Monday, June 14, 2010

Boy it's getting hot... Let's blame it all on global warming

Disclaimer: Article on global warming skepticism. Controversial and highly debatable topic.  Do let me know your views if you don't agree with the polemic. Trying to keep the post as short and simple as possible as it is beyond my blog's scope to cover such a vast topic. Links provided wherever necessary.
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Each day, the news about the impact of global warming is growing fantastically apocalyptic. The media, the politicians, the environmentalists, the celebrities, the Who's Who in the World, and the general public who are concerned spare no effort when it comes to turning the spotlight on this phenomenon. The ensuing popularity factor and the publicity related to this topic just cannot be ignored.

Coming to the point... The only question/s I have to ask is- Do you believe in global warming (GW)? If you do, is CO2 the main culprit?

If you had asked me the same question a few months ago, I would have probably given a big YES for an answer (maybe even cited a few examples as to how and why). But now, after being enlightened (explained later on), I simply refuse to believe that GW is to be blamed for the climatic changes that are supposedly occurring around us.

Now, before heading on to the topic, let us first look at a few definitions of the term given by leading dictionaries.
The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says "Global warming is a gradual increase in world temperatures caused by polluting gases such as carbon dioxide which are collecting in the air around the Earth and preventing heat escaping into space."

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary- "An increase in the Earth's atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting especially from pollution." and

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary- "The increase in temperature of the Earth's atmosphere, that is caused by the increase of particular gases, especially carbon dioxide." 


If you go by these definitions, which I believe most of you must be well aware of, it is most likely you will infer that carbon dioxide and other air pollutants are the main reason for GW. You will also believe human beings are responsible for all the climatic changes. Well, are we? Not exactly! I believe we humans are responsible for a whole lot of other environmental concerns (oil spills, poaching, deforestation, releasing toxins into air and water, etc), but I don't believe climate has anything much to do with us, or that human CO2 has anything to do with the changes in temperatures, as claimed. 






To explain my point, let us put it this way. We seem to be attributing the current rise in temperatures to GW and the increase in carbon dioxide emissions. But, if you go by records, the Earth's temperatures have always been changing; from the Little Ice Age to the Medieval Warm Period to the Holocene Maximum.

So why make a big deal about temperatures now? There are reasons aplenty. To begin with, the recent temperature changes are happening at a time when Industrial progress and the number of automobiles are in its peak. So naturally, people are led to believe that these are the prime reasons for GW. But I believe there are far more reasons for this; reasons, that I believe have an inside truth.

The co-founder of Greenpeace, Dr. Patrick Moore claims the whole thing to be a political activist movement, and that they have become hugely influential at the global level. Politicians have used GW as a main weapon for publicity with the help of organisations such as the IPCC spearheading this cause. Dr Roy Spencer, Weather Satellite Team Leader, NASA says- "Climate scientists need there to be a problem in order to get funding." So, what better way to get it than by making GW and man made CO2 the scapegoats? I can't think of any. The whole idea is to create panic so that money automatically comes flowing to Climate Science.

Global warming is a multi-billion dollar "industry" today. The fact of the matter is, tens of thousands of jobs depend on this. So if the whole money making propaganda bubble just bursts open, their jobs will be in jeopardy. That is why it is important to keep the fire burning, while ensuring that the flames keep engulfing the truth from time to time.

Coming back to carbon dioxide, if we look at the main constituents of the Earth's atmosphere, this gas doesn't even make it to the top three. It covers only 0.038% of the Earth. In fact, more than 95% of all the greenhouse gas is water vapour (the main constituent). After all this, if we look at the percentage of CO2 that humans are adding to this (an even more minuscule figure; the focus of all concern), should we still believe man made CO2 is the cause for GW? It is said Active volcanoes produce more CO2 each year than all the factories and cars put together.

Now if you're still feeling the heat, and if the above mentioned factors are not responsible for it, then what the hell is? According to scientists, the main culprit for all the climatic changes is none other than our very own Sun God. It has been discovered that the increase in Earth's temperatures are directly proportional to the number of black spots there are in the Sun. The more the spots, the higher the temperature and vice versa. The Sun is also responsible for controlling the amount of clouds in the sky (another major cause for temperature change). Astronomers say the Little Ice Age happened when the Sun had very few spots on its face. Dr. Piers Corbyn, an acclaimed weather forecaster, gives predictions based mainly on solar observations and he bets his life on them. He also claims with conviction that CO2 has nothing to do with GW.

