If you are looking for reasons to take action to stop the human caused effects of climate change, you need look no further than the report conducted by the IPCC. The report highlights many problems associated with a warming climate and after reading it there really is no doubt that this is a reality. The effects associated with climate change are scary, and very real.
Policy needs to be created to address these things and they need to be urgent. There are gatherings for agreeing parties. One of these is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC. Students, professors, politicians, and scientists all gather here in agreement that something needs to be done. A It is easy to put your problems aside to deal with them in the future, but unfortunately Climate Change is not one of these. It needs to be dealt with today. It is also unique in that this is an international problem, meaning we need an international solution. The bright side of this situation is that it presents humankind with an opportunity to work together internationally like we have never done before.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Why Climate Matters
In the book "The Collapse of Western Civilization" a hypothetical scenario is presented, one written in the future looking back on how humans messed up taking global climate change action. If Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway get one thing across, it is that paying attention to our climate matters. They show this in many ways, and some of those ways are worth taking another look at.
The first observation of mine is the recognition that those with an understanding of climate systems do not have power. Instead the power resides in political, economic, and social institutions with strong interest in maintaining the use of fossil fuels. This is linked back to the ideology upheld in economy, which the authors call market fundamentalism. It seems, especially in this scenario 200 years in the future, that we as a nation have completely skewed any sort of logical reasoning within how we live our lives. We uphold those who create jobs with high regard, while rarely batting an eye to those people creating a world of sustainability. We cheer if our GDP shoots through the worth, while general happiness goes unnoticed leaving us with the conclusion that if we just buy one more thing we will finally reach happiness. I have even heard the argument (more so in 2008-09) that we should buy more stuff in order to stimulate the economy, as if the economy is what is holding up all life on earth. "The Collapse of Western Civilization" gives capitalism a good critique, one that tests the idea that free market systems are the only economic systems that did not threaten individual liberty. In doing so, Oreskes and Conway show that following this system as we do today takes away a significant portion of the meaning in the word "free" market.
A part of the critique of capitalism is the irony that has come about. An important role of capitalism was technological advances and incorporating science into the government. The situation we have with global climate change reflects politicians and the general public completely ignoring the scientists. This is due to economic preference, i.e., making money off of burning fossil fuels, but in order to do this denialism has spread rampantly. The ideals of setting out for a free market was to have a less centralized government, but ironically in the book, the policies created for this goal eventually led to centralized government being the only solution for survival.
The last thing from the book, and from the perspective from the futures, is the notion that climate change was the only mass die off/migration that we had foreseen in Earth's history. Not only was is predicted, but there were extensive analysis of causes and potential effects. Humans new about it, ignored it, and are now walking away with their tales between their legs. It emphasizes our arrogance and our short sighted view. This book serves as a reminded that without climate, the things we so preciously covet, like cash, don't matter if we don't take care of our climate first. So why does climate matter? Well, I think it matters, because it, at least ours, is what allows thousands of species to thrive on planet Earth, including humans.
The first observation of mine is the recognition that those with an understanding of climate systems do not have power. Instead the power resides in political, economic, and social institutions with strong interest in maintaining the use of fossil fuels. This is linked back to the ideology upheld in economy, which the authors call market fundamentalism. It seems, especially in this scenario 200 years in the future, that we as a nation have completely skewed any sort of logical reasoning within how we live our lives. We uphold those who create jobs with high regard, while rarely batting an eye to those people creating a world of sustainability. We cheer if our GDP shoots through the worth, while general happiness goes unnoticed leaving us with the conclusion that if we just buy one more thing we will finally reach happiness. I have even heard the argument (more so in 2008-09) that we should buy more stuff in order to stimulate the economy, as if the economy is what is holding up all life on earth. "The Collapse of Western Civilization" gives capitalism a good critique, one that tests the idea that free market systems are the only economic systems that did not threaten individual liberty. In doing so, Oreskes and Conway show that following this system as we do today takes away a significant portion of the meaning in the word "free" market.
A part of the critique of capitalism is the irony that has come about. An important role of capitalism was technological advances and incorporating science into the government. The situation we have with global climate change reflects politicians and the general public completely ignoring the scientists. This is due to economic preference, i.e., making money off of burning fossil fuels, but in order to do this denialism has spread rampantly. The ideals of setting out for a free market was to have a less centralized government, but ironically in the book, the policies created for this goal eventually led to centralized government being the only solution for survival.
The last thing from the book, and from the perspective from the futures, is the notion that climate change was the only mass die off/migration that we had foreseen in Earth's history. Not only was is predicted, but there were extensive analysis of causes and potential effects. Humans new about it, ignored it, and are now walking away with their tales between their legs. It emphasizes our arrogance and our short sighted view. This book serves as a reminded that without climate, the things we so preciously covet, like cash, don't matter if we don't take care of our climate first. So why does climate matter? Well, I think it matters, because it, at least ours, is what allows thousands of species to thrive on planet Earth, including humans.
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