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Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Global Warming: Ultimately, Whose Problem Is It?

I am very worried about global warming. Not for myself, but for the human species and all other life on the planet. Paradoxically, polls show that though most people do believe in global warming, most of these are not very worried because they know that its more serious effects won’t be experienced in their lifetimes. Does this mean that most people don’t care about their kids? Is concern about the world we’re passing on to our kids not important? Is the carbon dioxide problem akin to the national debt and other long term burdens that we are bequeathing them?

Note: What triggered this in me is that recently it more fully entered my conscious awareness that almost all of the acquaintances and extended family that I know of child bearing age are childless. These are hard working, caring, well educated people. They’re Republican, Democrat and in between. Only a few of them are Save the Planet thinkers. They are, however, pragmatic and higher level thinkers. I believe that they’re thinking of the future and what it holds. It’s simple enough — they’re not condemning any descendants to the impending inescapable hardships that will accrue with global warming.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/29/17173166/climate-change-perception-gallup-poll-politics-psychology

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/8576266

Additional: “Human beings aren’t great at dealing with situations that are high-risk but don’t happen that often. Think of earthquake insurance, for instance. Though there’s a 99 percent chance that there’s going to be a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the next 30 years in California, the probability that it’s going to happen in the next year and is going to affect me is much lower. As a result, only 13 percent of people in California have purchased insurance from the California Earthquake Authority.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4652305&page=1

Note: Yesterday, 9-04-18, in Connecticut, an acquaintance of mine says that it’s been unseasonably hot. For the first time ever, schools had to release classes early because of the heat. They’re not equipped with A/C.