[LINK] Propaganda, manipulation and the abuse of media [Was: IPA, astroturfing and fantsy themes/Science under attack]

[jim birch]

On David Boxall wrote:

The ancient Greeks pondered localised effects of human activities on
> weather. The first paper positing anthropogenic global warming was
> published in the nineteenth century. This has been a long time coming.
>

They were right to ponder.

If you look at the "Fertile Crescent" where farming started ten thousand
years ago you might think the name was given as a joke.  The Sahara desert
was created by deforestation particularly during Greek and Roman times.  It
was actually reasonably lush just a few thousand years ago.  The fertile
lands of ancient Greece are now one step away from desert and I doubt the
Plato would recognise the place.  The ecological change is largely due to
removing the trees and overgrazing with resultant loss of topsoil and
fertility and increased runoff so the land gets drier and hotter, but is
also worsened by consequent changes to weather patterns that produce less
rain.  It is practically impossible to reverse.

This has been referred to as the ecological cost of western civilisation.
Possibly not a bad deal you might say but it could have been done a lot
better.

 Jim