🚀 go-pugleaf

Politicians must act before science is conclusive:

As a newbie to the internet, I have refrained from posting until I was somewhat familiar with
the arguments and streams of thoughts. Have done my time, I now offer the following for your
dissection.

SCIENCE TO SLOW

By its very nature, science wishes empirical evidence and conclusive proofs before offering
conclusions. However, the nature of the environmental issues facing us do not permit the
luxury or leeway of this approach. We must continue to do scientific research of course, but
once the burden of proof is in, our time for solutions has vanished.

We must  act on the burden of probabilities. While Global Warming may not be fact, it is a
possibility. Ozone thinning may not be proven beyond a doubt, but enough evidence suggests
itself to warrant action. Waiting for further proofs is to costly in the risk ratio.

Some argue for an all or nothing approach. One put it something like " I would rather live in a
totalitarian forest than on a free concrete slab". This type of argument is unhelpful and
unrealistic. We are headed to neither, but somewhere in between; the 'somewhere' largely
dependent on actions taken today. Polarizing one another into extremist camps cuts us off from
meaningful dialogue with one another, and shuts us down to antithetical viewpoints that may
be useful in refining both argument and presentation.

Politicians TO SLOW

We need our politicians to take action. Scientific arguments in hand, policy makers must
weight  the evidence with the risks and press forward without the certainty demanded by the
scientific community (and others who find lack of such certainty a justifiable excuse for
inaction).


Others scoff at unlearned comments. I suggest you scoff not, for many well read laymen like
myself need to see this type of presentation and rebuttal of standard points, perhaps well
debunked in the higher echelons of scholarship, but yet current in many minds.

The environmental issues facing use are serious, and inaction may be more costly than we can
imagine. I, for one, am willing to pay a price now to mitigate against the potential for nature to
exact a much higher price later.

Enjoying the forum,

RVG In Vancouver, BC
granholm@direct.com