Are LCDs the new coal? Banter on Global Warming

Another interesting article on CNET News suggests that modern electronics are doing a greater disservice to our environment than coal has been. Not just in using them, but rather what they’re made from.

The article states that nitrogen triflouride, used in making LCDs and synthetic diamonds, is a “missing greenhouse gas”, and that it’s gone unnoticed as affecting the climate because it isn’t included in the Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement, stating that the emissions had a negligible effect.

Lately though, nitrogen triflouride is purported to have a GWP (global warming potential) more than 17,200 times that of carbon dioxide, which is the basis for the GWP measure.

Following is some totally useless ranting.

This sparked some interesting discussion about global warming in general (on the article):

From Graham Guy:

Anyone who tells you anything like ‘the science is done’ or ‘you can’t talk about that because it’s already decided’ is NOT a scientist. He is a religionist with a belief system. The ’science’ of anything is never done. The ’science’ of something as simple as water is not done. If you choose to believe something with as many variables as global climate is ‘done’, you, sir, are one of the enraptured. The most overwhelming influence on our climate is the sun with tectonics next. ‘Man’ is way down the list. Believe what you want, but do not insist upon anyone else believing with you. There’s an old saying about urinating on my back and telling me it’s raining. It isn’t; and telling me so doesn’t prove anything…except your gullibility.

I love this quote. I personally think it rings the truth about what a lot of people forget: Science is never done. Nothing can be proven either way. Global warming isn’t sealed in stone as being fact, but neither is it set as a falsehood. A mother’s work is never done, and neither is a scientist’s.

Though I am still one to argue that man does indeed have an influence on the climate, but we’re certainly not the only ones responsible. We’re just the easiest ones to place the blame on because we can change ourselves but we don’t yet have the capability to change the sun or tectonics. It’s a scare tactic. There are things out of our control, things we don’t even know yet.

Also, how come the whole universe is hotter? Well, Mars is anyway. Surely humans haven’t spread our poison to other planets. We may be warming the earth but we’re surely not the universe’s oven. *Ding* Ooh the Mars cookies are done. Excuse me.

*munchmunch* Yum….. Mars.

Proponents of global warming say, “How can you not see the effects of it? They’re obvious.” Yes, I agree, they are measurable and anyone who denies the change must have trouble seeing. BUT, this may not be global warming.  It’s the forerunner of a natural cyclic climate change. See, we’ve never been able to measure it before. The last huge change happened a long time before anyone had the capability to measure the temperature. Previous climate changes, if the hypotheses are correct, have followed similar patterns. The difference is, this time humans exist, and being the idiots we are we have accelerated it.

Don’t get me wrong, the earth is the most important thing in most anybody’s life, it’s so vital to watch after it. I’m not saying “go out n gas ‘er up” – that is, if you can afford the gas. I would love to see a world without pollution but that will not happen any time soon, or really any time ever. The important thing to take away here is that humans are not the be-all end-all cause.

One last thing: Environmentalists, I’m watching you. Watching you with my monocle. I support your causes but you’re not much of an environmentalist if you still rely on fossil fuels are you? To paraphrase somebody on that article: Buying nature magazines doesn’t make you a conservationist. Preaching the cleanliness gospel doesn’t make you an environmentalist. Actually doing something does.

Finally finally (yes finally this time), others saw the CNET article as pro-environmentalist propaganda. All I have to say is the only way you should sway people is by telling the truth. Be unbiased. Not your truth, the truth.