Tonight the National Geographic Channel is planning to show a special highlighting the dire consequences of uncontrolled climate change, called "Six Degrees Could Change the World", based on the book of the same name by Mark Lynas. The basis is that a global average temperature rise of six degrees Celsius could have such massive effects on the world's climate that a mass extinction comparable to the dinosaurs could occur, brought on totally by humans.
I tend to consider myself more knowledgeable about climate change than most Americans, having read up quite a lot on what seems to be an inevitable and perhaps terrifying consequence of our present day industrial excess. What National Geographic is trying to do is stir up interest and a hearty dose of fear into the minds of Americans who believe climate change is nothing more than a few more summer days in the pool. I don't think life will get as bad as the show's creators are painting it, but it could get very, very serious.
Chances are I'll be dead by the time mass extinction is actually a distinct possibility (it feels weird to acknowledge that our Armageddon is possible.) . even the most aggressive predictions peg a possible extinction as more than 100 years away, well past your lifespan or mine. Just don't get too emotionally attached to your kids.
In all seriousness, I'll say that extinction is too far on the horizon for it to occupy my mind. The more immediate concern of mine regarding climate change has to do with losing the natural beauty of the earth. Many climatologists say that within the next half century vast swaths of the American West, one of America's iconic wildernesses, could be transformed into a barren, lunar landscape. To lose something as important aesthetically as the wide open spaces of the west and watch it crumble to lifeless, dusty plains would be tragic. That's more than just a small inconvenience of climate change to me. If we have to give up our culture, our history, and what makes us American, well, that's one of the bleakest futures I can imagine.
In the end, the big question those in power in this country need to ask themselves is "What are we sacrificing tomorrow by refusing to sacrifice today?" How much are we willing to give up? At what point can we draw the line on inefficient industrial practices? Is it at the loss of our natural beauty? Is it at the loss of our children's futures? Is it because we have a conscience and a desire to leave this world better than before? To anyone who does believe in climate change, we have to draw the line somewhere, because this world is worth saving, and we need to make those sacrifices today to ensure that what happens in tomorrow's world won't haunt us forever.
2 comments:
Great stuff... I am reminded of a book (I don't remember the title) that talks about what it would be like if humanity was wiped off the face of the Earth. If I recall correctly, the book says that most of our buildings would crumble, and eventually Nature would reclaim most of the planet. CO2 levels would balance out, etc. Eventually, there would be barely any trace that humanity ever lived here. So even if we destroy the beauty of the world (and ourselves in the process), at some point the planet will go back to it's natural state of beauty. (But is something really beautiful if there's no one around to enjoy it? That's a question for another day, I suppose...)
I like your question: what will we sacrifice tomorrow for today? I actually, I think of it more as: what won't I sacrifice today for tomorrow? Can I handle crusty line-dried clothes in order to save the energy needed to run the dryer? Living without luxury after you has grown accustomed to it is very difficult...when did luxury become such a given in the U.S?
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