ENVIRONMENT: Rant

I clipped this comment from another blog's post about global warming:

My wife is a climatologist working for the very institute that Jim Hanson (the guy finally standing up against Bush) is in charge of. She talked about hearing Hanson speak recently and his views are becoming more and more depressing. He feels that we CAN act to mitigate the effects of warming, but he also feels that because of politics we won't and that the effects are going to be worse than previously predicted. My wife also, as she reads the most recent scientific literature on the subject, is starting to feel that things are going to get very, very bad.

It is hard to imagine from our comfortable lives just what might be in our future. Imagine the New Orleans levees situation...and apply it to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle...pretty much ALL coastal cities. Take Florida, all except the highest ground in the North part of the state, and just throw it in the ocean. Seriously. Almost the entire state will be inundated.

Now people know how to keep the ocean out. Amsterdam and even London already are fighting the sea's encroachment. So, we could do that. Except where will the money come from? Such huge public works projects would require an unprecedented expenditure on the part of the Federal government...and we are already so deeply in debt that it is hard to figure out how we will keep alfoat, let alone build massive levees to preserve our coastal cities.

The "don't worry, be happy" attitude of most conservatives to this issue is suicidal. Almost every aspect of our children's lives will be affected by this--shifting patterns of agriculture (probably favoring Canada at the expense of our breadbasket), shifting patterns of disease bringing tropical diseases into our heartland, loss of our coastal cities...

These are not the visions of environmental extremists. These are the visions of people who spend their whole lives quietly at a computer studying climate data and modeling what might happen under different circumstances. These are the visions of the world's top scientists. These are the visions of people who are normally apolitical. Our top scientists are telling us we are fucked and they are getting spooked about it.

Are we like all those Japanese monster movies where no one listens to the scientist who is warning them of the monster about to attack Tokyo? Our top scientists today are in the position of Tireseas of Greek mythology--seeing the future but fated to have no one believe you until it is way too late

I didn't bring you the blog post because it says essentially the same as all liberal articles on global warming: scientists are talking but the conservative run media isn't reporting; or scientists are talking but no-one among them or the politicians are agreeing; or scientists are talking but every other country in the world is burning fossil fuel so why shouldn't we. You not only refuse to act on the information that for the last 30 years has been fed to you pratically by spoon, you refuse to even acknowledge the issue.

I know the answers to those questions and so do you: politics. The politics of fear and greed controlling the media, the administration and finally, you.

Sarcastically speaking, each and every one of us knows in is or her heart of hearts that if global warming is coming (and I know that you know that it is), then the best place to be is America and the best position in America to be in, is rich. So it makes sense for Americans to bury their heads in their home-town sandbox's and focus on what they believe they can control; work and family, growing their bank accounts and expanding their broods.

When you do that it feels like you're in control, right? Feels like you believe down deep that somehow the greatest country in the world will either figure out and stop global warming (in your town anyway) or make it profitable, right? Feels like your conservative friends and church mates are right, that there is no global warming and even if there is, it is a normal and cyclical earth change and that nothing you've done (or can change by altering consumption) can undo, right? And that it's all going to be just fine and if it's not, then you're going to work your ass off anyway, keep your ducks in a row and get to Heaven one way or another, right?

Don't think that countries that turn sub-Saharan hot in a decade won't start eyeing the northern climates like the one in which we live. Don't think that now dirt-poor ravaged or threatened countries won't band together to create blocks of influence, money and power to wage their own "pre-emptive" strikes against others that impede global climate-saving actions. Don't think China will be your friend. Don't think millionaires will be rich enough to afford, or even allowed, to own lands with tolerable climates and resources; those will be owned by the billionaires club of which you will never be a member. No, don't think it will be like anything you can imagine because everything you can imagine is based on the history of a world with the climate of the last ten thousand years and since you can't imagine how bad it could be why are you afraid to do something-- anything--to stop it? Slow it? Understand it?

Climate change will be fully on us before your kids are having their own families. Nice wedding present you're preparing. Better hope your death certificate is tucked in that gift card because that's what you'll wish upon yourself for having foolishly, selfishy, frittered away your opportunity to loudly, vigorously and endlessly call for the leadership the deterence of global warming requires.

You complain more about a waitress who burns your toast than an event the Pentagon reports will be more catastrophic than terrorism.

I am ashamed of you.