Thursday, January 16, 2020
Why Are So Few Alarmed By This?
I read this article,see here, in The Guardian yesterday, I found it alarming. And, I feel despair that no real action is being taken to reduce greenhouse emissions to slow down the global warming which has accelerated at an alarming pace since the 1950's see here.
Mainstream media have reacted with alarm, concern, apathy, depending on their political slant. And comments by readers on the news released yesterday make one despair. The evidence is blindingly obvious that human activity is drastically increasing the rate of warming. So what are we going to do about it?
No one wants to live without the conveniences of modern life, we enjoy good health, a stable food supply, good medical care, homes, freedom, and many more things that make life pleasant, comfortable, secure. But we have to come up with ways to still have these things but without the ongoing spewing of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere, it is a time for extreme innovation, investment into green energies, and we as individuals need to support the innovation and help to make it the new normal. One thing for sure, we cannot continue as we are or we will face dire consequences. I am in my mid-fifties, in a selfish way I don't have much to lose I have already lived a full life, but what about my children and grandchildren, and future great-grandchildren. I am willing to make and embrace changes for their future.
If the earth is in a warming trend we cannot stop that, but if human activity is skewing the warming trend to an extreme global warming, we can do something about that. This is an important clarification, as the often heard argument is that the climate has always changed it is just the way it is and we can't do anything about it. I don't disagree, science shows us that the climate has always changed, but not at the rapid pace it is changing now, it has never heated or cooled at the rate it is now. As Greta Thunberg says, "if your house is on fire you panic, you do something", why aren't we all pulling together and doing something?
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I think one reason for the apparent apathy is the acceleration of modern life, and its complication. People are so bombarded with information, inundated with possessions and commitments, overwhelmed with things to juggle, that they just don't have the bandwidth to consider and respond, let alone make changes. I care passionately about the wellbeing of the Earth, and like you I am horrified by the signs of what is coming. I think about it constantly. I try to make as many changes as I can so that my life becomes part of the solution not the problem. I find living simply is absolutely key to this. Balancing issues of social justice, affordability, ecological responsibility, animal welfare (including wildlife), food miles, fair trade, supporting small local businesses over industrial scale agri-business, re-using, recycling, repairing, choosing organic, avoiding packaging, cutting down fuel and water use, restricting vehicle use — gosh, it goes on for ever! I take it very seriously and I try hard most of the time to do most of it; but I can also understand why some people just go into denial. It takes such determination and commitment to make the necessary changes.
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