As you may have heard, the ancient Mayans unequivocally proved that the world is going to end in 2012. Their failure to extend their calendar indefinitely has destined us all to certain doom. If you're not convinced that the Mayans knew what was up, then surely you can at least trust John Cusack...right? So as 2012 approaches I propose the stockpiling of weapons and Chunky Soup, or, for a lighter alternative, liquor and party favors.
Okay that was fun, but let's be serious. The world will survive well into 2013 despite the lack of political will to face the environmental threat. Global warming, a real threat that needs to be taken seriously, is not going to fry, freeze us or drown us in the short term. These things are over-hyped. But there is a very real problem. You see we are defiling our planet. Our "Caveat Terra" approach to industry is making the world warmer. But to understand the nature of the problem, we need to look to the future, not fret about the present.
Currently, there are roughly six billion people inhabiting our decreasingly lovely planet. That number is going to increase...by a quite a bit...soon. According to UN projections, there will be 9 billion people by 2050, perhaps as many as 11 billion. That's a lot of folks, folks. Because of globalization and an increasingly integrated global economy, several billion of these people are going to expect a standard of living similar to the one that we enjoy in America. This is not sustainable. Mother nature will notice and respond. We will not be pleased with her response.
It's not too late. Even by Mayan reckoning we have a couple of years But we must get moving. All those grim things in "The Day After Tomorrow" may be reality for our children. Why wait until it gets to that point? Why not show a little bit of foresight and start investing in alternate energy now so that we can be the ones selling it when the rest of the world demands it?
2012 is just two winters away. Let's start acting like the future depends on us.
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