You Need Me On That Wall!: What's the problem?

Thursday, May 03, 2007

What's the problem?

This may sound overly simplistic and maybe a little cynical, but here it goes. I have trouble getting all worked up over global warming. Obviously I want to live on a clean planet and have clean air to breathe and all that. But other than being concerned about the immediate effect that pollution has on our quality of life, I really can't make myself get too worried about what might happen to the planet some time in the future. Even if that time is within my lifetime.

First of all there is too much to worry about already. Paying the bills, raising the kids, going to the dentist, fixing the car, saving for retirement, watching out for that car with the drunk at the wheel... I don't even live on the coast, if the level of the ocean rises or falls a couple of feet, not my problem.

And whoever said life was going to be exactly the same in 50 years as it is right now anyway? Why does there have to be a city at the site of New Orleans, forever? There used to be a city at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, life goes on. Speaking of life going on, who made the rule that humans have to always be the dominant form of life on the planet? In fact this has only been the case for about 10,000 years, a drop in the bucket relatively speaking.

I believe we will invent our way out of this problem. I'll do my part to use less fossil fuels, for several reasons - including for the environment. But I refuse to worry too much any longer about this. We MAY end up living in a drastically different world in 50 years because of global climate change. But I believe that we for sure will be living in a drastically different world in 50 years for any number of other reasons (war, economics, technology...) that we would be better off focusing our attention on today.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: The first thing we need to invent is a media and a general public that understands uncertainties in modeling results. There's no way the computer models being thrown around in the new are precise enough to be worth planning around. There is also way too much uncertainty in what little climactic data we have to even be sure if the climate is really changing, much less how, and much much less why.

hidesert; 10:46 AM

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Col. Jessep:

Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. ...my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to!