In the future, historians may wonder how we sleepwalked ourway into ecological disaster. The UN’s Rajendra Pachaurisays the CO2 which causes global warming has reached”dangerous” levels. Stephen Byers, who reports to PrimeMinister Tony Blair on global warming, says we could reach”the point of no return” in ten years. Even Lord Oxburgh,the head of Shell Oil in the U.K. and someone who makes anice profit from selling oil, says that unless governmentstake urgent action to curb CO2 emissions (which come mainlyfrom car exhaust), there “will be a disaster.”
Geoffrey Lean writes in the Independent that a recentconference on the environment that he attended reminded himof a 1986 conference about the nuclear accident atChernobyl. He says there were “?few in the room who did notsense their children or grandchildren standing invisibly attheir shoulders.” Yet despite all this, a major novelist hasrecently released a book saying that global warming is a”left wing plot,” right wing radio hosts play downits importance, and in the recent Presidential election,neither candidate even referred to it! How can we tell whois right?
The science is there to see, but not everyone–especiallynot political leaders whose futures depend on reelection–hasthe courage to look at it. Britain’s Tony Blair is one ofthe few who has, but then he’s facing a real crisis: If theGulf Stream changes direction, due to a huge influx of freshwater from melting glaciers, then England will suddenlychange from a verdant landscape to a frozen one.
Is there any good news? Surprisingly, there is. Experts saywe could go briefly above the danger level for CO2 levels aslong as we lowered it quickly afterwards. This means the worldneeds to reduce emissions 50% by 2050. Economistswarn that if we put off cleaning up the air for 10 years, itwill be much more expensive to do so. If we wait for 20years, itwill cost between three and seven times as much.
We have the technology and ability to do it right now. Wewould need to cut energy waste, use more renewable sources,plant more trees and capture CO2 before it’s released frompower plants.
Will we do it? Or will be continue sleepwalking our way toapocalypse? It’s much too soon for all of us to learn how toenjoyeternal life. Don’t miss this new Mysterious Powersinterview, up Feb. 12. This is Anne’s first MysteriousPowers show since her near death experience in October!
This week, don’t miss Whitley’s special interview with NickPope about the U.K.?sX-Files,especially for subscribers. Perhaps because of the hottopic, Whitley and Nick Pope were cut off, but Whitleydidn’t let that stop him?he wound up the interview by cellphone! Don’t miss this excitinginterview?subscribetoday.
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