The trend lines, for those who are paying attention, are quite bleak. But the ApocoDocs remember that Lake Erie was declared dead from pollution back in the 70s, yet managed to recover. So we have hope that we haven't tipped past the tipping point in the natural world, and that humankind can wake up and repair the damage we've done. Or, if we have indeed passed some tipping point, we can move quickly enough to mitigate the impending harm.
Recovery will require sacrifice. This will be difficult for the generations spoiled by the last fifty years of cheap energy, bountiful resources, and seemingly limitless capacity for economic growth. Like a spoiled boy stomping his little foot, they will believe that they have the natural right to commute alone in SUVs, the right to convenience at the expense of nature, the right to dispose of anything they no longer want, the right to eat fresh fruit in January. Perhaps like that spoiled boy, we can grow up, and realize that there are limits.
Recovery will require a societal awakening. We need to become disgusted with ourselves, and embarrassed by what we've done. We must identify the polluters, and demand they stop -- recognizing that consumer prices will rise. We will need to find social systems and economic rewards to motivating right action, and disregard namecalling regarding "tree huggers" and "eco-nazis." We must recognize that occasional terrorist outbreaks are nothing compared to the terror of environmental collapse.
Recovery will require political action. Small farms should get more tax benefits than factory farms, penalties for waste must be devised, carbon taxes must continue to be developed. Mostly, it will require a common vision that extends beyond the next political cycle.
Recovery will require scientific action. We must listen to experts, even if it hurts. It will require encouraging engineers to develop small-scale and large-scale solutions. It will require the wealthy world to provide affordable options to the poor world, so they don't repeat our mistakes.
Above all, recovery will require recognition -- that we all face up to what we've done, what we're doing, and what will happen if we don't change. This may be the most difficult task ahead of us.
We are hypothesizing, over the next ten years, the following scenario:
We must not let them.
from Associated Press, Sat, Jan 5, 2008 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080105/ap_on_re_us/winter_storm;_ylt=ApifwLRYPu2wawPKDH5NLYCs0NUE More than 1M lose power in Calif. storm "Howling winds, pelting rain and heavy snow pummeled California on Friday, toppling trees, flipping big rigs, cutting power to more than a million people and forcing evacuations in mudslide-prone areas. Flights were grounded and highways closed in Northern California as gusts reached 80 mph during the second wave of an arctic storm that sent trees crashing onto houses, cars and roads. Forecasters expected the storm to dump as much as 10 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada by Sunday. The heavy snow was slowing search efforts for a family believed to be missing in the mountains, authorities said." | |
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