Global Warming Burns Us

Global warming has become perhaps the most complicated issue confronting world leaders, according to The New York Times. It may be this problem, not GDP to debt ratios, health care, or even terrorism that more determines our viability as a future global leader.

On the one hand, warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to the rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human generated carbon emissions produced mainly from burning fossil fuels and deforestation.

On the other hand, the technological, economic and political issues that need to be resolved before a concerted worldwide effort to reduce emissions can even begin are not getting easier. This is even more so in the face of global recession.

World leaders convened in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009 with global warming on the agenda.


But that session, in the works for years, fell short with even lower expectations – the 192 nations represented merely agreed to try to reach a binding accord at a follow-up meeting in Cancun, Mexico, slated for December 2010.

But by summer 2010, Ban-Ki Moon, the United Nations Secretary General, stated no sweeping accord was likely and recommended a better solution might consist of small steps in separate fields that build toward a wider consensus.

At the heart of the international debate is a huge conflict between rich and poor countries over who steps up first and pays the most for planned energy changes to address global warming and climates changes.

In the United States, Democratic leaders in the Senate in July gave up on even reaching agreement on a scaled-down climate bill. Opposition came from Republicans and some energy-state Democrats. The House of Representatives, shifting from Democratic to GOP control in January 2011 as a result of this month’s elections, passed a broad cap-and-trade bill in 2009.

Meanwhile, recent increases and fluctuations in temperature have intensified public debate over how quickly and urgently to respond to global warming. Still, intense weather patterns appeared to be on the rise this year.

Arguable evidence, for example, could be seen in a string of snowstorms in the Washington state area and freezing weather in Florida last winter. Skeptics noted that weather (changing daily) and climate (the average weather for a particular region over a long time period) are not the same.

But it was the combination of flooding, heat waves and droughts during the summer months which caused researchers trained in climate analysis to see mounting evidence of weather extremes intensifying.

The long-term warming trends over the last century are well-established.


Scientists immersed in studying climate changes are projecting substantial disruption in water supplies, agriculture, ecosystems and coastal communities. Passionate activists at both ends of the debate are accelerating the discussion and decisions for rapid action.

Research polls show the public is locked into three camps. Roughly a fifth of Americans are eager for action, while a similar proportion aggressively rejects projections of catastrophe. And, unfortunately, most people have decided to tune out the issues or are confused about the implications and pending solutions.


We, at WMB, clearly support the first camp and are eager for swift action and change. We believe this huge problem possesses a reciprocating opportunity for new technology change.

Obviously, first and foremost, is to increasingly limit the use of fossil fuels in America. The United States needs to take a leadership role in this endeavor. We believe examples of technological implementation should include alternative energy sources from nuclear power plants to electric cars and new fuel cell technology.

We, at WMB, believe if action is not taken swiftly, we may surpass any opportunities for the Earth to repair itself against man’s inability to change. Obviously, some of these new technologies may cost consumers more money, but the longer we wait the higher the cost becomes, financially and environmentally.

We need to put aside political agendas and lobbyist initiatives if we are to even have a chance of saving our planet. The time for action was yesterday, so we’ve got to move forward faster now.

This post is by TechMan, WMB co-author who blogs about trends, issues and ideas affecting business, industry, technology and consumers. If you like this post, please share it.