The Climate Change News - Page 2

Maybe malaria, for example, will become a problem in the United States. Maybe new epidemics will run virtually unchecked in populations with little or no resistance to them. Ocean habitats too will change and the question is whether nature can adapt fast enough to allow we humans to maintain our present cushy lifestyle. I have no doubt that the Earth and nature will go on, the question is whether or not we will go on with them.

I guess this is the Artist's vision of a possible future in NYC

This is a closeup of the Statue Of Liberty portion of the above mural
Photos of a wall in Queens by the Author

If nature can adapt fast enough can then maybe we will have a new global paradise with warm, balmy breezes and plentiful resources for all. Maybe the entire world will become a "land of milk and honey". On the other hand it might not.

It is that second possibility that worries me and should worry everyone who gives a damn because the changes that may occur could happen in our lifetimes. It is easy to push stuff aside when it is far enough in the future or to rely on human ingenuity to solve the problem when it arises. But when it might happen next year and it is then up to you to solve the problem...well it isn't nearly as reassuring.

Could we in the United States be doing more? Many people in the rest of the world think so. But the Bush Administration has apparently adopted an attitude of "wait and see" in regard to climate change. That might be prudent in many situations but in this case one has to wonder if we are missing a very important and perhaps final opportunity to at least try to do something before it is too late.

So we continue to pump oil out of the ground and to burn it as fast as we pump it. Oil companies report record profits and the status quo is maintained for another year. But deep in the masses the unrest grows. Signs of it are appearing more frequently. Signs like the photo of the wall above or the photo of another piece of artwork below.

Cheney as a worm
Photo of art in Brooklyn by the Author

In this issue I present links to stories which I think are relevant. Nothing earthshaking just various indicators from seemingly otherwise unrelated areas. The bird flu threat seems to be something which bears watching at the moment. The lethal strain has now officially escaped Asia and has killed in Turkey. Turkey is uncomfortably close to Europe. Europe to the United States via air travel.

Article Author: Mike Johnston

Covering mainstream music, the New York City indie rock scene and off-Broadway theater productions. Also articles on science, the ongoing effects of climate change, and alternative energy.

Visit Mike Johnston's author page — Mike Johnston's Blog