The latest GEO report is pretty grim. The word is that we need to stop pouring carbon into the sky, to the tune of 70-80% reductions, as of now, or irreversible changes in the environment will be reached.
We haven't, since Kyoto, done anything realistic about even levelling off, instead every country has taken note of the meeting, marched out of the conference room and carried on as usual, while making various noises about the "problem" the world faces.
But there isn't just one problem, there's a whole heap of problems, or if there is just one, it's us.
Or it's our ability to exploit the environment, which doesn't seem to include the ability to preserve it. Or we think we can keep using everything at an increasing rate, like forever, there is no limit to human growth - planet Earth isn't going to hold us back, dam the torpedoes and more coal on the bunkers.
I don't personally believe anything is going to extricate us from the feedback that our rampant success will be delivering, sort of in fits and starts, over the coming decades. We won't do anything because:
1) It's too late anyway, so it doesn't matter. We can't stop digging under the big rock, because there's something we need to dig up, we'll all starve, the economy will go into recession, we won't be able to afford that house in the Seychelles, etc etc.
2) We're at least 30 years too late, in terms of the needed public inertia - if we had been as aware globally, back then as today, we might have a real chance of not plowing into that iceberg up ahead. We know we need to turn the ship, but we can't damp down the boilers, because the first-class guests want to get there on time. It's important to their economic circumstances - we can't have any of this slowing down business.
3) About half the world's population probably hasn't heard of Kyoto or the IPCC. The half that has maybe thinks about it now and then, but they're all still driving around. We really aren't doing a thing - installing low-power bulbs is like changing the deck chairs around, in terms of actual effect on energy use.
So, how long 'til the boat tips over, or the rock starts rolling down the big hill, or we hit the iceberg, you think?
We haven't, since Kyoto, done anything realistic about even levelling off, instead every country has taken note of the meeting, marched out of the conference room and carried on as usual, while making various noises about the "problem" the world faces.
But there isn't just one problem, there's a whole heap of problems, or if there is just one, it's us.
Or it's our ability to exploit the environment, which doesn't seem to include the ability to preserve it. Or we think we can keep using everything at an increasing rate, like forever, there is no limit to human growth - planet Earth isn't going to hold us back, dam the torpedoes and more coal on the bunkers.
I don't personally believe anything is going to extricate us from the feedback that our rampant success will be delivering, sort of in fits and starts, over the coming decades. We won't do anything because:
1) It's too late anyway, so it doesn't matter. We can't stop digging under the big rock, because there's something we need to dig up, we'll all starve, the economy will go into recession, we won't be able to afford that house in the Seychelles, etc etc.
2) We're at least 30 years too late, in terms of the needed public inertia - if we had been as aware globally, back then as today, we might have a real chance of not plowing into that iceberg up ahead. We know we need to turn the ship, but we can't damp down the boilers, because the first-class guests want to get there on time. It's important to their economic circumstances - we can't have any of this slowing down business.
3) About half the world's population probably hasn't heard of Kyoto or the IPCC. The half that has maybe thinks about it now and then, but they're all still driving around. We really aren't doing a thing - installing low-power bulbs is like changing the deck chairs around, in terms of actual effect on energy use.
So, how long 'til the boat tips over, or the rock starts rolling down the big hill, or we hit the iceberg, you think?
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