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I firmly believe that global warming as a result of excess greenhouse gas emissions caused byhuman activities is happening right now. I further believe that this global warming is triggering a series of events cumulatively referred to as climate change. Some of these changes may be not so bad, others not so good.Obviously, not everyone agrees with me. There are people out there who say that human-based global warming is not real, that the science is sketchy, the supporting arguments too weak to support the massive changes proposed to deal with it.
What if I am right and they are wrong? What if climate change is real? What happens if we undertake solutions to deal with human-based global warming due to excess greenhouse gas emissions? Let's see.
Well, if I'm right, we would promote cleaner air policies. We would begin to shift away from reliance on fossil fuels to other forms of energy, preserving fossil fuel for more essential uses for as long as possible. We would push even harder for more fuel efficient cars. We would stop chopping down trees in the Amazon to raise cattle to feed us our hamburgers.
What if the deniers are wrong. Climate change continues, perhaps accelerates. The atmosphere grows warmer. Sea levels rise. Species boundaries shift. Diseases that love warm weather flourish and expand. Weather extremes become the new norm.
You tell me, which represents the safer, smarter bet? Going on as we are and hoping that things work out or making changes that we know we should be doing anyway. Tell you what, I'll let you be the judge.
This essay first appeared in PlanetRestart.org
