.)

It's possible I believe the scientific studies on climate change over rightwing pundits and spokesoilers because the one side is made up of scientists and the other is made up of rightwing pundits and spokesoilers. But it's not like I WANT to believe the environment is in crisis. Especially since the Earth is our only home.

And I wish I could believe that global capitalism is in a feverish frenzy looking for an alternative to fossil fuels, something even China and India would go for so we wouldn't have to stop buying their goods to force them to cut down on THEIR greenhouse gas emissions.

But, boy oh boy, if David Warren et al think THEY are having a hard time buying the science of climate change, imagine what it's like trying to buy into the idea of global capitalism solving the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.

And I really want to believe it, too...