Human adaptability will save the planet Final Edition
John Schellnhuber, distinguished science adviser at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Britain, has identified 12 global warming tipping points, such as the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest or the melting of the west Antarctic ice sheet. Any of these, if triggered, probably woul...
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| Published in | Spectator (Hamilton. 1994) |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Newspaper Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Hamilton, Ont
Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited
16.12.2006
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | John Schellnhuber, distinguished science adviser at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Britain, has identified 12 global warming tipping points, such as the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest or the melting of the west Antarctic ice sheet. Any of these, if triggered, probably would initiate sudden changes across the planet as cataclysmic as any asteroid strike. Many secretly perceive global warming to be an insoluble problem and respond by circling the family wagons and turning inward. Yet human beings are born with powerful tools for solving this quandary. We have the genetic smarts and the cultural smarts. We have the technological know-how. We even have the inclination. Forty years ago, many believed human nature mandated that blacks and whites live in segregation; 30 years ago human nature divided men and women into separate economies; 20 years ago human nature prevented us from defusing a global nuclear standoff. Nowadays we blame human nature for the insolvable hazards of global warming. |
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| ISSN: | 1189-9417 |