Human activity is causing global heating. I think most climate change deniers know that, but greed and ideological blinders prevent them from acknowledging it. Common sense tells anyone that we cannot take hundreds of millions of years worth of carbon stored in coal seams and oil fields and burn it into our atmosphere over a couple hundred years and not radically change our climate. Science has told us for decades where we are headed. Yesterday was the hottest day in recorded human history. From Reuters:
Monday, July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world.
The southern US has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F).
Yet many of the best scientists tell us there is still hope. It can be hard to find. The three part PBS series “The Age of Nature” is the most hopeful thing I have watched on this subject. It is so worth the time. We need to change our individual habits (stop eating meat — especially beef, green our homes and transportation, green our investments, re-wild our lawns with native plants, etc) and societies need to rapidly get off of fossil fuels. If we do those things, mother nature can save our beautiful planet. And we can assist her:
The Age of Nature
Explore humanity’s relationship with nature and wildlife, as scientists and conservationists from all over the world examine ways we can restore our planet. This documentary series asks whether newfound awareness of nature could bring about a new chapter in the human story.
For those more inclined to read, I recently read the book “Believers” by Lisa Wells. It has some similar themes and was well worth reading. The last parts of the book are especially strong.