Thursday, December 27, 2007

All This Snow Is Good For The Great Lakes

Hey - - I've with you: I'm not looking forward to more shoveling tomorrow, either - - but if you live in the Great Lakes basin (Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, but no, not you, Waukesha) I know that most of that snow is going to make its way into Lake Michigan, and that'll help restore its now-very low level.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

See? Mother Nature is not the fragile porcelain mouse so many of you greens think she is. She can take care of herself and no law, bill, or press release is more powerful than the Earth's natural and ever-changing cycles.

James Rowen said...

But let's not be so arrogant to think we are without impact on the planet.

Anonymous said...

I'm not saying we are not impacting the planet, but let's be honest, the Earth has been impacted by far greater occurrences than the rise of man - volcanoes, tectonic plate movements, forest fires caused by lightening strikes, glaciations, hurricanes, tornadoes, Ice Ages...and on and on. Billions of years of violent episodes are hundreds of times worse than our puny coal-fired power plants and SUVs. And the Earth has survived.

To me, it is arrogant to believe that man is capable of unleashing such devastation on this planet. Quite frankly, we couldn't destroy the planet if we tried. And in the end, someday, Mother Earth is going to decide when to wipe man out, not the other way around. Probably not for another few million years, but she knows when our time is up.

James Rowen said...

I agree that there has been much affecting the planet that is not the work of human beings.

But we also know that CFC's released by aerosol sprays and air conditioners put chemicals permanently in the atmosphere that harm it.

All that C02 from the Industrial Revolution, through the auto age and beyond is affecting climate patters - - even George W. Bush is a bleiver now.

To argue otherwise is burying your head in the sand.

Anonymous said...

There is the belief in climate change, and then there is the belief that climate change is caused by the hand of man. Consensus may exist for one but not necessarily the other. I'm not burying my head in the sand, I'm questioning conventional wisdom.

James Rowen said...

The overwhelming consensus of scientific study indicates a strong human impact on the climate. There is a minority view.

I'm not embroiled in the name-calling either about so-called political correctness, or allegations of industry/conflicts of interest.

I'm saying: look at the huge disparity in data and vetted, peer-reviewed science between the two points of view.

Anonymous said...

Well, if I am "burying my head in the sand", I'm in good company with some very prominent and respected scientists around the world.

By the way, a story in the Cap Times ran today that says the Great Lakes are doing better than they were 15 years ago. How will you spin that?

James Rowen said...

To be accurate, the story says that pollution in the Great Lakes is down, which by many measurements is true. Tributaries aren't catching on fire, and strong regulation under the Clean Water Act and other technological improvements have helped.

The story also takes note of the falling lake levels, and supply issues.

The story has a good explanation of where the Great Lakes Compact is politically, and its prospects in Wisconsin.

I'm not spinning it.