Last night I took part in an interesting discussion with a friend of mine about Global Warming. What struck me was that there are still people who may not believe that humans have anything to do with Global Warming, and have bought into the myth that it is just earth's natural cycle. Now I'm willing to concede that earth probably does over billions of does cycle, slowly and gradually as a normal, natural event. However, what has taken place over the last 100 years is ANYTHING but slow and gradual, but yet is quite the opposite. It has been fast and extreme, since the industrial revolution started.
I often hear the naysayers point out that forecasters can't predict the weather two days in advance, so how can they know global warming is occurring. The answer is simple, if the climate is acting in an extreme manner and over time those occurrences are happening with more regularity and becoming more and more extreme, than you can extrapolate that data into a continuing trend that is neither natural, nor normal.
In fact, if one merely looks at the trends over data available over the last 1000 years, what is striking is how steady and gradual the climate is. Yet, if you look over that same data for the last 100 years, the explosive spike in the figures can only be concluded as being man made, and a result of the industrial revolution. What might have taken the earth 1000 years or more, we have managed to accomplish in 100. What this means, for humans as a species, is that unless we unless we do something drastic and soon, our climate will continue to spiral out of control to a point of no return.
Are we at that tipping point? I don't believe so, and I think there is still time for humans to change their habits and take action. I only hope that people recognize the role they play in the environment before it is too late.
(Photo courtesy of NASA)
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