| Thoughts on Climate Change |
| Climate Change, that much maligned and much ignored subject of today. It is beyond me why people are so blas� about the subject! The whole world is overheating, yet few are prepared to accept the seriousness of the situation. It is a complex subject of course, which may be part of the reason why folks are slow to address it, but I am not and here is my "take" on Climate Change aka Global Warming. No one can deny that the world is overheating, that is a scientific fact. Extreme weather has always existed, that is a scientific fact. What is also a scientific fact is that extreme weather conditions are increasing. How do we know this? Fossil evidence that pre-dates our ancestors plus accounts from our ancestors world wide which are now on a global database. Our ancestors may not have been aware of global weather extremes but they were astute enough to record their own local extremes for our perusal! There are three major contributors to Climate Change. CFC's (ChloroFluoroCarbons) as in aerosols which have been addressed quite effectively. CO and CO2 (Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide) emissions that are being recognized but not effectively addressed and too little action being taken to reduce them. De-Forestation which is having a major impact upon the environment, but due to economical factors is largely ignored which will lead to our peril. Now, the above, on the face of it, are reversible, the trouble is that it is highly unlikely that we will be able to restore the Ozone Layer to it's former All Protecting Glory. It does after all, protect us from the energy giving and also death rays called radiation from the sun. Let us look a bit closer at what Climate Change can, and will, do. It has taken centuries for nations around the world to develop crops that are resistant to bacteria and "pests" in their local areas, with climate change, "pests" and bacteria will migrate and attack those crops that provide the staple diets of millions of people. In what is an instant in universal terms the entire world could suffer famine in a way that is unthinkable. As the world overheats, so sea levels will continue to rise and fresh water will evaporate into the atmosphere causing further droughts on a scale never before seen. Global food supplies would suffer dramatically. Overpopulation is another subject, but, take a moment to ponder the effects of overpopulation plus drought plus famine on a global scale! Trees, without them we would not be here as we would not have the necessary oxygen levels to survive. So what do we do? WE cut them down! In 2000 in Brazil an area of forest the size of Belgium was cut down. De-forestation is a matter for immediate action, but, again, major players like the US continue to stall on making a committment to agreements such as Kyoto which could have a very longlasting impact on all of us. Not only us of course, spare a thought for our grandchildren and their children, what sort of place will they be trying to survive in instead of living full and vibrant lives? Obviously there is much more that could be said on the subject like the burning of fossil fuels etc, but I hope you get the picture! It may be over pessimistic and alarmist, I agree, but would optimism speed our actions? I think not! There are things we can do right now, such as visit the Rainforest Site on a daily basis, there is a banner on the homepage, lobby our MP's, Senators or equivalent etc and of course take action at our own local level by burning less fossil fuels, buy "eco-friendly" goods and so on. Our Planet is dying due to our actions and we will die with it unless we all take action right now! I hope to have a page up and running soon that will contain links, urls and e-mail addresses of people worth mailing to get things changed. |
 |
 |
|
|
