Speaking at Toastmasters...

It all started this way...

I prepared a somewhat humorous speech about riding my motorcycle, incorporating some of the experiences I "enjoyed" in my cross-country trek this last summer. Then three hours before I was to give it, I decided to edit it and add a couple other items. This meant cutting out words that I had already written. (Some of those words were deleted, gone from the electronic copy and as soon as I recycle the paper, gone from the hardcopy as well. Some of them I just put in parentheses as kind of optional words. If I am to keep it under 7.5 minutes, I doubt that I will be able to say many of them.)

I was done with this editing about an hour before I left for Toastmasters. Then I took another look at the Toastmaster book and the instructions for this particular speech. My attempt to be humorous didn't fit. So I pulled out some notes I had been making on Global Warming, less than a page of handwritten facts and decided to make my speech on "Climate Change." While I did review them, I really didn't refer to them for most of my speech.

I was planning on posting my speech, but I didn't write the one I gave out. I will write some of it here with the caveat that my written word is never exactly what I said, even if it were written in advance and practiced.

The speech:

While there are some who still question whether global warming is occurring, the thinning ice fields in Greenland and Antarctica, the ice free Northwest passage, and world-wide receding glaciers make it a fact. Not only that, it's accelerating. In 1910 there were 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park. Today there are 27.

Then there are those who claim it's a natural cycle and mankind has not contributed to it let alone be its cause. The evidence they use is that carbon dioxide always rose after a warming cycle. This is true as warmer oceans are unable to absorb as much carbon dioxide. While I believe the evidence refutes mankind's lack of involvement, which I will get to soon, ultimately it doesn't matter. Whether by the hand of man or nature, the fact of global warming will kill animals and plants up to entire species. As the sea level rises and storms surge higher millions of humans will be displaced. As weather becomes more extreme and temperate climates march further north and south, millions of acres of farmland will no longer be arable. Whether by man or nature, we are already to late to avoid the effects of global warming.

There are a lot of greenhouse gases, gases that accept light from the sun and inhibit the radiation of heat back into space. Carbon dioxide is but one. Water vapor is another. Methane is as well. Even though cows produce methane, I can make the argument that much of their production is also the hand of man. I can make similar arguments that some portion of water vapor is also due to mankind. The real bell weather still is carbon dioxide.

Now as I've already said, past warming cycles atmospheric carbon dioxide rose after the warming as the warmer oceans couldn't absorb as much. Since 1880, the oceans' average temperature is up only 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Over the past 300 years, since the Industrial Revolution, the atmospheric carbon dioxide has risen 35%. There is evidence that this is accelerating and for good reason. In 2006 the U.S. had over 250 million passenger vehicles, excluding buses and trains. These vehicles combined to produce over 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide in that year. There are also 600 coal fired electricity generation plants in the U.S. An average plant produces 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide for another 2.2 billion tons. In point of fact, the U.S. on a per capita basis produces 19.5 tons of carbon dioxide, which is 6 billion tons. Unfortunately, on a per capita basis, Australia produces more at 20.6 tons per person.

Far down on the list on a per capita basis are China and India at 4.5 tons and 1.16 tons respectively. Unfortunately, their production is rising almost exponentially. India has introduced the Tata Nano, a cheap car for the masses of the new lower middle class. A gallon of gas produces 19 pounds of carbon dioxide and the refining and delivery of each gallon produces another 6 pounds. On an absolute basis, China is already the largest producer of carbon dioxide. While it is unlikely that India will surpass China, one is already ahead of the U.S. and the other will be soon.

In the face of this, what can we do? I'm not even sure whether we can become carbon neutral. Even if we were, China and India will keep the manmade cause of global warming moving right along. I also don't recommend buying carbon offsets. In my opinion, this is just a self-imposed fine to enable the excessive polluter to feel better. Even though the Northern Arctic is supposed to be ice free by 2040, I also don't recommend donating to Save the Polar Bears.

What I do recommend is taking the small steps, making sure your next car purchase gets well above average gas mileage, turning off lights in rooms, replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs or LEDs, unplugging chargers not being used...

It's not just about saving the planet, it's about saving humankind, the lives of our children.