Hello Reader,
Today, as I was reviewing past news articles and academic journal articles in preparation for an upcoming class assignment, I thought up an analogy that I thought I ought to share. The analogy is best described through the metaphor:
"Anthropogenic climate change is a global societal cancer."
Please think about this for a second. After I thought up the metaphor, I was struck by its potency. I thought about its implications.
Imagine for a second that you have not been feeling well, so you set up an appointment for an examination at the doctor. You don't feel completely overwhelmed by sickness, but you just don't seem to be feeling as well as you normally do. You go in for your appointment. A few weeks later, you get an ominous call from the doctor's office. It turns out you have cancer. What do you do next? What are your immediate thoughts?
Naturally, you are likely to be shocked or scared. Do you need to get a second opinion? You want to know if it is serious... how serious? Are you going to have to have an operation? How much is this going to cost? Do you have enough money saved up to cover the costs? Will your insurance cover the costs? Is there technology or medicine to deal with the type of cancer you have?
If some or all of these questions were at the top of your list, I would guess that you are not alone. I know that they would be at the top of mine. Now, let's follow the analogy using these questions (or similar questions).
We -the world- have been told we have societal cancer (a case of anthropogenic climate change). It is not a societal Ebola virus. We will not suffer a catastrophic, definitive, world-ending "Day After Tomorrow" fever. However, we have gotten a second opinion, and a third, and a fourth... and well, likely more than any cancer patient can ever dream of, to be honest. The issue is we don't know (and can't ever know - thanks to the chaotic nature of the Earth's climate system and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) how serious the cancer is going to be until it happens.
Now, our doctors (scientists) have used all of their mental and technological capacity to estimate what the likely effects will be and what the "worst possible" effects may be. In any case, the possibilities don't look great.
At the best the result may just a few aches and pains; however, this is not likely (a note to bankers and gambling addicts: if this statement excited you, please seek help now!). The doctors have estimated that instead it is likely (although not certain) that if the cancer goes untreated there could be severe consequences.
Of course, the doctors can't be specific about the rate at which or how or where the cancer will manifest itself, so there is a chance it will take a relatively long time (20-80 years in the case of climate change for society could be compared to 20-80 months in the case of cancer for an individual) before the worst effects would be felt and only a few body parts (countries or groups) may be lost. It is also possible that some of the more resilient body parts will remain more-or-less fully intact!
Of course, even with the loss of a few parts, the body can still live on, and it is unlikely that any one particular ailment will cause a catastrophic death on its own. Plus, on the positive side, the doctors have told us they know what the cause is and even given some options about how to prevent the cancer from getting worse!
The question is: "What do we do now?"
Do we wait to see how bad it gets and hope that surgical techniques are up to par in the future? Are we willing to accept the potential loss of a few countries or regions? Do we take our chances of going painfully and quietly into the night?
OR
Do we take some pills that might be tough to swallow and possibly even more expensive than aspirin? Do we start to enact a rigorous treatment process to prevent the spread and even reverse the negative effects of our disease?
In all honesty, the cure to anthropogenic climate change will not be pain free, but it is virtual certainty that the cure will be less painful and less deadly than not addressing the issue.
The sad part is that many individuals, communities, and leaders have not taken the time to fully comprehend the graveness of the diagnosis. Can you imagine reacting to a cancer diagnosis in this manner, even after multiple second opinions? Unfortunately, this is what most people, industries, and countries have done.
Still others have decided that it is not convenient for them to deal with climate change. Many of these people have taken every opportunity to prove to themselves (and others) that the scientific reports are phony and drafted by quacks. In even more devious attempts, some corporations have hired their own group of "experts" to craft reports that indicate that climate change does not exist, is not caused by humans, is not serious, etc. Fortunately, for the most part the worst of these offenders' efforts have failed.
In light of this, I have to ask again: Can you imagine a cancer patient reacting do a diagnosis in this fashion to the point that it kills them? Unfortunately, the answer may very well be yes. Without a strong and global effort that is (perhaps oxymoronically) based on practical, localized initiatives to effectively address the causes of climate change it is entirely possible that this is what we will do.
If you feel that I have oversimplified the matter, you are correct. This is the nature of analogy. It is not perfect. It only serves to illustrate a specific point. If you were struck by this analogy, I encourage you to take it to heart. Please start searching the internet for more information about climate change. Just be aware that there are some people who will be bending the truth without telling you. For my part I can only explain that I have developed my opinions after a lot of academic reading about the science of climate change, and other than my attempts to "leave the world a better place than I found it" and perhaps enjoying a reasonable standard of living in the process I am not trying to gain from this message.
Thanks for your time,
Sean Diamond
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