Here's a script that came in the international portion of our FOX News feed this morning:
"THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND COULD SOON RIVAL FRANCE AS A WINE-GROWING REGION... THANKS TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
SOUTHERN ENGLISH VINEYARDS ARE STARTING TO COMPETE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.
WARMER SUMMERS AND MILDER WINTERS HAVE IMPROVED THE REGION'S GRAPES, MAKING FOR A MORE MARKETABLE PRODUCT.
CHRIS WHITE, GENERAL MANAGER AT DENBIES VINEYARDS says: "The red wine over the last few years has improved dramatically, both in terms of what we can produce here, in terms of the different varieties we can now grow here in the UK, but also the quality and quantity of what we can now grow here."
SOME SCIENTISTS WARN GLOBAL WARMING COULD SHIFT GROWING PATTERNS FOR CROPS.
WINEMAKERS ARE IN NO DOUBT - RISING TEMPERATURES HAVE ALREADY REDRAWN THE INTERNATIONAL WINE MAP."
This story is a good illustration of what I feel is the "moderate" position on climate change:
Something is happening to our global climate. Stories like this illustrate those very legitimate impacts. But popular media and politics cloud the issues. Now, most of the discussion of climate change focuses on the screamers on either side of the spectrum, touting either impending doom or claiming a vast conspiracy to destroy America.
When you hear those people, I encourage you to tune them out. While there are basic principles and ranges of future impacts that are scientifically sound at this point, there's still a heck of a lot about climate change that we still have to figure out. Data manipulation and exaggeration of conclusions seem to be rampant on both sides, making even some of the science sketchy. But it's certainly worthwhile to study the current impacts that we can observe, and work on improving both our short- and long-term forecasting abilities. We can also strive to find economically and environmentally positive ways to improve the situation. It doesn't have to be a tradeoff, if we're willing to commit the research time and resources to the issue, and end the useless bickering.
How do I know this is a moderate position? Because I get complaints from both sides anytime I express it!
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