I am worried, dear reader. Really worried about the human race’s inability to take decisive action against climbing greenhouse gas emissions that we are spewing into the atmosphere and oceans.
We, dear friends, are about to cross over into unknown territory for our species. Carbon Dioxide levels are about to exceed 400 parts per million in the atmosphere, and doesn’t look like abating anytime soon. For more information, have a read of this article in Nature, “Global carbon dioxide levels near worrisome milestone“. Please note that when a scientist refers to the word “worrisome”, they are actually screaming DO SOMETHING! They are a conservative bunch.
Comfortingly, the planet is not about to end anytime soon, just because we will pass this level. We might, but it won’t.
As many of you know, we are already well past the “safe” limit of 350 ppm CO2. According to many, we have already locked in 2C of warming for at least the next one hundred years.
At 400 p.p.m. and beyond, the warming planet’s climatic system just gets scarier and scarier, being more unpredictable each passing year.
Dear readers, I am not going to offer you false hope in this post. It is what it is. Information. I believe that it is up to you to figure out what this information means to you personally.
To me, it means that I have to work harder. Harder in my efforts to adapt in place, and reduce our own private emissions in the vain hope that other will follow our example. That is of course that we, as a species, miraculously reduce consumption of everything, lower emissions to a safe limit, and live happily ever after. I can’t see this fairy tale ending anywhere on the horizon, can you?
So I won’t harp on about what you can do to prevent climate change. It is already too late for that now. It is already well underway. What we can do now, and I thought I would never have to say this, is limit the severity of the change, by transforming our energy mix to one that is less reliant upon fossil fools, to a less dense and more renewable one.
No longer can we have our cake and eat it. By the way, I am not depressed, just angry of our current failings, mine included.
Do what you think is necessary. The story should be picked up by mainstream media soon, I should think (or not).
yep…. every word resonates with me. It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of everything I read each day. Some days it is very hard to put hope into my plans. I am finding that I am more and more inclined to stay close to home and focus on that. Things that used to appeal to me do not anymore. It’s like I am subconsciously letting go and starting to adjust/adapt – starting with my expectations. And there is probably maybe 6 or 7 people that I know that even think remotely like me… ah well better stop there. Cheers.
Hi Wendy, you sound alot like us! We rarely travel far, other than commuting to work of course. I cannot remember when I last travelled out of our local zone (160km).
Take care, and chin up
Gav x
A small article alerting readers to the 400ppm levels appeared in The Age newspaper a day or two ago. You would think that this level of CO2 would be leading news warranting front page headlines, but sadly no such thing. The autumnal weather is just beautiful here at the moment, lots of sunshine and 20+ degrees. Why spoil this ambience with alarming climate change news???? It seems to me that the Norms and Normas only think of climate change impacts when when we have unbearable heat, raging fires torrential rains and winds causing devastation across the country. But these things soon pass and we learn to live with them and we keep on keeping on with the same old ways of doing business. Like Wendy, we stay close to home and focus on the home …. growing, DIY, using little and buying less and less. If my actions are changing the world then the change is very negligible because the CO2 levels keep rising and the world is oblivious to them. I have just read that in our State we are building a new freeway tunnel to ease traffic congestion whilst public transport improvements of the kind that would actually make a difference are left on the back burner. How does this madness stop??? I strongly believe that people have to back the personal with the political. Tonight at the dinner table my husband and I will work out how this family can voice its disapproval on the lack of action on climate change. Can I challenge you and your readers to do likewise!
Nice challenge Penny. Tomorrow’s post will talk about that a little bit more. Big things we can do.
Gav x
Thanks for telling it like it is. We need to hear it.
No problems Mitty
Well said Gavin. Why is it that people like us just can’t seem to get the message through to our elected so called leaders? Once elected they lose all interest in such things as climate change and only concentrate on those things that will get them re-elected to ensure their own pay packet. It used to be said that the best managers were those who had private wealth and so could take decisions that entailed some risk because if they lost their job, they could still live a normal life-style. Perhaps in this age where serious decisions are required from our politicians, we would be better to have those in power who don’t need their government pay cheque to put bread on the table.
It is so frustrating that like you, I am more or less resigned to the fact that the world as we know it will be gone in 50 years or less. Whether humans survive, I don’t know, but I am sure it will become unlivable for the majority. Of course some life will survive, if only bacteria and fungi.
Thanks Gavin for sharing ‘like it is’. I get dispirited sometimes then rally back. I just want to make sure I can pass on vital liveable information to my children and grandchildren in case they need it. Shirley