The climate situation is dire. Discussions about who/what is causing it are quaint and irrelevant in light of what is happening. Yet another year is on track to be the hottest on record(1). Arctic sea ice cover was at a new low record for part of this year(2). More methane is being released from the Arctic than we thought(3), it's bubbling up from the Arctic Ocean(4), and bursting from permafrost in Siberia(5). Carbon dioxide is over 400 ppm and rising faster than at any other time in history(6). Greenland's glaciers are pouring into the ocean(7). Mass die offs are happening more often(8). Scientists say we're in the midst of the sixth extinction(9). Whales are beaching themselves by the score(10), while video of what witnesses called an attempted Orca suicide casts a new light on such happenings(11). What if all beachings are suicides? How bad are things if whales are purposely killing themselves rather than be in the oceans?
I could go on and on. The evidence for a coming climate catastrophe is undeniable. Not only is it undeniable, but it's clear we missed the window to prevent it long ago. We can't put oil back into the ground. We can't restore the oceans' PH balance. We can't stop the glaciers from melting. We can't flip a switch to turn off civilization every now and then to let things settle. We forget so easily that positive feedback systems proceed at an exponential rate. Not linear. Anyone not familiar with how it works would turn down a penny doubled every day for a year in favor of $100, just like every kid in class does when the teacher presents them with the hypothetical choice. Exponential growth is hard for anyone to wrap their heads around, regardless of age or education level.
What does climate change mean? Rising oceans are always first on the list. Rain patterns will change. Water supplies will change. Refugees will leave stricken areas. Crop yields will change. Large storms will be more severe. Weather will be more unpredictable. All these issues and more will be compounded by the fact that so many doubt anything will happen and won't be prepared. Not in a prepper type of way, but in a mindset type of way. The survival race doesn't go to the strongest, it goes to the most adaptable. 'Plans' are useless in any situation that is quickly changing. Only your ability to think on your feet will count.
Nearly any timeline for when there will be a significant impact on how we live is doomed to be wrong, because that's how positive feedback systems roll. However, we've been decades ahead of the worst case scenarios for a few years now(12). There's no reason to think the trend will suddenly turn around. The changes are speeding up, not slowing down. Rather than my generation's grandchildren and their children facing this, it'll be my generation and our children. It won't be decades or a century down the road. Current events point to major changes of some sort by the time another decade is up. Many speak as if it's going to take until the end of this century to hit the 2 degree temperature anomaly, which is considered to be the point that really bad things start happening. However, we're halfway there, and it won't take too many more spikes to reach such a level(13). Quick fixes like those in Miami(14) simply won't work in the long run and are a hideous waste of resources. Such 'fixes' will end up underwater in the not too distant future, assuming they can even be completed in time to be useful. Those funds would be better used on relocation projects so these cities can be abandoned in an orderly fashion. It's far past time we realized that this silly method of slapping a bandage over things isn't long term thinking. It's nothing more than a short term, knee jerk, panic reaction. A few countries are leading the way in actual solutions(15). However, these solutions fall into the 'too little, too late' category for the prevention of climate change and are yet more damage control.
The global civilization that we've built will be seriously tested. The winners won't be those with the largest armies, navies, or the most funny fiat money. It will be those that are able to deal with a changing demographic. It will be those who can figure out how to live a life that is within the means of their local natural resources. It will be those who become skilled at harnessing their energy from sunlight, those who create their building materials from renewable resources, and those who learn to micro farm to reduce the energy needs of the food supply system. It will be those who shut themselves off just enough from the world that they can survive on limited resources, but that are able to deal with (many) new people moving into (or out of) their area. It will be those who figure out how to shrink their ecological footprint while maintaining connections with the world. It will be those who can survive with reduced globalized trade in a world full of people on shrinking and changing land. Or in other words, the exact opposite as business as usual in most countries.
A great article that gets to the point with many hard-hitting facts that people are turning their backs on when they continue living as usual.
I am not as pessimistic as you because the United States, alone, admittedly in a race with the Soviet Union, reached the moon in a few short years. We have also turned around severe environmental hazards that were ubiquitous like DDT and aerosols that were destroying the ozone layer. When the hard truth finally sets in, we can "go to war" and solve massive problems.
I heard recently that 2 million Americans a year are leaving "the system" and going "off grid." Unfortunately, without monetary resources external to their hideouts, most of them are failing. There is no way that everyone can do that. It would probably be better for people to move off the land and into carefully designed cities.
My biggest concern is extinction and the loss of biodiversity. We have to stop our bad behavior together.
Very good. I hope all of the politically driven deniers read it.
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration examines the significance or relevance of the idea that the U.S. Constitution was, as many believe, divinely inspired. How much did that belief matter to founders of the nation and how much does it matter no
In Lieu All Any Above:
Take Care Of Your Children Our Children 1ST
The World And (God) Takes Care Of Itself...
TRASK...
I am not as pessimistic as you because the United States, alone, admittedly in a race with the Soviet Union, reached the moon in a few short years. We have also turned around severe environmental hazards that were ubiquitous like DDT and aerosols that were destroying the ozone layer. When the hard truth finally sets in, we can "go to war" and solve massive problems.
I heard recently that 2 million Americans a year are leaving "the system" and going "off grid." Unfortunately, without monetary resources external to their hideouts, most of them are failing. There is no way that everyone can do that. It would probably be better for people to move off the land and into carefully designed cities.
My biggest concern is extinction and the loss of biodiversity. We have to stop our bad behavior together.
Very good. I hope all of the politically driven deniers read it.
Ron