Why do we debate Global Warming?

President Obama has decided it is no longer good policy to use the terms Global Warming or Climate Change when talking about his energy independence strategy. I certainly understand that Americans are more concerned about jobs than the environment and to some extent I really don’t care what drives the move to cleaner, renewable energy. The important thing is that we develop sources of energy that are better for the environment which can reduce our reliance on foreign oil.

While you can find the occasional study suggesting Global Warming is not 100% definitive, the vast majority of science suggests that it has some merit. My guess is Republican opposition to Global Warming science has more to do with the fact that Liberals find it to be an important topic and that Big Business, particularly Big Oil, would be adversely affected by the legislation that would follow a push towards reducing green house gas emissions.

Having said that, I really don’t care about Global Warming. What I do care about is the cause of Global Warming - excess green house gases in the air. Republicans argue that excess CO2 is good for plant life. This is true to an extent. Just adding CO2 can have a positive effect on some plants as well as weeds. The problem is that according to a Stanford University study excess greenhouse gases have an overall negative effect on plants. In addition it can have detrimental effects on our health by increasing asthma and other respiratory issues as well as reducing productivity.

The other argument is that these greenhouse gases occur naturally and Humans are only increasing that number incrementally. The problem is that we have been increasing that number incrementally for 200 years. Smog is the result of this gradual increase. Humans are the leaky faucet of greenhouse gases. Eventually those drips overflow the sink. Also just because something occurs in nature doesn’t mean that it is good for you in ever increasing amounts. The Human body needs water and salt but having too much or too little of either can be very detrimental to your health.

What I don’t understand is why Republicans want more greenhouse gases in the air. By fighting against any legislation or changes that would lead to lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions, Republicans are fighting to keep things the same, which is to say, they support a gradual increase in greenhouse gases. This is like lobbying for more crime because it creates jobs. It just doesn’t make sense. In the end excess quantities of greenhouse gases in our air is not a good thing regardless of what you think about Global Warming.