The Great Global Warming Swindle

About the Title 

          The term “swindle” means to obtain or get money, property and any other forms of advantageous gain through deliberate deception, trickery, cheating, or telling and propagating lies and false ideas. The film’s title, “The Great Global Warming Swindle” conveys the creators’ belief that global warming is not caused by anthropogenic activities but is just continuously asserted to be so by many scientists because of the funds that they can acquire from researches concerning this. They also deem this issue as politically influenced. Hence, the people behind this film pushes the idea that anthropogenic global warming is a lie and is "the biggest scam of modern times." In other words, it is a swindle.

Summary of the Film in 10 Words

            Anthropogenic global warming is a lie and an exaggeration.

Five Arguments Used to Support the Film’s Stance on Anthropogenic Global Warming

1. The sun’s activity is very influential on global warming and cooling than any other anthropogenic or natural activity on Earth. The film even presented a graph showing a nice correlation of the occurrence of solar flares and the increase in earth’s temperature.
2. In contradiction to the asserted great effect of the increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the film argued that 95% of greenhouse gases is water vapor. Water particles in the atmosphere in the form of clouds serve as the reflector of incoming solar heat and thus is the one that has a greater impact on our temperature, greater than the greenhouse gases.
3. Carbon dioxide has a minimal influence on climate change. The film stated that CO2 is only as small as 0.054% of the Earth's atmosphere. It added that activities of us human race contributes much less than 1% of that. This percentage is so much small compared to the contribitions of volcanoes. Animals and plants also produce 150 gigatons of CO2 each year, significantly bigger than human’s. Decaying leaves produce even more CO2, and the oceans are "the biggest source of CO2 by far." Human activity is reckoned to produce only 6.5 gigatons of CO2 each year. Thus , as a conclusion, man-made CO2 emissions alone cannot be causing global warming.
4. The relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and temperature change is opposite as most are forced to believe. The documentary stressed that increase or decrease of carbon dioxide levels follows the increase or decrease of temperature rather than and not otherwise. It argued that as the global climate cools, the Earth's oceans absorb carbon dioxide. On the other hand, as the climate warms the oceans release carbon dioxide.
5. The documentary also lobbied the fact that there has been occurences of warming before. Thus, the warming that we are experiencing today is nothing unusual. They added that temperatures were way more extreme during the Medieval Warm Period, when great western Europe is in it’s peak of prosperity.

My Reaction

       
        The documentary really paved and created another way of viewing Global Warming for me. I am a little surprised when I eventually realize what it’s about. Somehow it lightened the issue of global warming as an environmental concern. Instead ,it emphasized that it’s really driven by self-interest and political influences. This film has kind of shook my understanding on what the issue is. I am uncertain now as to what manner I would deal with the issue. If it’s not that serious, then I won’t care and I suggest that the government would do as well. There are many researches that are more worthy of the funds that they are giving to the scientists dealing with this issue. There are many concerns much deserving of the efforts they are exerting such as how to combat poverty, malnutrition, starvation, pandemics, graft, corruption , crimes, terrorism etc.

      Also, as I imply from the film, we humans have not much power in combatting this problem as it is mainly caused by nature itself. Who can control the Sun? The film said that it’s the origin of most climate variability. Hence, none of the movements pushed can solve this problem wholly. It just a waste of effort and money.

I am not an expert to give criticisms to the evidences presented in the film. Yet, convincing as they are for me, I deem it’s not bad to deal with the issue, whether it may be serious or not. For one, being apathetic to it may consequently lead to the one that they are opposing. No one knows for sure that we are causing or not causing this dire global warming. The fact that we are discussing about it, and debating on it’s truthfulness is a manifestation that there are things to settle.

***Another assignment on my Enivironmental Science course. Now it's about the film "The Great Global Warming Swindle." The submission of this work is our last meeting since the Semester is about to end. I felt kind of sad. I want to thank my teacher, Sir Levi Francisco. More power to you!

