At the beginning of this century, former VP Al Gore began to blow the whistle on what was then called “global warming”. By that time, climate scientists had begun to notice that average temperatures on Planet Earth had begun to rise. Although this is hardly an unprecedented phenomenon (the planet has warmed and cooled through its estimated four billion or so years of history), this seems to have coincided with the ascent of Homo sapiens in a very short timeframe.
Humans are probably the only warm blooded creatures lacking a fur coat. To help us out, God provided brains so that we could devise means to keep warm. Fire. Combustion of carbon-based stuff: plants, wood, anything that burns. Chemical reactions that are exothermic (big word meaning they give off heat). They can all be summed up as:
C + O2 —–> CO2 + [HEAT]
Feeling warmer?
Unfortunately, CO2 accumulates in the atmosphere. Being heavier than air, it basically hangs around for centuries, and interferes with heat being released into outer space. For this reason, they call CO2 (carbon dioxide) a greenhouse gas. To make matters worse, the stuff is chemically unreactive, which makes it harder to get rid of by converting to something else.
Already, the increased energy in the atmosphere has had major impacts on climate. Hurricanes are more frequent, and more severe, to the point where some climate scientists are suggesting that Category 5 is no longer sufficient to describe the worst storms – we need a Category 6! Polar ice is melting rapidly, causing ocean levels to rise. Calendar year 2023 was the hottest on record. A decade ago, climate scientists set out an average increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius as the point of no return, so to speak: we are just about there, already.
What can we do about this? We, obviously, can start by burning less “fossil fuels” (named for all those carbon-based forms of life buried beneath our surface). There are technologies being developed to “capture” carbon dioxide and store it….someplace. We also need to derive energy from alternate sources. A great deal has been accomplished, but so much more needs to be done, with very little time left before a good part of the planet becomes uninhabitable.
With time running out, numerous issues remain unresolved. In this country, we like our creature comforts. We consume, per capita, many, many times the energy used by the rest of the world…because we can. At the same time, we lecture to the rest of the world that other people need to consume less energy. What about those who extract oil, gas, coal, etc., for fun and profit? And get rich as a result? Developing other non-fossil fuel (solar, wind, fusion) substitutes costs lots of money. Are the rich willing to part with some of these ill-gotten gains to pay for this?
Speaking of time running out, mine is almost up. I’d like to think none of this is my fault. But I know better. I feel for my grandson and his generation who will be around to deal with the mess we have made of this beautiful planet God created for our enjoyment.
Rogernarc 