Global Warming, A Punch In The Face

Posted at 2:37 pm on Monday, November 6, 2006, in Uncategorized.

My recent blog-entry highlighting the three types of global warming critics included those critics who do understand the science but use a weak economics rationale for not actively working to curb global warming. This, however, fails to capture the population of the wholly ignorant scientific critics that cite there is no reason to do anything about global warming because there is way to “quantify” global warming. And you know what? They are right.

There is no way to quantify global warming. Just like there is no way to quantify a punch in the face. Take your friend, let us call him Michael, and allow me to punch him square in the face; a tad off center, so my fist hits a portion of his nose, a bunch of his cheek and some of his right eye. Michael may feel the results of the punch; hell, even us on-lookers may be able to notice the effects. But, I’ll be damned, there is absolutely no way to quantify what has just happened. I mean, it is obvious what is going on, isn’t it? Michael’s face is becoming black-and-blue, and moments before, I punched Michael in the face. Can we postulate a reasonable theory as to what has occured? Maybe not.

Let us go over the basics: I punched Michael in the face and Michael’s face is now black-and-blue. Are the two linked? Good question. I mean, maybe this is one of those natural cycles, or maybe this would have happened anyway, since Michael is prone to being punched in the face. And, better yet, can we quantify what has happened? And, if not, does it even matter? A related question: Would hundreds of others punching Michael in the face help, or make matters worse, for Michael? Has Michael made enemies with people from China or India? (Essays are due by Thursday.)

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