From Scientific American: Come on, Eileen, should we chill out about global warming? Of course "they" didn't ask Eileen but I had Eileen on my mind -- Eileen in Santa Fe, NM. A story for another day, perhaps.
But I digress. Back to the linked Scientific American article. Some excerpts:
- two “ecomodernists” argue that continued progress in science and other realms will help us overcome environmental problems
- industrialization “has been good for humanity. It has fed billions, doubled lifespans, slashed extreme poverty, and, by replacing muscle with machinery, made it easier to end slavery, emancipate women, and educate children. It has allowed people to read at night, live where they want, stay warm in winter, see the world, and multiply human contact. Any costs in pollution and habitat loss have to be weighed against these gifts.”
- the bulk of Pinker’s essay consists of documentation of how we've handled environmental threats. We have reduced our rate of population growth; made agriculture, transportation and other key industries more energy-efficient; and increased the acreage of marine and terrestrial preserves.
- how bad will climate change be? Not very. No, this isn’t a denialist screed. Human greenhouse emissions will warm the planet, raise the seas and derange the weather, and the resulting heat, flood and drought will be cataclysmic. Cataclysmic—but not apocalyptic. While the climate upheaval will be large, the consequences for human well-being will be small. Looked at in the broader context of economic development, climate change will barely slow our progress in the effort to raise living standards
- water shortages forced Israel to tighten its already stringent water conservation and recycling standards. More importantly, they prompted breakthroughs in reverse-osmosis desalination technology, cutting by half the energy needed to extract fresh water from the sea and dramatically lowering the cost to just 58 cents per cubic meter (1,000 liters) of drinkable water… The implications of cheap desalination are profound. By tapping limitless sea-water resources it could drought-proof agriculture and thus eliminate the greatest threat posed by climate change.”
The only shortcoming: the article did not mention North Dakota where global warming is much anticipated --
- longer growing seasons
- more time at the lake
- more open boat fishing; less ice fishing
- less money spent on parkas
- more money spent on iced drinks
- resurgence of Dairy Queen
- more convertibles
- more snow but shorter winters
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Come On Eileen
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