This won’t faze the current crop of Republicans, because they don’t believe in science. But it might be of interest to thinking people:
Top international climate scientists and disaster experts meeting in Africa had a sharp message Friday for the world’s political leaders: Get ready for more dangerous and “unprecedented extreme weather” caused by global warming. Making preparations, they say, will save lives and money.
i predict that the global “leaders,” so tied to the whole “business as usual” meme, will either ignore this, say it isn’t their problem (that it’s that of the insurance companies, which is of course WRONG), or water it down so much that it will be a wasted meeting. We’ll only begin to see how screwed we are when the food growing and distribution networks are impacted – but by then it’s too late.
Humanity is too stupid, greedy, uncooperative, selfish, pig-headed (as in fascistic) and devoid of the long-view to survive the challenges we will face in the near future. Between global finance, the environment (p.s. wait til you see how the Fukushima radiation has spread all over the US and the rest of the globe: http://www.youtube.com/user/dutchsinse#p/u/2/9Eybu7vwkxY), resource depletion, food production, population growth, war-mongering, and our current set of “leaders” out there – we’re so done that i’m not sure there’s any real future ahead any more for most of the inhabitants of earth (not just our species – we’re talking the oceans dying, sea-level rise, plants and trees stressed and ravaged by pests, rain forests experiencing drought and continued logging and clear cutting, it just goes on and on).
Tom, as Jared Diamond’s “Collapse” book noted, societies fail when their leaders are too removed from the impending problems to notice or want to do anything to lead their people in a direction which would possibly save them. These leaders think they have things going their way, under control, and, if there are problems, they can pay their way out of any bad outcomes.
We 99 Percenters have Al Gore, who is intermittently reported on by our MCM (Mainstream Corporate Media), but only in ways which imply strongly that he and his warnings are some kind of outliers which Serious People can safely ignore. Or Gore, his ideas and supporters, are denigrated. There are Big Money corporations and people which are paying big bucks to make the public think Al Gore and his concerns, reports, urgency, plus the scientists who study the issues and provide the science behind Gore’s warnings about global warming, are just so silly. Weather? What could go wrong? Climate? Nothing can be done nor should anything be done. Plus, those climate worry warts are just wrong, of course. (And the wealthy really do think they can buy their way out of any downside.)
People I talk to are very concerned, but do not know what they alone, or even as groups, can do to make the changes necessary. They don’t want to leave a world that’s “toast” to their descendents, to the coming generations of humans.
So, please, humanity’s leaders may be stoopid, stoopid, stoopid, but there are many humans who are not. Humanity is not necessarily stupid. Individuals who care just don’t have power, so are not considered Serious People.
Your comment correctly notes the groups which do have power. They are the ones who are working on keeping people ignorant, or, if they’re not ignorant, keeping them ignored.
The Occupy protesters include global climate issues in their critiques of what’s wrong with our system. On the next call for action, if I can afford to get to it, I will be on the streets. Our Powers That Be do not respond to reasoned argument, but they do appear to be quite nervous about all these people who are willing to physically protest against the PTB’s “leadership.” Alas, I can’t afford to travel very far — but if I can, I will. Which means I better get outside and walk again today. I also need to build up my strength for being on the streets!
Tom and jawbone, keep it Peaceful while you’re in the streets. What we don’t need is an excuse for the 1% to declare martial law. Then begin rounding us up and putting us into work camps. Which we all know eventually become “death camps.” Follow the money. That trail will lead you to the crooks and liars every time. An Indian (from India) activist and governmental official once said that “When the poor get hungry enough, they will begin to eat the rich.” Keep in mind that the 1% would rather eat the 99%. Or somehow make them all disappear.