ronan01 wrote:"NASA climatologist James Hansen has warned that if the tar sands are fully exploited, “it is game over for the climate.”" Which means we are doomed, there is no going back.
Do you believe exploiting the canadian tar sands will be game over for the climate? Do you support this standpoint?
Do you also support Hansen that "the oceans will boil" because of CO2? Do you believe the oceans will boil?
Try a yes or no answer in each case.
Ronan let us clear something up immediately.
You quoted this as a source & suggested that there is something hugely incorrect with it.
The piece is by, according to your link
Rex Weyler
While he does indeed quote a piece by
James Hansen
that is not, as far as I can see the basis of his complete argument.
Nowhere in the piece can I see any reference to
"the oceans will boil"
So I can only guess that this is another quote from somewhere completely different & nothing to do with this piece at all.
I found the piece about oil & democracy interesting to say the least.
It is not an idea that had occurred to me before but would need huge amounts more information backing up his argument before it would convince me.
His thoughts about Margaret Thatcher are, on the face of it, rather outlandish &, at a cursory glance looks like bending the facts to fit an opinion. Mrs. Thatcher was much more politically driven to break the Trade Unions than anything else &, although wasted by both Conservative & Labour Governments the significance of income from oil to the UK is rather overstated in his piece. The huge decline in manufacturing & mining that took place at the time had, I believe, a far, far greater impact.
As for you suggesting that the USA remains the pinnacle of Democracy rather depends upon how you view the word Democracy.
I think that
many, if not most, Americans would consider that their freedoms have been significantly reduced from what they were 30 years ago.
Much of that is undoubtedly down to the method by which America elects its leaders & especially the huge role that 'pressure groups' & funding from big industry plays in US politics today.
That the oil industry plays a large role in that is undeniable.