Global Warming

All I wanted to get was the basic news, and what did I get? People yelling about global warming, completely politicizing the issue.

Whether global warming is caused by human activity, natural earth cycles, or the combination of both, everyone seems to agree that the earth's climate is warming, and that the earth is going through changes. If eveyone agrees on this, and the earth's climate is changing because of human activity, shouldn't we be doing something about this? Even if it is not being caused by human activity, what's wrong with trying to clean air, pollution, and maintain a healthy ecological system?

One side says that big government programs will lead to bleeding the U.S. economy and higher taxes. Another side says that if something is not done yesterday, the earth won't be here tomorrow, so drastic government and personal actions are needed. Ok. How about this:?

Encourage personal responsibility: educate about littering, pollution, recycling, unnecessary waste. The government should encourage and create incentives for Eco-Friendly companies, and encourage green technologies to flourish and compete in the market economy. The U.S. should be taking the lead on developing and encouraging new and inovative technologies, not arguing with how global warming is caused, or waiting for 'developing nations' like China and India (they're not developing by the way, they're established competing economies) to adapt the Kioto Agreement, so we can then tag along with the agreement. While the U.S. is so invested in fosil fuels, and fighting against encouraging new and inovative technologies (i.e. cleaner coal which is readily abundant in the U.S.), we're still dealing with an American culture of waste, apathy and pollution.

I'm a capitalist, so I think that the free market system can compete for cleaner, environmental, and 'Green'products and technologies with the American (and global) consumer. Just imagine the new jobs that would be created from the free market, and not just the government directly. Imagine how much energy prices would decrease, because of competition (economics 101: competition leads to lower prices for the consumer)? So instead of arguing what's causing global warming, how about acting?

I like the old cliche of "Think globally, act locally." It works.
Shazz