You know I used to be a faithful listener to Rush Limbaugh.  Some things he says make a lot of sense.  But this whole notion that “global warming” is just a “hoax” concocted by liberals to increase taxes and big government is beyond absurd.  Let’s look at it this way.  What if?  What if it is true?  I don’t believe there is any scientist who can tell you with 100% certainty that anthropogenic global warming is taking place and much less what the long-term consequences might be.  By the same token, those handful of remaining scientific skeptics can neither tell you with 100% certainty that it is not.  All they can do is offer alternative explanations for the empirical fact that the earth has gotten hotter.  Ice on the polar caps is melting.  Ocean levels are rising.  Catastrophic weather events have increased.  Let’s look at it this way.  Even if human activity is not affecting the weather it is certainly affecting the planet.  Air pollution has a negative effect.  Clear cutting of forests has a negative effect.  Empowering petro-dictators hell-bent on radical religious extremism has a negative effect.  Disappearing species is not a good thing.  I could go on and on.  So why is it such a bad idea to try to clean up our act a little bit?  Why is the notion of a “carbon tax” or a “cap and trade policy” so scary to a guy like Rush and his millions of followers?  Why, as I have asked often in this blog, does every idea have to be painted with some political color?  Any idea that involves cutting taxes for business gets painted blue and any idea that involves environmental conservation gets painted red.  Aren’t there any ideas that could possibly be painted with a neutral color, like green.  One that does not inspire political polarization and demonization.  Ideas that are good for the planet are good for all of us, whether conservative or liberal, left or right, socialist or capitalist.  Rush is quick to imbue any idea that would combat global warming with the diabolical leftist motivation of more taxes and big government.  Well, what is his motivation?  Is he “in the pocket” of the big oil companies, coal companies and other dirty fuel providers?  Listen, it is easy to stand back and attack and demonize every idea that carries with it some pain of responsibility.  A policy like “cap and trade” will impose pain on dirty fuel providers.  It will raise the price for consuming energy that is supplied by those dirty fuels.  But it can also inspire a whole new era of energy innovation that in the end could create more jobs, more wealth and at the same time help clean up our environment.  Isn’t that a good thing, Rush….global warming arguments aside?  And if, just if, this whole global warming thing turns out to really be true, clean energy policies could save our planet, and us along with it.  Or is it that U.S. style over-consumption and greed (capitalism run amuck), such as we are witnessing these days with the $1 to $4 million dollar bonuses being paid with taxpayer dollars to AIG financial “masterminds,” too important to even consider ideas like environmental conservation and energy innovation?  For a man with “talent on loan from god” I would think the answer shouldn’t be too difficult.

P.S.  To tie this post back into the reasons why I love Costa Rica is easy.  Costa Rica has vowed to be “carbon neutral” by 2021.  This is a good thing, secures Costa Rica’s position as a world leader in environmental sustainability and is another in this long list of reasons why I love Costa Rica!  Come on down for a visit Rush, and maybe you’ll be convinced that saving our planet is neither a conservative nor liberal idea, just a good one.

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