What Makes a Man Truly Human?

To start, a man has unique physical attributes. He has a physique directly attributable to what a human being is. The way he talks, walks and do physical activities is distinctive of him. Yet these are the superficial ones. What makes a man truly human?

It has been said by Aristotle that “Man is a rational animal.” Hence, a man has the capability to think soundly. Humans do make decisions with the aid of reason. We have the ability to weigh things as to their pros and cons, and their rightness or wrongness. We are not like animals that just base their actions on their instincts. We are not like robots which only do what they are programed of. We have our rationality to rely on.

Consequent to our being rational is our being curious. We seek for answers. We seek to know what is not known. We look for certainty. Perhaps that’s why philosophers did philosophize in the first place. Moreover, humans do move to satisfy this curiousness. Somehow it’s persistent. Concrete outcomes of this persistence of curiosity are all that we have today. Technology, medicines, foods etc. are ones. Some persons even became alive as a product of curiosity. Thus, we don’t stay in whatever current state we are in, such as being ignorant. We move forward. Humans strive to get what’s good and comforting, such as knowing.

Sartre, an existentialist, said that “Man is condemned to be free.” That human beings have absolute freedom. Whatever arguments against his belief are, one thing is sure, we have freedom to exercise. We human beings can choose among choices. We can and can’t to things. We can or cannot will ourselves to do things. Also, we are self- making beings. We are products of what we do. Hence, we are products of our own freedom.

Together with freedom is responsibility. Human beings are responsible not just on his own well-being but on others as well. We are not alone. We need to co-exist with others. Human beings are social beings.

Human beings are both rational and social in nature. We are free. We are responsible. These qualities guide us as to what extent we are becoming a true human. Thus, it is the way a man lives his life is what makes him truly human. A man is the highest form of animal. A true human is a righteous man.

Another last paper on my Philo on Human Person I. What's with my teachers this sem? They really make me feel sad with their last words in our very last meetings. Anyway here is my integration paper.

Strolling Around Albay



At Embarcadero de Legazpi
 

           A tour in its essence is going into places. Indeed I’ve gone into different places which are somewhat new to me. I’ve already visited most of them in the past only that my memory about them is now vague. Revisiting them at this point in my life seem to bring me back to my past when my mother is tenderly holding my then cute little hand  and telling me how was her life during college while walking in the streets of Legazpi City. By that, I can say that I was brought to enkindle my personal history. Thanks to this tour.

Places no matter how beautiful or historical they are will not be that wonderful if one is alone; hence, if he doesn’t feel “at home”. I guess I appreciated the places I visited more because of my friends and my classmates who’ve been with me throughout the activity.

Some of the places I’ve already been into because of the similar activities during high school. But some that I learned this time seem to surprise me making me ask: “Did they tell me that before?” I think I just did not take them seriously before. Maybe it’s now that I became more mature that these places made sense.

View of Mayon Volcano at the side of Daraga Church

Perhaps not all that I visited this time are familiar to me. Some of them are new to my sight. I can say some of them are disappointing but some of them are really wonderful. It’s my first time to be in Embarcadero. The place is just decent contrary to what I’ve heard about it. What’s more disappointing is the super high fences before the said place that seem to block the view of the nipa houses that resemble those houses of those squatter areas in Manila. I’ve heard of this before but it’s really different when it came into reality. Truth really hurts. Are they that hypocrites as to conceal them?

At the stairs leading to the inside Daraga Church

Most importantly, since this is a learning journey that I’ve been into, I believe I recognized more the value of these presently existing and very tangible places that are said to have played a part on the life of the early inhabitants of the Philippines. Seeing them and being on them led me to become conscious as to how important they for affirming the facts and information that I’ve heard and read about them. There are times that I feel skeptical about what is being instilled on me about certain places but I deem I just need to take them all in and believe. I guess no one can satisfy my curiosity and end my skepticism unless someone from the past confirm them as true. That is, to believe and to appreciate these places as they are and what is known about them at this time.