In Other Words

What if they are wrong?

Been sitting here, editing through some technical manual, getting bored till my eyes tear and trying to entertain myself with news and internet gossip. Found a decent (though not great) article on global change, one of my ‘favorite’ topics and found some ultra conservative websites by chance as well. Then I got to wondering about how people can deny Global Warming and the dangers of the changing climate. How, though there is less and less people who dare dispute that it isn’t happening, there still are more than enough to slow the fight against Global Warming down to a crawl.

I thought to myself ‘what if they are wrong’. I mean I know I think they are wrong, but what I’m thinking about was how to convince these people into fighting the global warming threat. The best argument I could come up with was ‘can you afford being wrong’. Quite simple, really. There is a lot of people in this world who say Global Warming is a reality and posses very real and present dangers. Then there is those that oppose global warming and call it hog wash. This second group should really consider whether it is worth being wrong.

I used to think that conservatives were the ‘better safe than sorry’ group, but their opinion on global warming seems to show this belief as false. Yes, if the Global Warming does turn out to be hog wash then we will have ‘wasted’ trillions of dollars on cleaning up our factories, cars, garbage dumps, fossil fuel consumption and consumer oriented society. In other words, basically improving our standard of living. If, on the other hand, we don’t spend the money and we do have Global Warming going on, then what happens?

Millions upon millions displaced (and forced to migrate into already overpopulated regions) our most productive food production regions turned to so much dust, nine out of ten of our biggest cities rendered uninhabitable (with the resulting economic damage) unpredictable weather patterns that will make farming (and food) far more expensive then it is now. Famine, war over more limited resources (including water), religious zeal as living conditions decline, etc.

How can they afford to be wrong? Is there no doubt in their hearts that they might be and have they realised the consequences if they are? Is money really so important that the biggest polluters can’t bring themselves to start cleaning up their act, despite the extra costs? What will individual wealth be worth when society lies is shambles?

Why can’t governments accept the threat of Global Warming, termed as a more serious threat to world civilizations then terrorism recently? What’s in it for the big money people? Do they have a secret escape route meaning they don’t have to live on this planet anymore in case it does get screwed up?

Is it really worth the risk?

Interesting fact: the amount carbon dioxide in the atmosphere right now has not been seen for over 500,000 years. That, by the way, was the time when the polar icecaps didn’t exist.

posted by Symbol @ 10.8.04