Are We At The Breaking Point?
It’s said that every generation feels that the world is at a crossroads, and that it’s incumbent upon them to do the right thing about something, whether that something is abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, banning nuclear weapons, or any of a number of other crises of the moment. That’s what makes us think about the words of the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan. Is he right?
Though there are other ways in which organized human society could end, e.g., an all-out nuclear war, the destruction of our environment is far more probable; in fact, if nothing is done to divert our present course, it’s inevitable. The crossroads facing this generation is avoiding the tipping point, past which no solutions can possibly save us from ruin. Here I mean global warming, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, and the like.
The consensus among climate scientists is that a 4°C rise in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere (where we’re headed to be in the year 2100) include:
• the inundation of coastal cities;
• increasing risks for food production potentially leading to higher malnutrition rates; many dry regions becoming dryer and wet regions wetter;
• unprecedented heat waves in many regions, especially in the tropics;
• substantially exacerbated water scarcity in many regions;
• increased frequency of high-intensity tropical cyclones;
• irreversible loss of biodiversity, including coral reef systems.
The astounding part of this to me, as mentioned above, is that this is not like buying homeowner’s insurance to protect yourself from a highly unlikely event, e.g., your house burning to the ground. This addressing something that is virtually assured.
Now, is everybody on board with this? Do some people claim that this is alarmist, the sky is falling, gloom and doom? Of course. We have a whole host of people how ridicule scientific finding on the subject. IMO, this can only be due to a) disinformation from the fossil fuel industry, b) religious belief that only God can destroy the Earth, or c) the people who regard this as a left-wing issue, and that climate change is hoax. This is understandable, given that President of the United States in a climate denier. Whatever.
As Sagan implored, “Don’t sit this one out.”
Craig,
I think your are confusing the crisis of confidence among leftist political parties with a “Global Armageddon”!
As Stuart Varney points out ” The Democratic Party May Be in Crisis, But US Democracy Is Not”!
The desperation in your despair is easy to understand. This week the hysteria of “Impeachment” died with a whimper during the farcical last appearance of a weary and fragile Robert Mueller.
The Democrats, along with CNN, WP ,NYT and various media outlets were finally revealed as fantasists and liars. Some Democrats were so deluded they thought badgering Robert Mueller would reveal a ‘smoking gun’, not found in Two years of hugely expensive inquiry.
It didn’t. On the contrary, all that was revealed was a flawed and at times corrupt endeavor poorly managed by past his prime public official, seemingly in the early stages of dementia.
It also showed and investigation that the special counsel was clearly among those who’d never read the report offered up in his name.
The final mood was one of distaste and sadness for the whole process.
Guatemala acceded to President Trump and agreed to retrain illegal migrants from traveling north, despite encouragement to renege.
The week ended with the Supreme Court green lighting the transfer of funds from the Defense budget to build 100 miles of a wall at the border of Mexico.
Not complete wins for the President, but considerable progress revealing his determination and judgement.
The increase in support for the President is steadily growing as his opponents lose credibility.
Meanwhile, in the UK the elevation of Boris Johnson to PM has caused similar hysteric among the in the UK and leftist European media ! That was always to be expected, but the most extreme response was in the NYT. The NYT went overboard in a paroxysm of hysterical tirades, unseen since the rantings of Reich Minister Goebbels.
The elevation of Boris Johnson has seen a huge rise in Conservative support, especially in Scotland.
The offer of support from the US President and friendly receptions from Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Brazil and many other nations, has made a post-brexit future seem far more attractive.
As Boris points out, the EU officials and politicians who are today so intransigent and arrogant, may not be there next year! Britain may be dealing with a far more fragile, poorer, more humble EU next year as the EU economy continues to deteriorate and the current crop of politicians disappear.
Even solid “Remain” supporters are becoming used to the reality of Brexit. Companies that once threatened to quit the UK for the EU, are thing again the reality of US-UK retaliation becomes a real possibility.
No the world is not facing “Armageddon” !