A
Perspective On Global Warming
By Jean-Louis Robert Turcot & Emily Spence
10 August, 2007
Countercurrents.org
The
attempt to stop and possibly reverse Global Warming reminds of the aims
of Helen Caldicott with respect to the dangers of a nuclear war. As
much her goals were admirable with her tireless effort to inform, and
to warn us about the possibility of a nuclear holocaust, we have not
been able to change one single iota from that possibility.
At the same time, the Beyond War group used the bucket-of-shotgun-pellets
method to demonstrate that one single pellet represented all of the
firepower of the entire second World War, while the entire bucket represented
the nuclear weapon potential to make war... Again, even though the representation
was graphic and dramatic, it did not change anything whatsoever relative
to the nuclear menace. Indeed, our nuclear capacity is only becoming
more pronounced over time.
Unfortunately, some of us don't see how informing anyone about the threat
of Global Warming will change anything until it may be too late to do
much about it. James Lovelock, in his predictions about it, could have
added the apparent fact that the planet Venus has temperatures that
hover around 800 degrees F., while Mercury, much closer to the sun,
has temperatures of about 300 degrees F. and that the apparent cause
of Venus' temperatures are mainly due to greenhouse gases. If one extrapolates
those figures to include the Earth's increasing greenhouse gases with
the apparent forthcoming release of gases from the oceans, melting ice
and bog lands, as well as methane gas escaping from permafrost environments,
even without a nuclear war, the outcome could be very horrific... and
perhaps beyond the point of no return... as in an irreversible, but
temporary, exponential temperature increase, which could end life as
we know it.
If we do have any long-term chance to survive our innate stupidities,
we will have to look into our mirrors and see what needs to be changed
in order to change the rest of the world. If we can't see a little of
George Bush looking back at our reflection, we should look again...
but then again, most people don't want to look too closely in the mirror,
as they, sanctimoniously, feel it's the "other guy" who is
the real culprit.
Besides, most people don't want to face any ugly realities, anyway,
wherever they originate. As W. Lance Bennett pointed out, "When
faced with a choice between confronting an unpleasant reality and defending
a set of comforting and socially accepted beliefs, most people choose
the later course."
All considered, there is a new television series called 'Planet Earth'.
In the 'JUNGLES' episode, Chimpanzees are involved. One of the features
in that particular sequence shows a group of Chimpanzees about to raid
and make war on another group of their kind. The stealth of the group
is truly amazing and depicts our own way of doing things to a tee...
We have graduated from clubs to a-bombs, but the characters are one
and the same... Another simian-like episode, taken from Stanley Kubrick's
'2001: A Space Odyssey,' also shows an ape-like animal discovering the
power of a club... which is transformed into a weapon as the ape discovers
its powers.
From many people's perspectives, it seems that dire warnings have no
lasting effect. Although necessary, they will not, in and of themselves,
change outcomes unless we all take responsibility for our actions --with
every single one of us doing so in order to propel civilization in an
entirely new direction.
We were borne from a survival of the fittest environment and we have
done very well to establish our dominance, but as far as nature is concerned,
we are a menace to life itself, and hence nature may do what it does
best when a species does not fit in its realm. As such, it may just
get rid of the nuisance that we are, simply by letting us do whatever
we do best, which is to use our collective intelligence to demonstrate
our stupidity. (It is said that the dodo birds did not fear 'man', and
hence became extinct. In that vein, it seems as if we don't fear each
other's actions enough to escape a similar fate.)
It is regretful if this is too dismal a view to accept. While many of
us are not ready to throw in the towel quite yet, we definitely do need
to find a new direction in which to go. (The old just won't do! This
is becoming increasingly and alarmingly clear!)
While we can consider Mother Teresa, Gandhi and others of their ilk
as great people, we do so because it is their way of thinking to save
others and THIS is the most important component for the survival of
our species and our planet. Indeed, if it can be shown somehow that
the only way to save ourselves is to save much more -- including the
land, waterways, plants and animals (rather than just the people with
whom we most closely feel kinship) on a global scale -- or at least
if we develop the mind set to do so, we may be able to avoid the worst
outcomes that are looming from our huge appetite for fossil fuels and
warring against each other to selfishly gain, for our individual groups,
ever more resources, that we plunder in ever increasing amounts from
the worn out natural world.
If we don't soon realize that we are our own worst enemy, and, on account,
make efforts to fight that enemy, there is little chance that George
Bush or one of his clones will not put the final nail in the coffin
of humanity. Furthermore, it will be us collectively that allowed one
of them to do so.
It is sad to seem so pessimistic because in fact many of us have always
been optimistic, in spite of reasons for the contrary. Optimism, however,
is not a cure for our ills. However, realism may be!... We are apes,
and, if we continue to act as such, we should not expect 'God' to come
down and "save the day." If that was a possibility, 'God'
would have done so from the very beginning, and have prevented a lot
of extreme misery, pain and suffering from happening. So, we must bring
the best part of ourselves forward, that of 'God' in ourselves as some
would call it, to better serve the world.
Anyway, this is enough doom and gloom "stuff." We still have
a chance, despite that it is getting slimmer all the time.
Yet, the solution might be, in the end, quite simple It just may be
that 'The more we take care of each other, the more the Earth will take
care of us,' or, to put it more succinctly, the more that we allow more
life to live with a reasonable prospect for survival, the more Gaia
may tolerate our presence and work with us to continue our individual
species, a species that is just one of ever so many currently at peril
from our all too human inhumane actions.
Whew!
Right now imagine looking at the reflection of clouds and sun on Okanagan
Lake in British Columbia. There are sailboats plying its waters and
a slight breeze to guide them along its pristine shores... What a delight
it has been to admire Creation, from wherever it originates. When seeing
such sights, we can be reminded all the more of our duty to preserve
the Earth so that it can be enjoyed in perpetuity by many more people,
other animals and plants to come.
Jean-Louis Robert Turcot , an environmentalist living in the Canadian
Northwest, is greatly concerned about the preservation of natural environments
and humanity.
Emily Spence lives in central Massachusetts and deeply cares about the
future of our Earth.
Leave
A Comment
&
Share Your Insights
Comment
Policy
Digg
it! And spread the word!
Here is a unique chance to help this article to be read by thousands
of people more. You just Digg it, and it will appear in the home page
of Digg.com and thousands more will read it. Digg is nothing but an
vote, the article with most votes will go to the top of the page. So,
as you read just give a digg and help thousands more to read this article.