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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1998)
Battalion inion Page 11 • Thursday, October 29, 1998 ltd) ninutei I Kansas, : lobal warming threat requires immediate action indhauer ihere was a time when it seemed pos sible global warm- was just an environ- ital horror story put |ier by left-wing lib- and anti-establish- it alarmists. ever, excessive jbal warming does in BEVERLY MIRELES [happen and will con- ioi iieto happen as long as the masses treat diate effects. To put global warming in perspective, when the earth was just nine degrees cooler. New York City was cov ered by a layer of ice 1,000-feet thick. The accumulation of heat had been slow for millions of years — discounting cata strophic asteroid-impact dust clouds. And when humans came along, global warming continued at its slow pace until human technological advancement drastically changed the way of life with the Industrial Revolution. spread across the globe. To quote George Carlin, we “ran in, freed some people and whipped a little industry on them.” With all those new industrial plants pumping out chemicals for every conceiv able product or its packaging, chemical pollutant levels in the atmosphere jumped drastically. ssure- ageot amefi ,’ards. 0 ore will r highe in 1988, jtionally* uniorpi aluablep 1 . pedal Tea playagai: sperpue er 30, :00 a,m, tissue like some ridiculous hypothesis by the coming millennium, ems those so-called “hippies” and rtuggers” are somewhat under-appre- ted. With the help of modern science, ileories on global warming have been feted — and if their warnings are ded — could prevent future atmospher- epercussions. IVhen most think of global warming, prase ‘greenhouse effect” comes to |, The greenhouse effect refers to the umulation of heat in the earth’s atmos- iedue to the protective layer of the me. it is analogous to a car in the sun lib windows rolled up. With the iow> down, the temperature stays pnild, but with the windows up, perior becomes miserably hot. ■ording to information from Environmental Defense Fund, Menhouse effect is a natural ‘■menon that has made exis- Km this planet possible for ;Bs of years, and without it j Ith would be a frozen snow- , lable to support life — too for even endothermic organ- p - to exist. !lu ' |mmer, huh? Is the slow accumulation of at has made life possible, ns the key word. Global [ngwas a good thing until nts like methane, chlo- Jtrous oxide and car- poxide were produced tons every year, se chemicals di- orrespond to ature increases tmosphere. 5rsf, even hanges in (temperature nconse- ,al, but enthe earth’s iperature, on ,changes by tafew degrees, it can se ocean levels to rise and ocean cur- Ito change. Those are just the imme- .g:30 all P le . purro"' Then, in the time it takes to turn raw coal into smoky pollutants, the green house effect took on a whole new meaning. It started in Britain, and the industrial age quickly spread to America. And once the United States established itself as a world power, our missionaries of industry BRAD GRAEBER/Tm: Battalion Just so the leaders of the Industrial Revolution are not completely vilified, it should be noted they probably did not know that their industrial age would fill the air with toxic chemicals. There were clues, however. When the trees around London changed color so drastically the moths in the area were naturally selected to be darker, that was the first indication pollution had se vere effects on the surrounding environ ments, cuing environmentalists around the world to react harshly. Environmentalists have continued their crusade against pollution and global warm ing diligently in the last few decades, and public awareness has grown. However, the problem has not subsided. Most solutions have been thrown out the window in favor of short-term economic gains. EDF research says one of the biggest con tributors to global warming is the increase in human population and life-span over the last five decades. Because there are so many humans on the plan et, there is an increased need for land and land- based food subsistence through farming. Most of the rain forests around the globe have been cut down in order to create more farmland. As the rain forests disappear, so does their power to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. Another nasty effect of overpopu lation is an increase in methane lev els due to cow herding. It may sound bizarre, but be cause of the larger human popula tion’s demand for more beef, more cattle are raised for the slaughter. During their lifetime, those cattle produce lots of methane. Methane, whether it is produced by a cow or a chemical plant, is bad news for the atmosphere. EDF points out the global temper ature increase will be accompanied by a rise in water levels. If the temper ature change is substantial enough to melt the polar ice caps, then flooding will occur. With flooding comes water contamination, and with contamination comes disease. The potential dangers of ignoring the global warming threat run far deeper than a higher electric bill. This is why the problem demands attention now. Until the public realizes global warm ing is a real problem with severe conse quences like flooding, disease and lots of heat (think this summer, but for most of the year), then policy makers will ignore the problem as well. There is no reason to wait until the problem becomes hazardous. Do some thing now by contacting your local policy makers and letting them feel the heat of your determination to solve this problem before we all feel the heat of our mistakes. Beverly Mireles is a sophomore microbiology major. EDITORIAL 'Battalion ditorials appearing in The Battalion reflect jiews of the editorials board members. They It necessarily reflect the opinions of other |ion staff members, the Texas A&M student | regents, administration, faculty or staff, tins, guest columns, cartoons and letters ex- Ithe opinions of the authors. Editorials Board Mandy Cater Graeber Editor in Chief Aaron Meier Managing Editor Jennifer Jones C/ty Editor Dave Johnston Opinion Editor Marooned iss Councils' decision transforms \fying tradition into financial scheme >. v* : Q0 ce again the marketing ma- ry that drives Texas A&M rsity has kicked into mo- n.j From coffins bearing the M logo to the massive Raising effort for The Zone, radition-enshrined Universi- s proven nothing is too friv- or garish to earn a Univer- tamp of approval, is trend was acceptable when simply administrators selling e school’s good name, but it has spread to the school’s 'd student officials. [aroon Out was an unqualified ss. With over 31,000 shirts for the A&M-Nebraska game, eats at Kyle Field were a sol- a of maroon. Supply could eep up with the demand for dirts as students and fans were unable to purchase the ial Maroon Out shirt wore other form of maroon. The t effort spread even farther students dressing in solid ton and some even painting faces maroon for the historic against the Cornhuskers. ast week, the class councils, sponsored and received the feeds of the campaign, foolish- lose to