In addition to the monumental environmental and economic injustices of global warming on our current and future civilization, caused by the emissions of greenhouse gases from autos, power plants, military and recreational vehicles, etc., in addition to the deforestation of the tropics which has occurred over the past 100+ years, there have been additional spillover cost and environmental damage, for example the 105,000 gallons of oil that leaked from an onshore pipeline along California’s coastline near Santa Barbara this week; the damage caused by trains carrying combustible oil exploding in various parts of the U.S. and Canada; the damage from earthquakes caused by fracking for oil and gas in the state of Oklahoma and Texas and the release of methane gas at the well site; the damage caused by frac sand mining, the damage, injury and death from motor vehicle operation crashes and the emissions of greenhouse gases and small harmful-to-human-health particles from the the operation of motor vehicles; the laying of more unneeded highway pavement in the country, the impacts of mining for metals and energy impacts required to build more automobiles, and the greenhouse gas releases from what the New York Times suggests is American’s biggest carbon sin – jet flying, to say nothing about the habitat destruction for airports and runways/taxiways, the strip mining and transport of coal and waste product at power plants, the stringing of transmission lines across the landscape, and the soot, sulfur dioxide and mercury released to the air by power plants that end up in our lakes, contaminating the fish.
U.S. consumers must share a large portion of the blame, since without the consumer’s “need” to fly, drive and electrify and heat their homes, factories and places of recreation by burning fossil fuels, Earth’s coal, oil and gas would remain safely in the ground.
The number of environmental “bads” from our use of fossil fuels is nearly endless.
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About Mike Neuman
Identical twin; Long-time advocate of protection of our environment; Married; Father to three sons; Grandfather to one granddaughter; Born and raised in Wisconsin; Graduate of University of Wisconsin; post graduate degrees in agricultural economics and Water Resources Management fro UWMadison; Former School Crossing Guard for City of Madison; Bike to Work for 31 years with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Retired from DNR in 2007; Biked to school crossing guard site 2 X daily for 7 years retiring in 2019; in addition to being an advocate of safeguarding our environment, I am also an advocate for humane treatment of animal, children, and people in need of financial resource for humane living. I am presently a Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, Madison, Wisconsin.
I oppose all long (>500 miles) distance travel (via fossil fuel burning) for nonessential purposes and all ownership of more than one home.
I am opposed to militarism in any form particularly for the purpose of monetary gain.
I am a Strong believer in people everywhere having the right to speak their minds openly, without any fear of reprisal, regarding any concerns; especially against those in authority who are not acting for the public good?in a timely fashion and in all countries of the world not just the U S..
My identical twin, Pat, died in June 2009.
He was fired from his job with the National Weather Service despite having a long and successful career as a flood forecaster with the Kansas City National Weather Service. He took a new position in the Midwest Regional Office in Minneapolis.
Unfortunately, Pat’s work for the NWS went sour after he began to see the evidence for concern about rising global temperatures shortly after relocating to Minneapolis, and how they appeared to effect of flooding on the Red River that flows out of Canada before entering the U.S. in North Dakota.
. Pat and I conversed on a regular basis with other scientists on the Yahoo Group named “Climate Concern “ and by personal email. The NWS denied his recommendation to give his public presentation o n his research at the “Minneapolis Mall of America” in February 2000, which deeply affected h,im. I will h He strongly believed the information ought be shared with the public to which I concurred. That was the beginning of the vendetta against my brother, Patrick J. Neuman, for speaking strongly of the obligations the federal government was responsible for accurately informing the citizenry.
A way great similar response to my raising the issue of too many greenhouse gases being emitted by drivers of vehicles on Wisconsin highway system, my immediate supervisors directed: “that neither global warming, climate change nor the long term impacts upon the natural resources of Wisconsin from expansion of the state highway system were to be any part of my job requirements, and that I must not communicate, nor in a memorandum to all the bureau, shall any person who works in the same bureau I do communicate with me, neither verbally on the phone, by email.
All Things Environmental 
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