tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698422263803634504.post8476062703438361806..comments2020-03-31T10:50:36.033-07:00Comments on etanu.blog: Can You Believe It?Rabbi Jeff Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00092569015694840742noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4698422263803634504.post-81501052258047674602010-10-10T10:51:37.444-07:002010-10-10T10:51:37.444-07:00Dear Rabbi Brown,
I reluctantly have to take issu...Dear Rabbi Brown,<br /><br />I reluctantly have to take issue with your contribution to what I consider a biased and one-sided discussion regarding very complicated environmental, climatic, and, dare I say, political issues. While in principle encouraging your congregation to be cognizant of the impact each of us could be having on our local environment, and likewiase encouraging us to take steps to preserve the Earth's resources, is a commendable theme for a commentary, either on your blog or during services at the Temple, I am disappointed that you deem it appropriate to share significantly biased sources of information as guides to your congregants. Unfortunately, I don't think even including a government web site absolves you of presenting significantly biased sources of information.<br /><br />I know the point of your discussion is not to begin a debate of the truth of anthropogenic global warming, but you clearly write from the perspective that the evidence is declarative truth. It might be informative for you to review some of the alternative views linked at pages such as http://www.cato.org/people/patrick-michaels or http://www.isthereglobalwarming.com/. I am not suggesting that these sources are not also biased, just that there are thoughtful, alternative analyses out there.<br /><br />Though not an environmental or climatology scientist, I am a professional scientist and trained in scientific method. There is a big difference between correlation and causality. I don't know even if the world is actually warming. Humans have a very narrow temporal perspective on such things, since we no longer live for 100s of years as did men and women in the days of the prophets. What I do know as fact is that the Earth's climate changes. It has changed in the past and will change in the future. Moreover, this change heretofor has had nothing to do with humans. Moreover, the climate at the time of Moses appears to have been at least as warm, if not warmer, as it is today. I don't think anyone would argue that the warmth of that time was due to the Egyptian's over-dependance on coal-fired electrical generation!<br /><br />My point is that to recommend that people take care to reduce waste, consume less, and be aware of their effect on the environment is something perfectly suitable for a sermon. To add politically charged suggestions that we should do this because "We are destroying the Earth" is at best ill-advised and at worst really inappropriate for this forum. I note that you thought it amusing to link some advertorials on your blog. Odd that you didn't link this even more hard-hitting PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSTLDel-G9k. I suppose killing children who don't believe in global warming wasn't what you had in mind with your post.<br /><br />With all due respect,<br />MM.noreply@blogger.com