I wanted to seek the opinions of people on a subject which is of great importance to me.
Do we accept the evidence that human activities are having a significant impact on climate change? Indeed, is it our duty to take a more responsible attitude towards our environment?
Should we be limiting our use of cars, switching to renewable energy sources and reforesting? Or has this threat been blown out of all proportion?
My opinion....
First, your poll isn't complete. I believe human activity is a factor but not directly responsible.
Every creature that walks, flies, crawls, swims, or slithers is a factor. Everything that belongs to the plant kingdom is a factor. All living things are carbon-based and they all consume and digest food made up of carbon-based organisms releasing greenhouse gases by their waste products and then they all eventually die and decompose, releasing greenhouse gases like carbon-dioxide and methane to name a couple.
Everything that burns such as wild fires, volcanos, internal combustion engines, heating system furnaces, smelting and other manufacturing processes, welding, and so forth are all a factor. The by-product of combustion includes greenhouse gases.
Everything we do that utilizes power from fossil fuels such as coal, fuel oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, airplane fuel, gasoline, jet fuel, rocket fuel, LP gas, natural gas and others are a factor. This includes the production of electricity since about 63% of our total electrical supply comes from fossil fuel sources.
But it doesn't stop there. Electricity generated from so-called green sources like wind, hydro, and solar are also a factor. Why? because we still use fossil fuels to run the equipment that mine the ores and melt and shape them to produce the raw materials used to create the structures and equipment, distribution lines, and so forth as well as service the systems. Windmills, solar panels, and hydro-electric generators are made of metals and plastics that we have to fabricate from mined ores and oils.
Here's another myth....
Even if one accepts the idea that we are the most predominant cause and the result is the earth's temperature rising, to think we could stop or reverse the process is ludicrous at best. The rise has started and to stop the process would require holding the greenhouse gases at some defined maximum world-wide and to actually reverse the process would require lowering the atmospheric greenhouse gases world-wide.
Neither of these solutions is even remotely possible to have the favored results in the next 12 years as AOC proposes, especially if only done here in the US.
Does this mean we shouldn't do our best to live with our environment in mind? Absolutely not! For God gave us the command to be fruitful and multiply, subdue and have dominion over the earth. We should do so with the love and care that He has for us. Each of us needs to do our part. Reduce waste, find ways to obtain what we need with efficiency, use less power when possible, turn off the lights, radios, stereos, and televisions when they are not in use. Combine trips so we don't spend so much time on the road. Carpool back and forth to work or take the bus, walk, or ride a bike. Recycle what we can. Use a little common sense in all we do.