Twice now in the past two weeks, I have expressed to people my philosophy that humanity is on a path of progress and improvement, that by many types of measurement (life expectancy, access to resources, technology, transportation, communication, education, civil rights) we are better now than ever before--much more so as one looks farther and farther into the past. In both cases, someone responded, but what about the environment and global warming. One student asked me later about my views on climate change because the student had been speaking with other students who were discussing climate change; because of this, the student had fears that the world was going to end in the next couple of decades.
While I worked to allay the student's fears (I very much remember having similar fears when I was that age, but it my case, it was fear of nuclear annihilation), I was also hesitant to downplay the seriousness of climate change. I believe that the world isn't about to end and that humanity will continue to exist for millenia to come; however, the many people are going to be facing greater hardships in the coming decades and centuries due to the haphazard ways that humans--especially human businesses--have been disposing of their waste (solid, liquid, and gas). More frightening to me is that climate change deniers are not only spreading misinformation, but are actively taking steps to make polluting and destructive exploitation of our environment easier and more common.
There is no question that the world is warmer now than at any point in humanity's history; anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. There is no question that many people, especially in poorer nations, will be negatively impacted by the changes which are rapidly (from a historical, let alone a geological, perspective) occurring. The issue is how to we deal with these growing problems without bankrupting everyone. We should be spending our energy in that direction rather than sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it will all sort itself out.
I believe that crisis begets innovation. We are starting to see some remarkable, and practical, ideas being brought forth by a growing group of people. With the progress humanity has made in so many areas, I am certain we can make the world better in this regard as well.
While I worked to allay the student's fears (I very much remember having similar fears when I was that age, but it my case, it was fear of nuclear annihilation), I was also hesitant to downplay the seriousness of climate change. I believe that the world isn't about to end and that humanity will continue to exist for millenia to come; however, the many people are going to be facing greater hardships in the coming decades and centuries due to the haphazard ways that humans--especially human businesses--have been disposing of their waste (solid, liquid, and gas). More frightening to me is that climate change deniers are not only spreading misinformation, but are actively taking steps to make polluting and destructive exploitation of our environment easier and more common.
There is no question that the world is warmer now than at any point in humanity's history; anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. There is no question that many people, especially in poorer nations, will be negatively impacted by the changes which are rapidly (from a historical, let alone a geological, perspective) occurring. The issue is how to we deal with these growing problems without bankrupting everyone. We should be spending our energy in that direction rather than sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it will all sort itself out.
I believe that crisis begets innovation. We are starting to see some remarkable, and practical, ideas being brought forth by a growing group of people. With the progress humanity has made in so many areas, I am certain we can make the world better in this regard as well.
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