🚀 go-pugleaf

Sheldon Scott <sscott@vcn.bc.ca> wrote:

> The cooling effect of sulphur haze is no more regional than the
warming
> effects of other gases.  How could it be regional?  The source of the
> sulphur is the same as that of CO2 and other gases.

Without going into the theory of how both types of gases interact with
our atmosphere, we should realize the limiting factor in sulfur-type
pollution impact on the atmosphere.  They are considered pollution by
all standard definitions, e.g. something to be and which is controlled.
 So as we (the planet) get better at controlling sulfur compound
emissions (which is in response to local and regional air quality),
which has dropped radically in almost all industrialized countries and
continues to drop, the impact these compounds (and other aerosols from
standard pollution categories) have on our atmosphere will become less
and less.
 
> Finger-pointing in order to place blame (also called cynical
politics),
> will not lead society to any better alternatives.

Finger pointing at past mistakes does little to solve anything, but we
can point out the bulk of pollution sources and ways to remediate them.
 Whether the politicians listen (cynical and otherwise) is another
matter altogether.
  
> : "Think global act local" and all those other cute slogans prodding
us
> : away from immediate self-interest and pointing to our long term
> : survival as sentients 
> 
> Ah, yes, the enviro-loons think they are going to save the world. 
Sort of
> a "superman" complex; or is it just a way to meet girls?

And . . . ???? :<) Most of the people working on and researching these
areas are not extremists or loons, they are scientists, graduate
students (who have all sorts of mating practices), administrators,
whatever.  Most do not make huge sums of money or are not part of
international conspiracies, they just believe in doing the best they
can.  Using extremists, poor writing, or other misc. blunders by bad
press releases from Greenpeace, etc. are poor excuses in debating
against the substantial amount of research and work goes into
understanding and protecting the environment.  It is a little like
people that focus on Ruby Ridge as a reason to curtail FBI resouces; it
overlooks the 95+% of excellent work the FBI does that does not garnish
anywhere near as much attention.

Sam McClintock
scmcclintock@ipass.net