Global Warming

These days, there is a certain phenomenon that is so popular called Global Warming. Let me define it first. Global warming, in a not too technical term, is the heating up of our world due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide and other gasses. And because of this heating up, there are certain changes – dramatic changes – in world weather. It causes extreme storms, melting of glaciers and ices in the world (particularly in the Artic and the Antarctic), wiping out in the map of islands (even small island nations) due in sea levels, and other such events. Ultimately, this may lead to another Ice Age, or even maybe complete word catastrophe. That is the popular belief about Global Warming.

I think the majority obtain their beliefs and facts about Global Warming from movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” and, Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, “The Inconvenient Truth”, or from media features, rather than personal research. People treat it as a flawless truth. I think the last time I read it was still just a theory. Sure, it is true there are dramatic and extreme changes in the weather lately, but is it all attributable to Global Warming?

I am aware of the two sides of this issue: those who treat Global Warming as an absolute truth, and those who believe that Global Warming is just a clever manipulative hoax. There are a lot of strong facts and arguments from both sides. I don’t have the patience to enumerate all those data about it here. All I suggest is you look it up yourself, and decide for yourself.

The Global Warming topic is a lively and relevant contest. But there is a problem with it when supporters and skeptics of it became extremists. This could be dangerous. There could be hysteria, panic, eco-terrorism, and the most dangerous of all, tampering of facts to suit one’s argument. We are easily impressed by “facts” and statistics that we believe anything that it represents even if we don’t even understand what those graphs, tables and numbers say. I always say that facts can be manipulated. And I always say that we must be always prudent, analytic, open-minded, emotionally detached, and researchful – especially in important topics like Global Warming. Moreover, we must not swallow everything that is offered to us, right?

My stand on this issue is this: I stand in the middle. I am not sure if Global Warming is indeed true or not, though, maybe, is some degree and in some senses it is certainly true that it exist. But I am not sure about several other things attributed to Global Warming. It is not for me at all to decide about it anyway, it’s up to those bright minds who call themselves experts in this matter. But I believe that weather is too complex and unpredictable to be understood completely by scientists and meteorologists (like the mind is too complex for psychology and other sciences that deal with it). Yes, in some degree weather can be understood (like the mind). But completely and absolutely understood? I don’t think so. Probably, in the future. And whether weather changes are attributable to Global Warming or not, we can not completely do something about weather change (though I read and hear about certain governments have weather control projects – for war purposes, what else). Weather will always change.

But Global Warming or no Global Warming, an inconvenient truth or a clever hoax, we must take care of our environment. We must always respect and appreciate God’s creation. It is our responsibility.