At 12:37 AM 10/1/98 , you wrote:
> As far as the ozone layer, global warming, etc. goes, there's no
>proof that I've seen which has convinced me we've got a thing to do
>with it. Sure, some products and pollutants that we create will
>destroy ozone (CFCs, etc), but that doesn't mean that we're responsible
>for the hole in the ozone layer.
You're right. We're not responsible for the holes (one over each pole) in
the ozone layer. As far as anyone can tell, they have always been there.
But it's the *size* of the holes that man's actions are affecting. And it's
not just the holes in the ozone which are of concern. The depletion in the
overall *amount* of ozone in the upper atmosphere is a much greater
problem. The depleted ozone layer is letting in more harmful UV rays. This
causes cancer, cataracts and other harm to plants and animals. This
depletion of the ozone shield is measurable and real. I suppose it *could*
be just a coincidence that the level of depletion has been shown to be
related to the amount of CFCs, etc. that man has released into the
atmosphere, but I guess that I'm just not into that state of denial yet. :-)
>In fact, studies have shown that
>nature destroys a LOT more ozone that we ever could even if we tried!
True, but the ozone which nature destroys is mainly the ozone in the
*lower* atmosphere. Ozone in the lower atmosphere is unhealthy and can
contribute to the formation of smog. It's the ozone in the *upper*
atmosphere that man-made chemicals is destroying.
>The ozone layer is going to do
>whatever it wants, and there's not a thing we can do about it.
If you're talking about the grand cycles that the ozone layer and the rest
of nature go through, then you're right. Man has little control or
influence over these things. But to deny that humans have *any* effect on
their environment is just not a tenable argument. Even *you* admitted that
CFCs and other man-made chemicals destroy ozone. Again, the level of this
destruction has been shown to be directly related to the amount of man-made
chemicals released into the atmosphere. This doesn't mean that we are
responsible for every last ozone molecule that's ever been destroyed, but
we are certainly affecting the overall amount being destroyed.
-- Mike Crumley mcrumley@airmail.net 97 RC 3.9L V6 3.55 Auto Rhino Liner Bug Shield Mud Flaps DDBCI think deep down, all any of us really wants is to be accepted, especially by young, attractive models with plenty of money and an unquenchable desire for sex.
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