SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the a-Republican-speaking-sense-to-other-Republicans-and-others dept.
The Center for American Progress reports:
Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a note on Facebook on [December 7] that made a very good point about climate change and renewable energy: It really doesn't matter what you believe.
The former California governor addressed people who think climate change is a conspiracy or a hoax, and asked them whether the deaths from pollution are acceptable, whether fossil fuels will last forever, and--to paraphrase greatly--what kind of world they want to live in. This excerpt pretty much sums up his argument to climate deniers.
There are two doors. Behind Door Number One is a completely sealed room, with a regular, gasoline-fueled car. Behind Door Number Two is an identical, completely sealed room, with an electric car. Both engines are running full blast.
I want you to pick a door to open, and enter the room and shut the door behind you. You have to stay in the room you choose for one hour. You cannot turn off the engine. You do not get a gas mask.
I'm guessing you chose the Door Number Two, with the electric car, right? Door number one is a fatal choice--who would ever want to breathe those fumes?
It's a strong point, but even more importantly, it's a bipartisan point. We are in an era where addressing climate change is largely split down party lines, especially in Congress. Moderate Republicans like Schwarzenegger, who believe a healthy environment and climate are public goods, haven't yet been able to sway people who think that clean energy is going to kill the economy.
But Schwarzenegger should know that a green economy can work. As governor of California, he worked with the Democratic-led legislature to enact the nation's first comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reduction law and the nation's first low-carbon fuel standard. Now California is the nation's leader in both solar installations and solar jobs.
2 nitpicks: If it's electric, it's called a motor, not an engine. "Power plant" would have been more apt.
The electric car would need a way to allow the wheels to turn without the car going anywhere.
...and if the gasoline car's engine is "running full blast", you'll need a load (dynamometer).
Otherwise: Brilliant.
(Score: 2) by Aichon on Monday December 14 2015, @07:23PM
Maybe I am missing the point, but if so, I'd suggest it's a point not worth making, since I'd argue that whether or not we breathe it is irrelevant to anyone who understands even elementary-level science (which, admittedly, may be more than we can ask of the people at whom he's targeting his remarks). The simple truth is that we've always breathed it, we're currently breathing it, and we'll always breathe it. CO2 is a necessary part of the ecosystem that keeps the things alive that keep us alive. The only question is how much the amount of it will change over time, and for that, you need to consider the entire ecosystem, which gets into partisan territory, as I said.
Arguments along the lines of "you wouldn't want to be locked in a room with a massive overdose of $RANDOM_SUBSTANCE, so why would you allow yourself to be exposed to it at all?" are roughly on par with Buzzfeed-esque "did you know that $FAVORITE_FOOD contains a chemical that's also used in [cosmetics|fertilizers|plastics]?" when it comes to how highly I esteem their scientific rigor.
In the end, his analogy is a simplistic argument aimed at simple-minded people. For them, it may work, but what we need are simple arguments, not simplistic arguments.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Monday December 14 2015, @07:39PM
And which ICE emits nothing but pure CO2?