Here's a novel idea: in order to save the world from global warming, people who regularly exercise should have to pay a carbon tax for their selfish and egotistical burning of extra calories.
Sound crazy?
Well, as "Freakonomics" co-author Steven D. Levitt satirically laid out in a New York Times piece Tuesday, this actually makes about as much sense as any of the other absurd solutions being proposed by the likes of Nobel Laureate Al Gore (emphasis added):
A recent Lancet article argued that obesity is contributing to global warming because the obese consume more calories. Since making food releases carbon, that means an obese person, on average, is worse for global warming than a skinny person. [...]
[I]f we want to blame the obese for global warming, those who engage in recreational exercise like jogging or biking for pleasure should surely be discouraged from doing so because of global warming.
Someone who jogs an hour per day burns an extra 1,000 calories daily … far more than an obese person. Such wasteful burning of calories must be discouraged if we are to save the planet.
I hereby call for the next president of the United States to pass legislation imposing a carbon tax of 10 cents per hour on all recreational burning of calories. To save the planet, we must encourage people to sit at home and burn as few calories as possible.
Sounds reasonable to me -- maybe even more reasonable than a carbon cap-and-trade scheme.
Hehehehehe.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
So as it stands
May 21, 2008 - 12:35 ET by mooreusmcWe have to stop eating so much, stop controlling the temperature in our house, stop exercising, and stop driving.
Thinking burns calories too, but luckly none of those that subscribe to this man made global warming farce have to worry about that.
Finally!
May 21, 2008 - 12:37 ET by acumenFinally! A valid excuse to give the wife of why I have to go sit on the dock and fish instead of mowing the lawn.....Saving the planet doncha' know.
Er, maybe I best let someone else test this theory out first. Any takers?
Does she make you mow
May 21, 2008 - 12:57 ET by red_dragon311Does she make you mow the lawn with a gas powered mower???
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson
Good point red
May 21, 2008 - 13:12 ET by acumenGood point red...if I push this latest green issue she just might insist I just sit in the lawn with a pair of scizzors.
Sigh...who am I trying to fool....it can't be done...no man has ever been able to pull off the fishing for mowing the lawn switch.
lol.... If she DOES
May 21, 2008 - 13:49 ET by red_dragon311lol.... If she DOES give you a pari of scizzors how much heat will you generate doing that..not to mention the exrta heat generated by your body puching that heavy lawn mower....so even the electric ones are causing global warming.....
you my friend will never have to mow your lawn again.....and how much CO2 would the uncut grass suck up
We all must now stirve to be more green!!!! STOP MOWING YOUR LAWNS YOU ARE KILLING THE PLANET
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson
What You're Missing
May 21, 2008 - 14:02 ET by bradbenj5952Everyone is missing an opportunity here. The way to sell this to your wife (especially if she is a liberal) is to point out that more grass sequesters more carbon...taller grass = more carbon sequestered, hence mowing the grass contributes to global warming in several ways. It is just a bad idea all the way around. It's a complex problem with a simple solution...sitting on your butt fishing.
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
It's a good idea, but
May 21, 2008 - 14:07 ET by sarcasmoPoliticians have thought of that, and repeated fines apparently aren't enough, as some will toss their constituents in jail!
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
yes yes yes sounds good to
May 21, 2008 - 15:22 ET by red_dragon311yes yes yes sounds good to me
I may never mow my lawn again in the name of saving the earth
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson
A winter time refund
May 21, 2008 - 12:49 ET by upcountrywaterthose who engage in recreational exercise like jogging or biking
for pleasure should surely be discouraged from doing so because of
global warming.
Be allowed to do all this exercise INSIDE, to offset the heat load on the buildings heating system, and the free bonus of the additional humidity (sweat) moving through the air ducts.
Liberals62%
IranianUranium
HA!!
May 21, 2008 - 12:51 ET by MeanderingNice. I'm glad we have to freedom to choose to be obese or not as well as keep the temperature of our homes whatever we want as well. That is to say unless Obama the enforcer gets his way.
Talk About Carbon Footprint
May 21, 2008 - 13:04 ET by bradbenj5952Just look at the carbon footprint created by the ink and paper wasted to print the insane babblings of these buffoons!
Hey Noel, each web page load uses energy; server energy, router energy, and energy on the browser to render the page and make it presentable. Whoa!! I never thought of that! I'm using energy just sitting here thinking about all the energy I'm using...my life is a curse...all I do is use energy and contribute to problem. What am I to do? Someone, quick, help me make sense of my existence. What hysterical nonsense!
You guys keep up the good work.
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
Funny I see this on
May 21, 2008 - 12:59 ET by marpelFunny I see this on Newsbusters today. Yesterday, I had a huge email fight with my older brother because he sent me some alarmist article he came across about the dangers of global warming...he listens to NPR and has bought the scam of global warming hook, line and sinker (and he's a geophysicist). I'm going to send him this article. This should get his dander up....LOL. Thanks!
P.S. Google: Petition
May 21, 2008 - 13:03 ET by marpelP.S. Google: Petition Project Global... Good reading. You can use this article to argue with any pain-in-the-butt Global Alarmist...
Manbearpig alert
May 21, 2008 - 13:12 ET by dboTo save the planet, we must encourage people to sit at home and burn as few calories as possible.
It always comes back to Al Gore, doesn't it?
Prints from carbon feet
May 21, 2008 - 13:44 ET by Pilgrim1949Gee, let's see....
One observation -- just think of all the extra CO2 that would be poured into the atmosphere!!!
