When I read "Learning to Love Climate 'Adaptation'" it scared me ... I think that was the point. It outlined some of the changes we will need to make in order to start adapting to our warming planet. It briefly talked about the refugees who will be victimized by global warming and the billions of dollars we will need to spend in adjusting.
Sharon Begley wrote the article under the assumption that Americans and the rest of the world will not make the necessary changes to curb the effects of global warming. Her assumption is one that scares me, mostly because it seems like she is right.
Fixing what we've messed up is going to take sacrifice. Most people seem too attached to their creature comforts to support the kind of changes that real solutions will require. Our political leaders are too weak-willed to put the environment first. None of the candidates--not Clinton, not Obama, and not Edwards, and certainly none of the Republicans--have made global warming the central issue that it deserves to be. They use it as a buzz word to gather support or to point out the differences between the Democrats and the Republicans. This past week, the Senate proved again that our leaders in that house of Congress have other priorities as well. Ultimately if there isn't a bigger difference between us and the Republicans soon, it will be too late.
We are reaching the point of no return, some scientists say we have already passed it, and it's not okay. We are messing with something that is bigger than us, we are talking about our planet. I really hope Sharon Begley is wrong.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/81390
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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I want to read this article (once I get back to CA and am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off for the Edwards campaign).
I agree that the US may not take action in time for us to reverse climate change. That is a scary thought. It's also a thought that provokes me to take more action, scream louder, write more, and get the word out about climate change.
To a certain extent, we have already altered our climate. We will have to adapt. BUT, I think that we should still be working to prevent the catastrophic climate change that could result if we take absolutely no action.
While the gov't moves slowly, at least the Bush administration now utters the words "global warming" and even made some concessions at the Bali agreement. And that is due to how loud and how big the climate movement has grown in the last couple of years.
Don't lose hope people. Fight on.
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