As for the polar bears, you don't have to sympathise with their pictures. If they have survived the Holocene Maximum and the Medieval Warm Periods, they will obviously survive this phase of the Earth's routine climate change also. They are very adaptable animals after all.

Hoping this made for an interesting read.

PS: A long hiatus indeed. Will ensure that I blog more often in future. Do watch the documentary "THE GREAT GLOBAL WARMING SWINDLE" for more details on the topic. This article does not necessarily mean to conclude that people can continue polluting the environment. Be responsible citizens!!! Forget the heat... Think about all the diseases. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Late night fiasco, Part- II

...Continued

THE JOURNEY

Villagers (in chorus): We told you not to go there. At last you came back to us.
Me: Big deal! No problem whatsoever. We're going back home.
Villager1: Come on. Don't give up so fast. We'll take you to the place you all have come to see.
Villager2: Yeah yeah. We'll take you there. You don't even have to pay us until we get you'll there safely.
Villager1 (pointing towards the hill): Can you see people with flashlights on top? We took them there.
Me: Where? I don't see anybody. Is something wrong with my eyes?
Me (beckoning to Sankarsh): Dude come let's get the hell out of here before they strip us threadbare (Old Suresh Gopi dialogue) in the jungles with their weapons and stuff.

As we all stood there contemplating on how to scoot from the clutches of the two morons in front of us, the headlight from the distance reappeared all of a sudden. They had been stalking us for so long and had probably realised what was happening. The villagers fled towards the fields by the roadside, figuring out their game was up. The cops, instead of pursuing us, took a nosedive with their bikes into the fields (an unusual, unmissable feat). This gave us time to escape from the place ASAP.

With our hearts beating faster than it would have if even the voluptuous Kim Kardarshian was to stand in front of us wearing skimpy clothes, we headed towards the exit. It would have been a totally different story if the cops had taken off to pursue us instead. I could notice the fear on everybody's face.

The best suggestion I could make was to tell everybody to get home immediately and catch up on some sleep, but, except for Khader, there were no takers for it. They all wanted to roam some more. So, the next best suggestion I could make was to go to Nandi Hills, around 20 km from there. I knew the fort gates weren't going to be open until six in the morning, but we had no choice. If not Skandagiri for sunrise, then at least the good old Nandi Hills we thought.

Another short break for snacks, another fuel fill-up in Sankarsh's bike and another session of discussing the agenda later, we found ourselves on the winding roads which led us to the top. It was almost 3 am as we reached somewhere near curve 35  (of around 48), where another unexpected event awaited us.


Around a dozen bikes and half a dozen cars came stampeding downhill shouting what we least expected to hear. All we could hear was- Cops! Cops! Cops! As if the cops were after their blood like some freaking mutated vampires. Well, we poor souls had no other option but to follow suit. The herd mentality among us Indians is unprecedented I must say. Also, we had no intention of getting beaten black and blue on our derrières for no fault of ours (though we were not sure why they should do this to us).

On reaching the foothills, I casually asked one of the shopkeepers why such a ruckus is being created by the cops. He said it was all because some miscreants had created some problems a few days ago on the hills. The guy also mentioned an event that happened in front of him where a car turned turtle while manoeuvring at high speeds. The forest department too was extra cautious about people entering the hills at such odd hours.

"The price innocent people like us have to pay for the misdeeds done by some overexcited eccentric hooligans" I thought. Turning such a calm, conducive place into something which needed police protection 24/7. The cops just seemed to be so ubiquitous in these parts of the district.

So, to say the least, this is how our ambitious night (mis)adventure turned from disaster to double disaster in a few hours.

THE RETURN

Well, with sleep getting the better of us, we had to leave for home sweet home. A novel way to waste a lovely weekend, we concluded. Vowing never to indulge in such spontaneous, erratic stupidity, I took over the bike from Sankarsh. As we entered city limits I realised the bike behaving in a funny manner. It tut-tutted to a halt for err- any guesses? Yes, the fuel was over once again!!!!! That too at five in the morning.

A perfect garnish to the dish of hopelessness (as if the dish itself wasn't enough) that we had churned out staying awake the entire night. What a way to end it. A total fiasco!!!



  **THE BEGINNING**