Our Beautiful Home
By John James
02 June,
2008
Countercurrents.org
Global warming is a reality, and our contribution to it is clear to every scientist worth his salt.
The benign climate that has allowed humanity to multiply and prosper has remained relatively stable for ten thousand years. This accounts for the entire span of civilised human history.
In 200 hundred years of industrial pollution the average global temperature has risen 0.78oC. Though this may not seem much, for something as massive as the earth it means a great deal.
This coincides with a one-third increase in atmospheric CO2, and even greater increases of other greenhouse gasses. We have to acknowledge the connection, in spite of the many deliberate campaigns throwing doubt on the reality.
These are being financed by rich oil companies like Exxon, seeking to raise your doubts by, for example, blaming cycles of the sun. A study published last week by the Royal Society shows there is no doubt that solar activity over the past 20 years has run in the opposite direction to global warming, and therefore cannot explain the rise in global temperatures.
We, as humans, have to accept responsibility for damaging the beautiful home we live on – indeed, the only home available to us or our children.
The key cause is consumption. If we bought less, drove less, flew less often to Europe or Bali, and if we lived more simply, we would not have supported the coal and oil industries to give us this level of power and comfort. Though fossil fuels are the immediate cause of global warming, our satisfactions are the true culprits.
And, through
film and TV, we have shown the rest of the world how rich and profligate
they could be too, and have kidded them into believing that our material
lifestyle is making us happy.
John James
PhD, OAM, architect, historian and researcher
Address, Lawsons Long alley, Hartley Vale, 2790 Australia –
(61 2) 6355 2223
My personal site www.johnjames.com.au
Crucible Centre www.cruciblecentre.com
Crisis Coalition www.planetextinction.com
