from JAY FLEISHER
It’s High Time To Act
On Climate Change
To the Editor:
The global society is facing lots of serious issues. The war in Afghanistan, Syrian recovery, Brexit, immigrant migration, the Mueller report, corruption, police brutality, etc., the list goes on and on. One issue spans the globe, involving everyone, rich/poor, privileged/deprived, black/white, straight/gay, that being the current change in Earth’s climate. Ignore it if you wish, but it won’t ignore you.
Why all the fuss? Hasn’t the contamination of our life-giving atmosphere been made clear? Aren’t we all aware of the frequency of extreme weather, such as the recent blast of frigid air delivered by a Polar Vortex? Haven’t the scientists clearly demonstrated the ramifications of shrinking Arctic Sea ice? Does anyone not know glaciers around the world are rapidly thinning and shrinking, thus causing sea level to gradually creep onto land threatening coastal communities? And the biggest question of all: why aren’t effective measures being taken by government leaders to prevent a drastic impact on our Global Society? There was a time when we could count on America to lead the way, not anymore. Whilst some American companies are looking to be a part of the solution, as a whole, there are issues with this nation’s approach to the issue.
For the past several decades, atmospheric warming has increased at an unprecedented rate, all of which is attributed to pollution. International efforts to address this problem, such as the Paris Accord, set goals to reduce human impact, but none have been effective and the problem persists with no solution in sight. Ask yourself why? If you don’t see this as a problem, you are ignoring reality. However, there is hope. The younger generation is getting involved.
They have good reason to be concerned, as expressed by demonstrations around the globe demanding immediate attention to the single most threatening global issue since WWII, that being Climate Change. They recognize that the impact of ignoring the problem today will be to cause greater societal and economic stress later.
Interestingly, 50 percent of adult Americans acknowledge the human impact on changing climate, yet an equal number doubt if it will have a direct influence on them. Therein lies the problem – they say, “I won’t have to deal with it, so why should I upset a comfortable economic life-style for something that can’t be guaranteed to affect me“.
Extinction comes about when organisms can’t adapt to threatening changes fast enough. Let me be clear – the human race is not being threatened by extinction as a result of Climate Change, but our instincts tells us that if we adjust to environmental changes now through voluntary action we can avoid an undefined reaction by Mother Nature later.
The younger generation and millennials will have to live with these changes, not the “baby boomers” who currently have the authority to act but don’t. No wonder the youthful are demanding we take action now to preclude imposed, more severe future adjustments.
It boils down to whether or not we deal with problems that influence us in our lifetime or procrastinate, hopeful of self-resolution. Weeks and months, and possibly years are in our normal frame of reference. Beyond that it’s really difficult to project. The “inconvenient truth” (to borrow a phrase) is that we don’t deal with longer spans of time very well – they seem too abstract. The relevance of the immediate future tends to dictate. The Balance of Nature works on a different metronome and is constantly adjusting.
Perception is reality, so the baby boomers in our government who are in a position to do something are doing nothing. “Let’s not upset the economy”, rationalizing that science can’t guarantee how Climate Change will play out. Well, with few exceptions, such as the Law of Gravity, that’s not the way science works. Science defines the problem, gathers essential information, analyzes results, and then draws conclusions.
Waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store is not the answer. The problem has been defined. Essential information has been gathered and analyzed. We will have to rely on the younger generation to take charge and demand changes that deal with the problem.
JAY FLEISHER
Glacial geologist
Oneonta