Lies, damn lies and statistics
Here is some food for thought on the global warming/climate change front.
In the Tuesday Sept 10 Globe and Mail, on the editorial page, there was an article about China and its contribution to the effluent that contributes to climate change. The statistic is this. China is now approaching the United States in terms of total greenhouse gas emissions. The editorial went on to imply that unless something was done to stop the run away industrialization of China then all efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are a waste.
Well, that is just one perspective, one interpretation of the statistics. Here is another for you to ponder, as you whiz along in your SUV, drinking your disposable Timmy’s. Try this on for size. China has 1.3-billion people, the U.S. has 300-million. If the total emissions are the same for China and the US of A, then China is outputting per person, less than 25 per cent the emissions that the average North American does.
In fact, with all our much vaunted “Reuse, Recycle, Reduce” rhetoric I don’t know of anyone, personally, who has the eco-footprint of the average Chinese citizen. So perhaps we could make some reductions on our own and reduce the harping on the pollution that China, India and the rest of the world outside the west is producing. We, you and I, are far and away far worse in the eco-footprint game.
September 20th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
well said and well put.
i look forward to seeing you at the ‘word on the street’ event.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
One of the worst things I can think of to see in the news is any opinion based on statistics or studies. Isn’t one of the problems of “facts” opinion? Some people steer their opinions in ways that show a point that can shadow or completely ignore other relevant points that could prove the original point shaky or wrong. Sometimes they’re intentionally doing it, sometimes they’ve missed something important.
Studies and statistics aren’t much more than opinion peices with data attached, to me. I’d say i’m pretty cynical when I hear either word come up nowadays. Luckily I’m not in the science community, people would be driven nuts by me. Since most of these things don’t tend to affect me in ways I care about or have any influence over, I tend to disregard them. In the rare case where I am, I do my own research. People seem too often to take what is told to them at face value, I see it way more than I’m comfortable with. I may someday have a Common Sense stamp made, and smack people on the forehead with it. Can we engineer a device that would enhance common sense in a crowd? You wouldn’t make much money off of the invention, sadly. What company would dare touch something like that?
September 30th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Thank you Adam
Sorry to be late with the response. I have been busy of late. Hope we had a chance to talk at Word on the Street. Great event isn’t it?
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