I can state, without reservation, that the best air in the nation is not in Salt Lake City. In fact, if the news folks are to be believed, of the top 5 cities in the US right now, the top 4 are within an hours drive of my house.
What's happened is that an inversion has set in. Cold air has become trapped in the valleys and with it, all the pollutants produced in the valleys. It's been about 5 days since the last weather event which cleared the air out, and it's almost like driving in heavy fog. It's think, it's dark and it's downright disgusting, and lets not even get started on all the associated health risks.
The question I have to ask myself is... When the weather isn't as cold, or even when the wind blows all this crap out of here, where does it go?
Utah is that home of the uber conservative movement - at least from what I've seen, and part of the agenda of that movement is to vigorously oppose the idea of global warming and everything associated with it.
I'm not sure where I stand on the whole global warming thing. I think the earth goes through natural cycles, and if our lives has taught us anything, it's that stuff changes - get over it already!
I don't think the environmentalists have done themselves any favors with some of their more extreme actions, but those who oppose it have been equally stupid.
There is a place somewhere in the middle where I think the average American would like to find themselves, where they not being pushed and pulled by the media for or against either side.
It's the place of being environmentally responsible. Looking at the world around us, and making sure we have minimal impact on it. Not because we're scared of global warming, cooling or an energy tax, but because it's the right thing to do.
All the crap currently hovering in the air above my head is going to be moved off somewhere else in the next day or two, but it's not going to vanish. Aside from that, until it does move off, we inhabitants of said valley are going to have to be breathing it, and my nose already burns when I go outside.
Just something to think about... Are we living an environmentally responsible lifestyle, or are we finding ourselves pushed around by people with political agenda's who probably don't give a rats arse about the environment as long as you do what they tell you to.
Well, I agree that the earth's climate patterns are cyclical, however I don't think we can deny that our actions have a large impact on the pattern itself. Whether we are creating the "change" out of thin air, changing a natural cycle, or simply exacerbating it, we are having an impact.
ReplyDeleteAlso, although it may be fair to say that these patterns could be, at least in part, nature-made, you still can't ignore the climate trends across the world that, in some cases, could threaten wildlife and, even in some cases, certain civilizations. In both cases there are eventual impacts on our way of life that we only ignore at our peril. And so we need to have more than just a social awareness plan to address these issues. At least, that's my 2-cents.
I think I can agree with all of that.
ReplyDeleteI think what I struggle with is the fact that it's evolved into a political debate, when in reality it should be a problem which we all tackle together as a civilization.
Being political, I think both sides are wasting far too much time and resources trying to prove the other view point wrong. In addition they sometimes bend the truth a little to try and support their arguments, which really gets up my nose.
I think if we could find some middle ground and then redirect the resources currently being wasted and fighting for one side or the other, then a great deal more good could be done! Whether you see it as a way to save the planet, or just live a less wasteful and destructive life, I think everyone could improve their lifestyles to make a difference.