I mean, after all, as an engineering student, I feel that technology is coming along and new ideas on how to manage carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are all reason for some hope, right? And with this climate summit in Paris taking place we are seeing a real concerted effort by the international community to step up to the plate, finally.
This first chapter serves as a reminder that this threat is very real and is now to be expected to become a daily (seasonally maybe?) aspect of our lives. It's as if McKibben took every negative news headline, academic journal entry, legislative shortcoming, and condemned them into one chapter. I guess this is what we get for kicking the can down the road. McKibben's argument is clear, this is not an issue that will affect his grandchildren (our children), it is something facing us today.
I agree that Mckibben seemed to focus on all the negative and depressing aspects of this controversy, but I'm sure there are a lot more of those than their are the contrary. As far as technology goes, do you really think we can invent something soon enough that can erase or bring us out of such a deep hole we have dug for ourselves?
ReplyDeleteI think we will probably discuss what the future holds in terms of technology and how that could possibly dig us out of this hole (partially at least). We have damaged Earth and, as we discussed in class Wednesday, it won't be the same in our lifetimes. But there are many many smart people out there working on solving this problem. Carbon recapture, nuclear fusion (it's not as far off as you might think), solar technology, battery technology, etc., are all cause for some hope. We produce massive excesses of food and power yearly, the problem is waste. If we can manage our food waste and limit energy waste, we have a shot.
DeleteI agree with you that McKibben wrote his first chapter in a rather condescending, depressive manner. He took every unfortunate statistic and piled them together. I am very happy that members of our society are starting to discuss global warming, and are finding mechanisms to overcome and retard global warming, but I am somewhat apprehensive because it seems as if we may not be moving fast enough. To truly end global warming, many nations would have to take implement strict policies, and take severe measures to combat the rapidly moving effects of global warming.
ReplyDeleteWe have to focus on the negative in order to draw everyone's attention to the problem! It is insane to think how many ways we as humans have destroyed this planet, and for what? Economic gain? In my post I suggested that one reason big change has yet to happen is because of economics.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post. It was a seriously demoralizing chapter to read. Yet knowing some of this information before hand, this chapter puts all of that information on the table and hits you in the face abruptly. Being a man of science, I have high hopes for our future in trying to tackle this immense issue, I firmly believe it will take a much larger scale of community effort.
ReplyDeleteA community effort is a perfect way to put it, Tom. I don't think any one treaty agreed upon by the federal government is going to solve this crisis. We need a top down effort starting at home.
DeleteI like the fact that you are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. Being a Mechanical Engineering major, I am also optimistic that there are huge breakthroughs right around the corner that will give us a fighting chance to get the global warming under control. The picture of the glass half full/ half empty is a great reminder to always hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely on the doom and gloom of this chapter. I've commented similarly on others who have felt the same but my hope is that this book also gives positive outlooks in other chapters! It's not good to leave people feeling dismal. As for the technology aspect, I believe that is true but I don't think that we should solely rely on technology to dig us out. I believe we also need education, sustainable policy and lifestyle changes.
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right Ali! Technology can only take us so far, look where we are now. We have utilized all of this advanced technology to burn a hole in our atmosphere and acidify our ocean, among other things. We need to make sure that what we are doing is efficient, clean, and affordable. The issue being do we have enough time to lay out that sort of framework?
Delete