Commentary: The recent juxtaposition of three events created a unique snapshot of a critical moment in our miserable failure to save our grandkids from suffering and death, and numerous species from extinction caused by global warming.
The Pacific Northwest, the Arctic Circle, and other spots experienced unique high temperatures; the next U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment, according to leaked portions, will contain new and more urgent warnings that we are just about out of time; and top Exxon lobbyists, fooled into thinking they were being interviewed for cushier jobs, bragged openly about lying to the public about climate.
Most folks know about the heat wave – and are experiencing early global warming effects in their own lives. Portland, Oregon had never seen a temperature higher than 107 F. Now the record is 116. More than 95 people have died. When Seattle experienced record-breaking temperatures reaching 108, road concrete crumbled and I-5 buckled. The Arctic Circle region, having recorded its first 100-degree day last year, hit 118. The Arctic!
No one can say with certainty that any particular weather event was caused by global warming; but the new IPCC Assessment is clear: global warming is here, posing unprecedented threats, and we will soon reach a point where life-changing deterioration is inevitable. Furthermore, these events compound each other. Sea ice reflects solar rays back into the sky, where they do no harm; and we’re losing sea ice with unanticipated rapidity. Earth will retain more and more warmth from those rays. That accelerates melting of the permafrost in Canada and Siberia, which in turn releases greater amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, compounding the warming and accelerate loss of sea ice – which is already melting faster than predicted.
The report also claims that by taking fast action we can still avoid the worst economic and ecological impacts. I’m wondering what action could do that, and strongly doubting we’ll take it.
Exhibit A for my doubts could be the sting on Exxon lobbyists, who bragged (on video) that (a) Exxon “supports” a carbon tax because Exxon knows there’s no possibility one will ever be enacted; (b) they talk to Joe Manchin every day; and (c) they’ve lied for years about the science. One lobbyist also took credit for sowing doubt on the science behind climate change and for watering down legislation. He added, “ But there's nothing illegal about that. You know, we were looking out for our investments. We were looking out for our shareholders." he said.
This also is no surprise; but it blows away a fig leaf covering Exxon’s misconduct. Any thoughtful person who’s been reading about “scientific doubt” should recheck his or her sources. Exxon has given huge amounts to advocacy groups (e.g., the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Frontiers of Freedom, the Heartland Institute, and the Heritage Foundation) that deny climate science and promote use of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel folks also fund politicians.
These events could hardly show more clearly that life as we know it is in imminent danger and that many of our leaders are disinclined to act. Neither “business as usual” nor politics as usual is acceptable. The danger involves us all (especially our descendants), not just any single party or region. Sounds to me as if we the people need to rise up and take some form of strong unified (but non-violent) action. I just wish I knew what the hell that’d be!