Despite the damage that as already been done, groups like the NDRC believe that solutions for the problem of global warming are in sight. They believe that since they know the source of the problem, they can fix it. They claim that most of the heat-trapping gases come from power plants and vehicles. Further, they believe that with more awareness and stronger laws, they can prevent further damage from occurring to our planet. If the cause of global warming is proven, at least in part, to be coming from vehicles and power plants, then certainly laws restricting these activities may indeed help the welfare of the planet. It is difficult, however, in the type of world in which we live, to inhibit such functions. So much of what we depend on for our day-to-day living comes from things which most people would argue is not only dangerous to us as individuals, but to the planet as a whole. For instance, we walk around in cities breathing in air that has been proven to cause cancer. This, however, does not deter us from going about our daily lives with a great fear of any slight inconvenience. For the simple reasons of our tendencies as a species, I believe that it would be extremely difficult to implement any serious policies or changes that would both improve the state of the environment as it pertains to global warming while sitting well with the world’s population.
Depending on what you believe, the issue of global warming is either a pressing issue or it is not. There are those who take the stance that we are damaging our planet and that something must be done to stop it. There are those too, however, who believe that the Earth is a self-correcting system which is far more powerful than the collective strength of its inhabitants. They believe that we are not significant enough or powerful enough to cause any “true” or “serious” damage. Some believe that the planet has the power to get rid of us whenever it pleases and thus, we should not be overly concerned with what we are “doing” to it during our existence.
I happen to take the stance that we as a species do not have quite as much power over the welfare of the planet as we might believe. Now, does that mean that we should be careless and destructive in our behaviors and activities? No. I am simply suggesting that the Earth has an agenda of its own, and sometimes bad things happen to it without it being a result of our behavior. I think, for the most part, human beings are arrogant in their assessment of their level of control over the planet’s health. We tend to think that we have the planet in some sort of strangle hold, and that at any moment it might shrivel up and die. To me, that is a ridiculous notion. The planet has been through countless things worse than “us”. It has been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drifts, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles, hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, world-wide floods, tidal waves, world-wide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages, and we think that some fumes some plastic bags and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The planet is not going anywhere, but we are. The planet will be here and we, as a species, will be long gone. We will be just another failed mutation, an evolutionary cul-de-sac. Just think of the arithmetic. The planet has been here for almost 5 billion years, while we have been around for about 200,000, and we have only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over 200 years. Still, we have the audacity to think that somehow we are a threat? If you want to know how that planet is doing, ask the people in Pompeii who are frozen into position from volcanic ash if they feel like a threat. If you want to know if the planet is alright, ask the people in Mexico City or Armenia or a hundred other places who have been buried under hundreds of tons of earthquake rubble if they feel like a threat to the planet. We will be long gone and the planet will heal itself, and it will cleanse itself, because that is what it does. It is a self-correcting system. We need to remind ourselves of whose home this really is. I believe that if people can take a step back and look at the history of it all, we will see that we are actually just 6 billion guests who can be shown the door at any time.
Irregardless of your particular stance, the issue of global warming is certainly a cause for debate in our society. The argument that our behaviors and activities are damaging to the planet is completely relative and proportionate to what one considers true damage as opposed to everyday wear and tear. I believe that we are a part of a greater magic and existence than we will ever understand or will ever be able to control.