Ramble

This latest Bali update from the NYT DotEarth Blog reminds me once again just how frustrating and demoralizing this last decade has been for those of us concerned about global climate change.

From the article:

The document (with a title printed in a pale gray suitable for something nonexistent) was intended as a template for what the United Nations hopes will, by Friday night, be a two-year road map for talks leading to a meaningful update to the faltering 1992 climate treaty, the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

But late Tuesday, Bali time, the United States bluntly refused to consider language — even in the non-binding preamble — that included any specific numbers for how much overall emissions from wealthy countries would need to be cut to have a chance of avoiding the worst climate dangers.

For over seven years now, the United States has actively undermined any chance for our civilization to collectively respond to the dire threats posed by global warming. And, despite soothing words from the administration about how they take climate change seriously, their actions demonstrate that they still have not joined the rest of us in the “reality-based community”.

I know my family and friends are getting tired of me saying this, but we are facing multiple, simultaneous, deadly threats to our civilization and species. If global emissions are not brought down quickly and drastically, global warming will continue to accelerate with potentially catastrophic consequences.

At the same time, we are facing the imminent peaking of world oil and natural gas production. But, as these fossil fuels dwindle, the only readily available, relatively abundant substitute will be coal. But, burning coal is a primary cause of global warming and we would only make it worse by going that route. And, I haven’t even mentioned the financial collapse that seems to be occurring in the U.S. right now which might undercut our ability to raise capital and make it nearly impossible to marshall the resources necessary to deal with these problems.

My point is that our problems are tremendous. It may even be too late to fix them or even substantially mitigate their consequences thanks to all the time we have wasted for decades, but especially during this last decade. However, it is worth trying to avoid catastrophe and the rest of the world seems to be forming a unified front to tackle these issues, while the U.S. steadfastly refuses to cooperate.

It looks like we don’t have any chance of seeing a change in U.S. policy until the next administration comes into office. I’m very worried that by the time our national priorities change, it will be too little, too late.