From: Warrl kyree Tale'sedrin (warrl@blarg.net)
Date: Sat Nov 22 1997 - 00:51:36 MST
> From: CALYK@aol.com
> Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 01:43:13 -0500 (EST)
> To: extropians@extropy.com
> Subject: Re: warm the Sahara
> Reply-to: extropians@extropy.com
> In a message dated 97-11-22 01:35:54 EST, you write:
>
> << It should be noted that the main reason for desert spreading today are
> grazing and mismanaged agriculture, but this means spreading the
> desert outside its "natural" borders.
> >>
>
> I saw a show that said the Sahara is expanding south at 7 miles per year, it
> seemed to me that they were inferring that this was due to natural processes
> of atmosphere and temperature rising (well except for possible human global
> warming)
They might have implied that (not inferred it -- the LISTENER infers
from what the SPEAKER implies), but the best evidence says that the
current growth of the Sahara is essentially 100% caused by local
agricultural practices. The local increase in temperature is a side
effect of the local agricultural practices.
The major media in the US have for years been on this big hype about
global warming. It's the latest upcoming disaster demanding major
imposition of government control on everything except the major
media. When I was in high school (I'm gonna date myself now) there
was a big flap over the desperate need for immediate
government-compelled action to stave off an upcoming ICE AGE. Now,
it's warming. And people -- relatively well informed, college
educated people -- have agreed in large numbers that local increases
in average temperature over the last few decades were a result of
human-caused global warming, when the fact was that over the last few
decades the average temperature in their area had DECREASED.
I don't know if the old ice-age scare is real (I kind of doubt it --
and I see *no* reason to believe that we need any
government-mandated action of any kind), but to me it looks a lot
more plausible and better supported by the evidence than human-caused
global warming is.
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