I‘m amazed in recent years how the climate crisis is discussed in the media, and especially by politicians. “Gee whiz, we better turn down the thermostat and buy a Prius, or we may be in trouble in 75 years. But wait, I need to keep up my standard of living and my consumption – after all that is what keeps our economy and capitalism going… right?”
In these discussions we never hear about things like over population, birth control, or abortion. Worse yet, let’s make sure we are clear that none of this (if it is real at all) is caused by humans. And, oh my god, don’t mention fossil fuels, that would implicate the oil industry and remember, their share holders and over-paid executives must continue to make obscene profits. Oh, and by the way, “I’m not a scientist” the conservatives keep saying, and anyway isn’t it true that these doom and gloom climate scientists are really just a bunch of left-wing, anti-American commies”?
What I have also heard on alternative media outlets that many of these scientists are now saying that we have passed the point of no return. Even if we stopped spewing out carbon into the atmosphere today, the changes are irreversible. People say, “Save the Earth.” What people are unwilling to say is, “save the human race.” The planet doesn’t need saving. It doesn’t care if the oceans are choked with plastic and all species go extinct. So what? The Earth will continue to spin around the Sun.
Recently the New York Times published an article that pulls no punches. I think you should read it. It is called:
Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene
“Extreme weather events (floods, droughts, heat waves) will increasingly disrupt food and energy markets, exacerbating state weakness, forcing human migrations, and triggering riots, civil disobedience, and vandalism.”
– James Clapper
Director, National Intelligence
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/learning-how-to-die-in-the-anthropocene/?_r=0
The author is Roy Scranton who draws parallels between his war experience in Iraq and the chaos that will grip our species as the environment that sustains us fades away.
We can all rest easy about this issue because the Senate’s Environmental and Public Works Committee will be headed by Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe who recently said:
“God’s still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.”
Well, there you have it. Nothing more to worry about (except the stupidity of the American electorate).
Whew. I am glad God is controlling the climate. But I’d like to find out from Inhofe why he keeps turning up the heat?
An interesting and well written read but as my Grandfather used to say—"A bunch of hooey".
Rick, we grew up in the ’50’s in a town with more Phd’s than most populations—so many that they referred to each other as "Mr." as it was assumed everybody had a Phd in something. Me, I was a little more grounded in that my daddy only had three M.I.T. Masters degrees. Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. He was the assistant chief engineer at Standard Oil when he died suddenly in 1963 at age 48.
That said, I recall dinner table conversations about the coming ice age, the earth running out of oil and the future of nuclear. Dad disagreed on all points except fusion (not fission)reactors.
Well we haven’t had the promised ice age (yet) we are awash in oil and fusion energy is still a dream.
Carbon Dioxide is now classed as a greenhouse gas (along with water vapor) which is nonsense—both are required to sustain life as we know it. The whole "climate change" thing is a myth conjured up to profit from the earth’s naturally occurring cycles that mankind has little control over except in the egocentric minds of politicians and scientists chasing dollars (grants).
The earth has endured several ice ages as well as warming—Greenland wasn’t called that because it was covered in snow and ice. The earth has also endured a couple of mass extinctions. There probably will be more. But with the very small concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere (0.039%) major efforts to control or reduce will just be money pits benefiting few while the masses have an ever lowering standard of living as they are faced with higher taxes and more government controls. Double nothing, you still have nothing. Reduce nothing in half, still nothing.
Want to reduce CO2? The best way is to stop destroying the rain forests. Plant trees, do what you can to assist the carbon cycle naturally.
You can buy your prius’s and curly cue light bulbs but has anybody really done a study as to the total energy required to make them or the potential pollution they create in their manufacture, life span and finally disposal?
Two things are certain no matter what happens. Man, because of his superior brain will survive unless public education completely destroys any rational thought and roaches because they always survive.
BTW—do you still have your prius? It should be about worn out by now and I may be interested in the body. You see I have a dream about putting a V-8 in the back seat and thumbing my nose at the usually holier than thou prius drivers on the road.