tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020025535378285904.post7637511490906023016..comments2023-03-01T06:58:21.620-08:00Comments on Energy matters: Don't let the vested interest of Exxon Mobil divert us from a shift to carbon free energyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15487808755880110705noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020025535378285904.post-84888833117873665682012-06-28T13:10:46.519-07:002012-06-28T13:10:46.519-07:00I don't think Mr. Tillerson is helping his cas...I don't think Mr. Tillerson is helping his case by describing opponents to fracking as mere activists who manufacture fear to sway the scientifically illiterate. First of all, I'm not sure how "scientifically literate" your average person needs to be to know that one should take what an oil industry executive says about fracking with appropriate skepticism. Second, Mr. Tillerson needs to give the other side some credit: the process of shale-oil drilling was changed, by his own admission, to reduce emissions---presumably in response to pressure from these same "activists" he dismisses. So they must have had a point in there somewhere: drilling can and should have been done in a more environmentally sensitive manner than what was originally proposed. And who knows what the oil companies would have done if not kept in check to some extent by opposing interests; the free marketplace applies to ideas as well. Finally, "scientific literacy" is my stock in trade, as is yours, as educators. If we have our way, our students will be empowered with the knowledge to not be swayed by manufactured fear-mongering based on scientific inaccuracies--by either side.Jonathan Breitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04655668526518264691noreply@blogger.com