One suggestion -- all the AGW proponents could all pledge to not personally contribute any more bodily CO2 into the atmosphere....
»→ Carbon feet
May 21, 2008 - 13:51 ET by Cool ArrowIs "Carbon feet" the souped up PC version of "Tarheel"?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Encourage the unionization
May 21, 2008 - 13:54 ET by bassndudeEncourage the unionization of Couch Potatos!! You can purchace your carbon offsets from the Couch Potatos Union to exercise with. The Couch Potatos can earn extra carbon credits by not eating as much. But that may be offset by the CO2 produced due to increased TV time. What to do, what to do!
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Just you wait folks...when
May 21, 2008 - 14:07 ET by taterJust you wait folks...when the libs figure out that what we breathe out is carbon dioxide...there will be a tax for it and will fulfill what I thought would never happen. A tax for breathing.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
No TexMex after my ride?
May 21, 2008 - 14:48 ET by SyriusNoel,
Knowing full well that I enjoy a bottle of suds and some burritos after my 3 hour ride, I'm going to keep on burning calories and producing methane (which is far worst than CO2 as a greenhouse gas). Now, I'm going to be taxed?!? I'm switching! Damn liberals and their AGW!!!
LOL...
Syrius
Sy
May 21, 2008 - 15:32 ET by Noel SheppardSy,
Wait a minute. You can't admit at a conservative website that CH4 is a far worse GHG than CO2! You'll be thrown out of the climate alarmists club!!!
As I have editing powers, would you like me to delete that sentence? This could be VERY bad for you. :-) ns
Hat tip to Buckley!
May 21, 2008 - 16:30 ET by SyriusNoel,
"Standing athwart AGW, yelling Stop."
How's that?!?
Actually, methane is "21 times more effective at preventing infrared radiation from escaping the planet."(link- http://www.slate.com... )
Oh, gosh, it's going to get hot in here now! (sarc on)
LOL ;-),
Syrius
Sy
May 21, 2008 - 16:41 ET by Noel SheppardSy,
All I'm saying is that your reputation is at risk. This is HERESY in your circles. I can save you from this embarrassment. Just give me the word, and this entire discussion becomes only a bad memory. :-) ns
P.S. I'm going to work out so that I can burn some selfish and egotistical calories. When I come back, if no one else has entered this discussion, and you want it 86ed, I'm your man! :-)
Too much sun beating down upon me!
May 21, 2008 - 16:54 ET by SyriusNoel,
Big gaping hole above letting the brilliant sun rays hit my head...Ahhhhh!...
...Hey, WTF?...Why am I attached to this stake? Sniff, sniff, is that smoke? Boy, oh, boy my socks feel warm...actually burning hot...white hot...Ahhhh...I'm on fire!!!! Get me down! Hey, you with the torch, yeah, you there...What's your name? What was that...Sal? Oh, Al! Hey Al, how about a little water to put the fire out? What did you say? The sea level is rising and will be here soon. How soon? Al, I'm on fire! What? Watch what..An in ..truth? Al, the fire...the fire...Ahhhhhhhh!
Syrius
Sy
May 21, 2008 - 18:44 ET by Noel SheppardSy,
Well, now you've done it. We carried this so far that someone else has commented thereby preventing me from bailing you out. I just hope none of the folks at Real Climate get a hold of this, or there goes YOUR membership! :-)
BTW: He's right about water vapor. Dontcha think we should be figuring out a way of taxing and curbing that instead of CO2. After all, there's a lot more of it, and it's MUCH worse for the environment! :-) ns
Better not let anyone know
May 21, 2008 - 16:58 ET by bradbenj5952Better not let anyone know that water vapor contributes to 95% of the total greenhouse effect...oops, there it is...we should put a tax on boiling water.
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
Again, send all of these
May 21, 2008 - 16:19 ET by Gary P JacksonAgain, send all of these morons to Gitmo, and let the terrorists out. The world is definitely safer with Al Qaeda roaming around, than with these people!
Liberalism's silliness knows no bounds!
I mentioned this in my
May 21, 2008 - 16:56 ET by wiwfI mentioned this in my anti-global warming piece over at www.ramrepublic.com. Exercise = more CO2 = BAD!!!
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Could it be...
May 22, 2008 - 13:28 ET by juspassinthru..companies in the future, close to over-stepping their carbon footprint, begin firing fat folks and start hiring skinny folks? How about trading 6 fats for two skinnies from a 'safe' company to stay under the footprint?
Then what about folks w/ big noses? (Waxman from CA comes to mind) don't they exhale more Co2 than those w/average noses?
If Barbra Streisand's record lable decided to go green, would they let her go 'cuz she exhales more Co2 than, say, Shirley Jones?
The ACLU must be licking their chops.
THOSE HUMANS...LOL
May 22, 2008 - 19:10 ET by DAN_THE_MANIf they dont exercise....they become obese and harm the environment.
If they do exercise.......they burn more calories and harm the environment........
.......Lets get rid of those pesky humans....LOL
Global Warming: a very serious problem, we know the real enemy.
November 3, 2009 - 15:03 ET by Rafael LomenaThere are probably other more important causes being systematically
ignored, not only for experts and researchers, but by the IPCC
dependent of the ONU, for example, the rapid upward trend of forest
fires exorbitant DIRECTLY proportional to population growth in the
world.
More information on this sites (spanish documents):(
+ http://calentamiento...
They can also read this news published in some media for months:
+ http://www.cubanuest...