When you distill it all down, the fundamental question people have about Global Warming is: how bad is it going to be? A more useful question might be—would it make any difference if we knew? Here in California we live knowing “the big one” is coming—an earthquake the likes of which none of us in California have ever experienced, and yet most of us don’t even have a can of beans tucked away in preparation for it. We just can’t be bothered. So how can we expect the whole world to respond to Global Warming with any more preparation or urgency than 95% of us in California are responding to the certainty of an 8.0 earthquake?
If the top scientists and astronomers held a worldwide press conference to announce that a large asteroid was, with absolute certainty, going to hit the earth on November 15th 2020, it is safe to say that future reality would change everything about humanity’s focus and priorities. The world’s governments, scientists, engineers, great thinkers and brightest minds would all come together aligned towards the single cause of diverting the asteroid from hitting us. The world’s massive armament business would be re-focused towards stopping the asteroid. No equivocation. No nationalism. Just an absolute determination to save humanity from having to experience the unimaginable, catastrophic impact of the asteroid.
It is the inability for humanity to grasp the consequence of unchecked CO2 emissions pouring into our atmosphere that makes Global Warming seem like an asteroid no one can truly imagine is coming. Some assert the temperature of the planet is rising because of changes in the chemistry of the sun. Worldwide scientific consensus says the planet is warming from humanity’s burning of fossil fuels. Regardless of the cause of Global Warming (2010 is projected to be the hottest year on record), one thing is unequivocally clear–the hotter the planet becomes, the harder the Ecological Asteroid of Global Warming is going to hit us.
Are all the world’s governments, scientists, engineers, great thinkers and brightest minds coming together aligned towards the single cause of minimizing Global Warming’s impact on the planet? Many are certainly trying. But for the most part, people are responding to Global Warming with the same level of concern Californian’s have for the certainty of their coming 8.0 earthquake.
Can you and I do something more than just shrug and put our head in the sand?
I think one thing is for certain.
We should get an extra can of beans?
Smart Green 2020 