Dear Editor,
I find it strange that some people believe one man, who says his election was stolen; but they won’t believe a thousand scientists around the world, who say the climate is changing. These scientists believe we are a decade or two from the point of no return to slow climate change. As temperatures rise climate patterns are changing. Europe is in the thick of what could be the worst drought in 500 years. The drought has even uncovered “hunger stones” in some Czech and German rivers, used to mark the low water levels that proceeded famines in the past. One stone recently revealed along the Elbe dates from 1616 and reads: “If you see me, cry” (I wonder what the population of Europe was in 1616). Countries around the globe are recording record temperatures and droughts. Many of our rivers, reservoirs and aquifers are also at record lows. The water level in aquifers around the world have been reduced by hundreds of feet; scientist say it requires a hundred years to replenish one foot of water in these underground reservoirs. The barges that ply the mighty Mississippi river are loaded to half capacity due to low water levels, impacting the cost and availability of goods for us. Due to the polar ice caps melting the global axis actually shifted something like 26 feet last year. Will that continue, will it accelerate, how would it affect our climate in years to come?
For the last two billion years our planet has experienced climate change and climate cycles. The earth has gone from tropical rain forests to ice ages and back to tropical forests, prairies, tundra, savannas and crop land. Today’s climate cycle for some reason seems to be accelerating. The only difference between this climate cycle and past cycles is the speed at which it is occurring and we have added seven billion people to the equation. Seven billion souls who want a better life and are stripping the natural resources from this planet. It’s predicted there will be an additional two billion people by 2050.
Some of us believe this cycle is an aberration, we will soon return to normal temperatures and precipitation levels. Others believe the actions and policies required to slow a perceived climate change will cost too much. Gambling the climate is not changing takes no courage, the next generation will suffer the consequences if we are wrong, not us. So, let’s just kick that can down the road for the next generation. We are very good at kicking cans down the road!
— Tom Janicki
Almont
