by Chris Wiegard

Created on: December 21, 2010   Last Updated: December 22, 2010

In confronting the problem of global warming, clear understanding is the prerequisite for any practical plan for a solution.  There are several things on which we must agree before it becomes possible to devise realistic fixes to this looming challenge to humanity’s future.

Global warming is a planetary atmospheric process of heat-trapping that is driven by human emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases.  Before we can undertake action, we must first admit that human activity has created the problem. We must also admit that it is a global problem - this fact demands that solutions must be global - all nations must cooperate on a solution. Collective threats demand collective responses.  Metaphorically, an infantry company under attack will not expect the commanding officer to request a show of hands of those willing to pick up their weapon to defend the outpost.  On the contrary, it is assumed that the enemy threat applies to all, and that all will participate in the defense. While meaningful international agreements to combat global warming have so far been elusive, it is unlikely that this failure of collective action will continue while the consequences of global warming become steadily clearer.

So, global warming is a physical process, driven by activities of the entire human race, which must be addressed by the entire human race.  The obvious solution, reducing fossil fuel burning and greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil sources with renewable energy and nuclear power, is unfortunately not popular with all humans.  Many consider the financial cost prohibitive, and would prefer to maintain a wait and see attitude, hoping that the problem will prove itself minor, or that some unforeseen technological fix will come down the road.  It is however increasingly unrealistic to view a process that will eventually drown coastal cities and cause massive droughts in northern India and the southwest USA as minor.  It also seems increasingly foolish to ignore the technologies we have in favor of nonexistent “future” fixes.

A realistic survey of the solutions to the global warming problem must include public policies which admit the need for nuclear power - the serious threat of global warming decrees that we cannot leave nuclear power off the table, as climatologist James Hansen pointed out in his book Storms of our Grandchildren.  We also need to redouble our efforts to push

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>