Pick of the Day: The Age of Stupid

I blogged about tonight's screening of this movie at the university (RIC 119, 7:30 p.m.) last week. I have a smidgen of understanding about how some people could be persuaded that global warming isn't as big a problem as its being made out to be. And there are a lot of skeptics out there. Oct. 7, in fact, some Lord Viscount guy who was once science advisor to British PM Margaret Thatcher (which Rosie equated in an e-mail to being the rehab counsellor for Amy Winehouse) is speaking in town on the subject Apocalypse Cancelled. His talk is being sponsored by the extreme right-wing Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and is intended to “broaden debate” on global warming.

Climate change is a complex subject. There are climate cycles that operate on the scale of months, decades and even millenia. You can't make definitive predictions based on trends over the past 20 years or so.

But two things I know for sure.

Never, in the 4.5 billion year history of Earth, has a species like humanity existed. Not only are we extremely numerous (6.6 billion and counting), we also possess massive technological resources and are easily capable of effecting change on a scale and at a rate that Earth's natural control mechanisms simply can't cope with.

Second, if we wait until we have incontrovertible proof of climate change, it will be too late. Like a snowball rolling down hill, once underway, the various processes fueling global warming will cascade, and quickly spiral out of control.

At present, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that climate change does pose a significant threat to Earth. If people in the West in particular made even a modest effort, it would be so easy to reduce our carbon footprint and other negative impacts that we are currently having on the environment. Sustainability is what it's all about.

Tuesday is production day for prairie dog, so I won't be at this screening. But I hope lots of others take the opportunity to go.