Charlatans and Cynics

So…about the weather

Everyone has heard about it all summer. Drought, record heat, extreme weather. It’s good television, people like crazy weather. But that’s just it, to people its entertainment, nothing but a good show.

But this is not “just” the weather. It isn’t completely independent of human actions. The news media has had a good time entertaining with its weather updates this summer, but it has provided no vital information or context that could explain the problem. Probably because that explanation is antithetical to consumption and waste, the very things that the corporate media lives on. No one can control the weather. But, we can alter our habits and lifestyles to help mitigate the climate crisis.

Burying your head in the sand is a temporary solution, especially since that sand may be underwater soon. The vehement denial of global warming is disheartening at best. The U.S has been left behind on this issue. We’ve continually failed to ratify Kyoto, putting us in the same boat as Afghanistan, Andorra, Taiwan, The Vatican City, and Southern Sudan. (The last one can hardly be blamed as it is the newest country in the world.) There has been no serious national effort to scale back consumption, conserve more, and develop new energy sources. We’re the last place winner at the science fair, and we’re damned proud of it.

I can’t get into the heads of those that deny the existence of global warming, but I do like this maxim, “the good thing about science is that it’s true whether you believe in it or not.” Of course that is a witty line, but the problem here is that belief is crucial to action. If people aren’t even sure of the existence of global warming, then how can they be motivated to prevent it?

Since there is no legitimate scientific argument against global warming, other than ignorant skepticism, the argument has been peppered with whining about the solutions. The Kyoto protocols are an attack on U.S sovereignty. Recycling, re-using, and reducing consumption to conserve resources are attacks on your standard of living and your freedom of choice. (Isn’t it funny what we now call a “conservative” position?) Again, this is short term thinking. Think it’s an attack on freedom now, how free will you be when the choices you used to have are burned up and depleted? And new energy sources? Why that’s simply a scam, look at Solyndra, $535 million down the hole. To get a picture of just how absurd this talking point is, the ongoing clean up of the Kalamazoo River has cost $800 million so far. $535 million is a laughable fraction of the amount we’ve spent on subsidies to big oil and foreign wars to gain more resources.

It’s all pure nonsense, cocked up by those that benefit from the business as usual and consumed by those who are gullible enough to believe it and desperately seeking justification of their own wasteful habits and lifestyles.

How do we break this? If extreme weather isn’t enough for us to wake up, what will wake us up?

For one thing, the debate about the future of the planet cannot be won by bullies, imbeciles, talking heads, and corporate propagandists. It is insane to think that there even is a debate. Right now, the best we can do is move forward, with or without the dissenters. Change your habits and educate yourself. The more we can do, the better.

This summer has caused the sea levels to rise, how much longer will we wait until we realize that the water is up to our necks, and that our hands were on the temperature dial?

- Brandon