I was recently watching a news story about how the ocean and the rainforests of the Earth are no longer absorbing as much CO2 as they once were, and how we’ve already created these runaway feedback loops that will eventually cause catastrophic climate change to the point where the Earth would be unlivable for most species, including our own.
Then I look at our government policies here in the US and I almost have to laugh. We’ve done so little this century. Teeny tiny baby steps when giant strides are needed. Some people say don’t let perfect be the enemy of good when it comes to such policy, but I have to say that at some point there is a line that must be drawn. If we’re not doing enough, then the end result will still be death of most species here on Earth as a result of our inadequacies.
Surely that matters. I mean, you don’t celebrate the fact that someone almost didn’t drown, do you?
Hell, here in the United States we’re still dealing with, as a culture, mass groups of people who believe climate change is a hoax. You know, because Big Clean Air is out there just raking in the cash, apparently. It’s almost like these people pride themselves in being as ignorant as possible. It’s wonkbonkers.
I have this urge to just grab such people by their shirt collars and just slap the ever loving shit out of them, punctuating each slap with “WHY. WON’T. YOU. FUCKING. GIVE. A. DAMN? WHY. ARE. YOU. LIKE. THIS?”
I figure that might work because reason certainly doesn’t. Emotional appeals don’t. Physical violence might be the only way they actually invest even a modicum of thought into the issue.
Our media doesn’t help, either. They love to both sides so much shit. That will definitely be a post for another day, because what I have to say about the state of our media could fill volumes.
Our forests are dying. Our oceans are heating up. The coral reefs, which are colonies to thousands of life forms, are bleaching and dying. It’s only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down, but my politicians are too busy finding new and exciting places to drill for oil, and my culture is too busy telling me to treat myself to a new and immediately disposable bauble by which to amuse myself and throw away after a few uses.
I’ve said it before, but it’s like watching people re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic after we’ve already hit the iceberg. Where do we go from here? Down. How long it takes depends upon what the crew is doing, and our crew is busy serving the wealthy in their first class staterooms. How do we deal with that?
.Red