make Maroon Out only nnual event instead of a spirit- howing at all games. Not only it decided to become an annu- fent, the councils also decided to produce a different shirt every year ensuring the financial stabili ty of the class councils. The campaign, which was touted as an attempt to unify the student body, has now been taint ed with the class councils seeing dollar signs. The class councils missed the proverbial boat with their deci sion to restrict Maroon Out. They had the opportunity to start their own tradition that could be re membered for years to come, in stead they could not see past their outstretched wallets. While it appears the class coun cils did not consult the student body when making this decision, a few simple inquiries would have proven the popularity of Maroon Out. If time was a constraint for the councils, it would have been easy to delegate the task of selling the shirts to a sub-committee or perhaps the Traditions Council would have been a willing vendor for the shirts. At the Nov. 7 game against Ok lahoma, the student body should demonstrate its own unity and wear Maroon Out shirts indepen dent of class council sponsorship. Just because a select few have de cided Maroon Out should be limit ed to an annual event does not mean Aggies cannot demonstrate their own spirit. City Council supports students In response to Len Callaway’s Oct. 27 column: Len Callaway’s effort to paint the City of College Station as anti student lacks credibility. Every action taken by any city council is a choice between com peting values. In this case, the in tegrity and safety of one of the oldest neighborhoods against the convenience of all citizens (includ ing students) to travel from one part of town to the other. Both are valid concerns. Although our government is based on majority rule, it also pro tects individual rights. The bal ance of majority rule with minority rights is what has made this country great. Additionally, Callaway states the council routinely ignores stu- MAIL CALL dents and has failed to establish a working relationship with stu dent leaders. For years the council has asked the Student Government Associa tion to appoint a student to sit with the council. This person re ceives a complete agenda and may address the council just as elected members can. In recent months I have at tended about 12 city council meetings, and the student repre sentative was present only once. Perhaps the problem is not with the council but with student gov ernment leaders. Finally, Callaway suggests stu dents sign the petition to open Munson Avenue and that students vote in the January election. Let me point out the election date is Jan. 16, the Saturday before classes start. Not exactly a good date to encourage student voting. The people behind this petition THE OFF-SEASON The Battalion encourages letters to the ed itor. Letters must be 300 words or less and in clude the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc Donald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 G®TTTTO>N»« McGwires taken THE LEAD WTH 47 cmKOrtBAUs!. JOSH MASKOW want the election in January so their vocal minority can win. The people behind the petition are not the friends of students. They have objected to the student govern ment representative on the coun cil. They are using students to ad vance their own political case. Do not be taken in by such tactics. Gary Halter Associate Professor of political science U.S. overseas action ignores local problems W ith re cent in volve ment in Kosovo, the United States continues its ill- advised pattern of legislating poli cy in foreign countries. Kosovo is the sight of a conflict between Alban ian rebels and their Serbian gov ernment, and in an attempt to keep Eastern Europe stable, the United States has once again decided to interfere in foreign politics. The rebels of the Kosovo Liber ation Army are fighting to gain territorial independence from the Yugoslav government. A local matter has become an internation al fight because the United States is interested in maintaining peace in a potentially explosive region. The American government is trying to force a peace agreement between the rebels and the Ser bians by threatening force. How ever, this policy overlooks many essential facts. American intervention will only encourage the KLA in their violent actions and widen the lo cal conflict. Far from bringing peace to a re gion with farcical peace accords, the threat of military force will only worsen the situation. What is now a local conflict could become a major international incident if America decides to use force against the Serbians. By bolstering the dissident KLA, the United States sets the stage for a prolonged conflict that could have been resolved without direct intervention. An American show of force will light a match in the pow der keg of Europe when the goal is to avoid explosive conflicts. Military intervention only will set back any prospects of democ ratic reform in Yugoslavia. If the goal of manhandling Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is to destroy his tyrannical rule, it will be a failure. By escalating the armed con flict by supporting a defiant side in the battle, America will only provoke more repressive mea sures by Milosevic and extend the conflict. The chances for democracy in Yugoslavia will be crushed as one repressive faction replaces another. Even if the government is able to avoid furthering the violence in Yugoslavia, there is no assurance the militants will end their violent struggle for independence if a peace agreement is negotiated. The KLA may decide it can win more concessions from the Ser bian government with more vio lence. Bolstered by American in tervention, they may continue their uprising and uproot more than the 250,000 current ethnic Albanian refugees. These rebels are not interested in civilians or their lives. They want independence even if it means violence. Additionally, the vague benefits of democracy and freedom do not justify the potential costs of Amer ican lives and defense spending. If this attempt at containment and peace fails, then the United States will involve itself in yet an other conflict overseas. The threat of intervention may be met with more violence and threats of retaliation. A serious conflict could break out and waste American lives and money in yet another nebulous attempt to pro tect the “American way” abroad. It is arrogant to assume anoth er country would benefit from our system of government. America cannot force another county to lovingly accept you political con victions through military force. The Vietnam War accomplished nothing but the death of American soldiers and the continuation of the Cold War. With both Russia and China opposed to military interven tion, Kosovo could provoke a fur ther cooling of American relations with these countries. America has difficulty keeping its own citizen’s fed, its govern ment from shutting down and its economy on track. Instead of focusing on other nation’s problems, America should focus on its own. Josh Maskow is a sophomore computer science major.