That’s right. Just 34 years ago, climatologists were worried sick that another ice age would wreak havoc on the earth and its population. The mean global temperature had dropped an estimated 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1940s. Snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere was advancing aggressively with no signs of stopping. Migratory patterns of the armadillo were changing. All of the signs pointed toward a disastrous drop in global temperature that would decimate the world’s population.
If you read the article, you will no doubt notice that if Time wanted to cut its number of staff writers down, they could substitute global-warming terminology for every reference to global cooling/ice ages and have an article that could be published today, Earth Day 2008, and no one would be the wiser.
Does anyone else take issue with this? Three decades ago, the media were convinced that we would all die in snowy graves. Now they are convinced that we will turn our world into a raging funeral pyre. What will they be convinced of in another thirty years? Global steadiness? I wonder what that article will look like…
Thursday, April 22, 2038. In Russia, crops are growing. In Ethiopia, herds of
cows are strong. At the UN, climatologists gather for the annual UN
Environmental Impact Conference. They are worried that there have not been
the characteristic climate swings the past ten to twenty years. “Normally,
we would expect various rising and cooling trends over the course of a decade or
two. We have not been seeing this—the global climate is at a standstill,”
said Swedish climatologist Soren Kiergestol. “This could wreak havoc on
our environment—it needs climatic diversity to thrive. Humankind must
intervene in order to save our planet…”
8 comments:
Happy Earth Day Jon;
I remember when global cooling was the worry, of course this is one of the reasons they now call it climate change and not global warming.
Of course we in Canada would like a bit of a warming trend! LOL
One of the issues about the climate I recently mentioned on Creation on the Blade is what is the standard of a perfect environment? What exactly is our goal?
That being said it is a nicer world to live in when the air is more breathable, food grows more readily, and the water is safe….
livingsword,
No doubt about your last sentence. I'm all for tending the planet well. (After all, it's where all my stuff is.) And Adam was commanded in the garden to look after things. So I agree in principle with being environmentally responsible. Where I take issue is when fear-mongering, politics and the like come in. Dirty tricks and dirty politics aren't any better than dirty air, if you ask me.
What exactly is the standard of a perfect environment? What a great question, one that I had not thought of before! Thanks for that gem.
I think most people will never realize that this article exist. Thanks for another well written article.
Excellent hypothetical situation! No matter what the climate seems to be doing, mankind will likely forever be the blight on the earth that caused such a climate "situation".
FYI, as the global temperature increases it often is followed by a cooling. The Earth's systems are in equilibrium. When that equilibrium is pushed to far to one side, it often swings back to the other side before it finds equilibrium again (this could take a few hundred years though). Case in point, if global warming continues, Denver is going to see a lot more snow. Weird huh
Just thought I would add my 2 cents. Give the scientists a break we have limited resources and a lack of omnipotence.
Phil,
Long time no see! Thanks for your input. I don't intend to be mean to scientists, I promise! I just take issue with people who misuse the environment politically. For example, I saw a commercial the other day that showed a bunch of kids, and the tag line was something to the effect of "If you don't act now to save the environment, then all your kids are going to die." As you said, scientists have limited resources, and I believe all they know for sure is human behavior impacts the environment. To what extent this happens is not clear.
Anyway, I should have been more clear and did not intend to criticize the scientific community. In this particular case, in fact, I was criticizing the media.
Well thats easy to fix. Stop watching media. Their primary goal is to sell advertising. They don't care how they do it and sensational or simply wrong info is not beyond their usual.
Congrats on the baby! We are due in December!
Post a Comment