Global Warming
From the annals of palaeontology/anthropology and archaeology comes research showing that all homo sapiens evolved from Africa. Our DNA, yours, mine, everyone on this planet, part of our shared human story, evolved in Africa some 200 000 years ago and migrated outwards.
I find this research fascinating for many reasons, but mainly it certainly defeats any notion of racism when one realizes that we all come from the same origins and we all share the same DNA. There are people who depending on the issue either support or deny science to serve their own agenda. It seems to apply to research in Covid vaccines, in the wearing of masks or even in the Great debate as to whether the world is round or flat.
In terms of science for example when the “hole” over Antarctica was first identified in 1986 it posed an environmental disaster. Some of the original scientific research paved the way to the 1989 Montreal Protocol, a forum bringing scientific knowledge together with political will, in order to ban ozone depleting chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons.
Three decades later further research has shown that the hole, although not gone, has significantly been reduced in size. Therefore, dangerous ultra violet radiation which in turn kills plankton, at the base of the food chain, and promotes skin cancer and cataracts in humans, among other things, has been likewise reduced.
The point is: an environmental problem was researched and identified, the scientific community was listened to by both the public and the politicians, bans were put into effect and long term environmental goals were achieved.
The parallel problem today is global warming, a much greater issue. I no longer have the confidence that we can solve this problem as we did with the hole in the ozone layer because of the power of the Science Deniers in association with social media, fundamentalist belief systems and short term economic planning models. The perfect storm.
There are too many people both in the general population and in positions of leadership who deny the existence of global warming. There is now an entire cadre of science deniers. We see them everyday when it comes to fighting Covid-19. Their belief in “republican science,” democratic freedom and/or fundamental Christian principles maybe closely aligned at times to defeat the basic tenets of science and even common sense.
I’m not sure how many of these doubters choose not to wear masks, do not get vaccinated, live in Miami, The Maldives or in Arctic areas where ocean levels are rising as ice caps are diminishing, as reality apparently does not deter from science denial. Reality is perception and it can be explained as a lie, a media spin, a political fabrication or simply sent from Satan.
In terms of Global Warming, in todays war over climate we have political and economic systems designed for short term gain and short term planning. People want immediate gratification, they don’t tolerate change nor do they like expense. Problems have to be solved in the short term. Add to the mix those people, due to ignorance, greed and or vested interests who simply do not accept that global warming is happening, or if it is, deny that humankind has any impact on the process.
Why bother with reform in terms of carbon tax when polluters like China, India, Russia and Indonesia do so little to clean up. It gives us carte blanche to exploit, to frac, to build pipelines, and destroy the environment until those in power find it to their advantage and profitability to move on to the next thing, leaving a huge wake of destruction behind. This is what makes the 1% great, as they are not usually accountable because through the magic of many forms of social media blame can be spun, alternative facts fabricated and double speak formulated to baffle and confuse those who ultimately suffer.
The question is can we as a species survive the destruction. We marched out of Africa as a single united species 200 000 years ago, but now are we too stupid or blinded by greed and mis-information to see our own demise? What good is our opposable thumb and advanced brain if we don’t know how to use them to solve the long term problems facing the planet?
We might have been better off staying on the Savannah.
