New Earth Rising as Ecological Internet Declared Greenwash Free ZoneAn Inconvenient Lack of Climate Action
The Washington Post runs an article today entitled "Warming to the Inconvenient Facts" which points out the difficulty in moving beyond the recent surge in climate change awareness in the U.S. to identifying and implementing the myriad of major policy-changes in every aspect of life necessary to maintain a habitable climate and Earth. Americans continue to resist the dramatic personal and societal actions necessary to lower carbon emissions - though denial is starting to crumble.
"If the scientists are right about an apocalyptic future of floods, droughts, dead coral reefs, rising sea levels and advancing deserts, global warming is an existential threat that should affect our approach to just about every issue. To take it seriously, we would have to change the way we think about transportation, agriculture, development, water resources, natural disasters, foreign relations and more."
Given that climate change is only but one - albeit the most discussed now - aspect of collapsing global ecosystems; there are a whole range of additional crises including species loss, ocean dead zones, depleted soils, desertification, water shortages, toxic poisons that while often entwined with climate change are deadly in their own right, and require their own urgent policy responses throughout all aspects of human endeavours. The task of pulling humanity into sustainability with its ecosystem habitats intact and operable will be the overriding struggle of every moment of remaining human history.
Comments
I have grave doubts about humanity's future, but they are not based on climate change scenarios. Rather, they are "the elephant in the living room." That elephant is population growth. If memory serves, a study some years ago showed that the earth could support an ultimate population of about one-half billions under current standards of living in the western world. We are rapidly approaching 13 times that figure, with a projection of an ultimate population of 10 -- 12 billions.
My own feeling is that we are already seeing some of the consequences of overpopulation, and energy use is just one of those.
I don't remember the author (I would be very happy to attribute) but I remember the thought, here paraphrased:
The resource in shortest supply is time itself.
I cannot be optimistic about humanity's prospects over the next century or two.
Posted by: Robert Bergen | July 24, 2006 7:34 PM
Climate change is one factor,that can create life or destroy life. It is life...........
Posted by: Glenn D... | July 29, 2006 7:50 AM
Where can I get information on carbon trading activities?
Posted by: John J Burton | August 20, 2006 5:46 AM
I would suggest using the search feature of the Internet on this site at http://www.climateark.org/search/ searching for carbon trading.
Posted by: Anonymous | August 20, 2006 11:06 AM