What Will our Planet Look Like in 50 Years?

by Scott Bergemann

Humans are unique in the sense that we can adapt within a matter of years. We don’t need reproductive mutation passed on through thousands of generations to develop a useful characteristic. We have technology. Ironically, the blind use of human technology is actually the cause of this potentially disastrous climate change. Ever since the industrial revolution we’ve been hopeless technology addicts. Lately we’ve come to find out that, although our modern technological advances are really fun and make us feel super cool, they aren’t very good for the earth’s health. The earth is obviously pretty sick---Hurricane Katrina, Europe’s heat wave, South Asia’s Tsunami---and scientists predict it is only going to get worse. In fact they have seriously been predicting climate change for the last ten years, and their predictions are daunting. They are predicting warmer temperatures, sea level rises, and even extinctions within the next twenty years. Look out your window right now, and remember it. When you’re old and dying, it’s not going to be the same looking world. I’m not a scientist so I can’t tell you exactly what it will look like, but it won’t be the beautiful place humans have come to know and love. It will sadly be marred by humans. Your children and grandchildren will not enjoy the same luxuries of playing outside on green grass that you did; it will be to dry and water will be much to precious for grass to grow freely, and the air quality would likely be unhealthy for the sensitive lungs of a child.

America has the most resources and influence of any other country on this planet. We have boundless technological capabilities, but it is how we use these capabilities that really counts. Currently we are not doing nearly enough to actually reduce green house gases and harness climate change. You can’t tell me that we have the technology to explore space, but we can’t develop a personal automobile that drives on earth without tarnishing the environment. It’s a bunch of bullshit. The fact is, no one up in Washington cares about the well being of the planet and its people; they care about money and power. The system is so inundated with special interest money---money pumped in by America’s top 1% so they stay at the top---that it is nearly impossible to get environmental interests considered. These wealthy lobbyists, CEO’s, and politicians may know that climate change is coming, but they know their money is going to come a hell of a lot faster. If you take a real, genuine moral high ground in politics, you lose all of your contributions, and you lose your job.

America claims to be the leader in the mitigation of global efforts to reduce green house gases world-wide, but we need a lot less commercials and a lot more action. We have to seat a momentous example, not minor regulations here and there. It is paramount that this reaction to climate change happens on a global scale, and therefore it would take tremendous cooperation and communication between the world’s powers.

It would be easy to isolate America from the rest of the world and not participate in these complex global policy issues. But that is an unrealistic way of thinking. The western countries let the proverbial genie out of the bottle years ago during the glorious industrial revolution, and now these developing countries want to have their wishes of living prosperously granted too. Problem is that we kind of realized what we were doing was uhhhh….BAD! So now we have a huge conflict of global values. Half of the globe has a secure way and means to living so they have half-heartedly moved on to caring for the security of the earth. The other half of the globe is trying to secure the coveted lifestyle we enjoy with no concern for the long-term health of the planet. Who is right? WAR!!!!!!!!!!