Wednesday, February 08, 2006

The Pros of Global Warming

I think most level-headed, sensible human beings would argue that global warming is not a good thing. And to those of us Americans who feel part of that responsibility as the world's largest contributor ... a mere atrocity.

Thanks to our oil consumption and lack of respect for everything outside of our heavenly borders, global warming is a topic that most Americans like to ignore, shun ... or at least denounce as a "myth." But I find it particularly interesting that one of the "pros" of global warming, if you will, is the soon to be navigate-able passage through the arctic northwest.



Spoken from someone who just studied and transited the similar Panama canal ... that story is full of death, despair, malaria, money, disregard, and 'ownership'. Long story short, the french tried it, then we tried it .. made it work on the second go around, then 'owned' it up until 1999 when former President Carter, honoring a (then) 22 year old treaty, generously gave the canal back to Panama. As if our god-given right as the self-proclaimed world superpower had somehow given us the right to own a manmade strip of water connecting two god-made oceans in the middle of panama in the first place.

Now, personal opinions on that aside, fast forward to today. When suddenly, -our- government, yes the same ones who recently believed that the panama canal belonged to us, are arguing to the new Canadian prime minister that his country cannot have jurisdiction over the soon-to-melt-and-be-open north west passage (that goes directly through Canada) as "nobody owns the waters" and they should be international. Oh vey ... eh?

1 comment:

sgl said...

"goddamnit! we worked hard to destroy that part of the world, so therefore it belongs to us"-george w.

i am so not surprised.