Let's pretend a huge meteor was racing through space and we are directly in its path. If it stays on its present course, it has been estimated that it will kill up to 95% of all species on our dear planet. I imagine that with this scenario you could be darned certain that every country on Earth would be looking to find a way to alter that asteroid's path. I would go out on a limb and state that, in all likelihood, we would even find collaboration between nations to avoid this imminent disaster.
Well, guess what? A problem with quite similar results is facing us: GLOBAL WARMING. Scientists have predicted that, as of today, we have less than ten years to do something to halt and reverse this trend or our planet will be plunged into chaos as millions upon millions of people will become displaced, will starve, and will die along with many other species of animals and plants.
Sadly, most of us appear to waiting. Waiting for what, I'm not really certain. Waiting for technology, waiting for someone else to do something, waiting for our leaders to actually take the lead or simply waiting for a miracle. But we can no longer wait; we must all take immediate action. The time for baby steps is long past. Changing out lightbulbs or insulating our buildings is as effective as holding up a tissue to protect us from a tsunami, no better that worthless. We must reduce our electrical use by 90% and we must do it in my lifetime. We must reduce our fossil fuel dependency by over 95%. We must improve and expand our agriculture. We must purify our water.
The techniques to do most of this are readily available today; there is no need to wait for so-called emerging technologies. We must incentivize all options that lead to the needed reductions to bring down the cost and make it available to all people everywhere because the change is required globally, not simply locally.
Even as I listen to people expounding on all the things they are doing to lower their carbon footprint, I grow despondent. Radical changes need to occur now before catastrophic change is irreversible. But it seems no matter what I say, or what others like me say, people remain unmoved by the global warming arguments.
If we could only think of global warming as this vast meteor hurtling towards us through space with impact in seven years, perhaps we would all sit up, take notice, feel the urgency, and start working collectively to halt the problem before it becomes an irreversible disaster.
