The impacts of global warming are the most studied phenomena in the history of the world. A recent White House report written by hundreds of scientists confirms and the work of the thousands of scientists that contributed to the UN's IPCC AR5 report. Both studies come to the same conclusions as reams of previous research.
Thousands of scientists from diverse disciplines are virtually unanimous in their shared conviction that climate change is a clear and present danger. We need to appreciate that by burning fossil fuels we are jeopardizing the basic things we require for our survival, namely our air, water and food.
In addition to the dangers posed by the burning of fossil fuels we have to deal with alarming rates of contamination from spills. As revealed by the nightly news spills of gas, conventional oil, tar sands bitumen and coal effluents are a regular phenomenon. Hydrocarbons in all their forms and at all stages of their life cycle (from extraction to transport and use) are fundamentally irreconcilable with efforts to manage climate change.
We simply cannot allow misinformation from the fossil fuel industry or their political minions to prevent us from acting. The false dichotomy between economic well being and planetary health is an utterly absurd choice. We do have viable economic alternatives, however we must resist powerful interests engage in radical efficiency and move away from fossil fuels towards cleaner forms of energy.
There is no avoiding the fact that any conception of a future for life on the Earth precludes fossil fuels.
© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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