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Global Warming

Posted on: June 08, 2007

By Kelley R. Benningfield

A few comments about – - Beck’s “Climate of Fear” vs Gingrich and Kerry’s

“Real Discussion.”

Congratulations! True to your words the faint of heart who believe in global warming shouldn’t have watched your show. To me, Beck’s show fits N. Gingrich’s statement about a “Washington Discussion”, instead of a “Real Discussion” he had with J. Kerry about global warming.

Both you and Kerry are wrong about money possibly being lost in trying to solve global warming. Kerry commented, with no dissent from Gingrich, we may be wrong and money lost, but what happens if we’re right and we didn’t attempt to solve the problem? Your program used words such as, maybe, probably; to me this supports Kerry’s statement. To me, Beck and Kerry both expressed concern that money might be lost in trying to solve global warming.

The debate between Kerry and Gingrich was about who could solve the Global Warming problem the best; should it be government or private industry.

Here are some reasons why you both might be wrong, with additional comments.

First, the money is already there, as I have heard a few times that the oil companies are receiving between $3 -5 billion in subsidies, in this time of record profits for oil companies. Polosi, in a public address, talked about a roll back of oil subsidies of either $14 billion or $40billion, my full attention was not on the program.

Second, you need to look at sources that discharge both CO2 (some say this isn’t a pollutant) and pollutants. It has been estimated 50,000 people in the US die early with medical costs of $24.5 billion in treating illnesses such as respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and lung cancer. I haven’t seen any worldwide statistics about how many people are effected by pollutants, as well as the costs.

Third, two prominent sources of discharges are cars and smokestacks. A couple of studies indicate why cars should possibly be first on the list. One study of cars waiting in line in fast food restaurants showed tons of discharges into the atmosphere; when you are stopped at the next stop light, look at the number of cars discharging pollutants. A second study compared the lungs of children living near freeways and the lungs of children living in the countryside. The children living in the countryside had healthier lungs. Solutions; hybrid cars, electric cars (you mentioned a Tessla car). It was stated that it takes about 720 square feet of solar panels to create one gallon of hydrogen per week. Also, the fuel tank will only hold enough hydrogen for approximately 190 miles. Iacoca favored hybrid cars, and sais a hydrogen car is about twenty years away. There is a company who says they are now processing hydrogen and will continue to be able to do so as long as there is water and natural gas. (Gingrich, as I recall, said New Zealand had just had a major break through in solar panel technology.)

Fourth, another source of pollutants is the smokestacks of power companies. In an Idaho State Journal editorial and on TV it was stated Clinton had worked out an agreement with the power companies to clean up the emissions, this is from my memory of about five years ago.

Bush cancelled the agreement when he came into office! It would be nice to take a look, if my memory served me right, about getting this agreement reinstated. I think it was on a program on the Discovery channel that they talked about France recycling spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants, but they ended up with weapons grade plutonium.

Fifth, a comment. On your program an interviewee, who had written a book talked about a downside about ethanol. Also, supposedly it is too caustic to be sent by pipeline. The feed corn which will be used will increase the cost of meat; also you could only replace 14% of gasoline with ethanol. (Sugar cane supposedly provides eight times the power of gasoline.)

It is time to show mans’ humanity to man. It is time to give equal billing to CO2 and pollution. I don’t know the accuracy of the 50,000 people dying, but consider the world wide population of man. Even in the west Salt Lake City, UT had days last year where the pollution report went to a RED alert. In February Boise, ID went to a YELLOW alert, one step below RED.

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