Global Warming, driven by the burning of fossil fuels and by some fossil fuel extraction (the release of methane during fracking for natural gas) is already killing millions, will be killing billions and will be with us for centuries. We can no longer stop Global Warming, but we can mitigate some of its effects.
Global Warming was first predicted in 1824, was observed in 1860, and was described scientifically by the 1960s. We might have done somethings to reduce Global Warming, but we didn’t. We didn’t, because fossil fuels provided the energy that made the undeniable benefits of the industrial revolution possible, and because of the resistance of the fossil fuel moguls.
Now it’s too late. Little can be done to mitigate the catastrophic effects of Global Warming on the world’s truly poor, because their resources have already been destroyed.
We can still take steps to limit the harm which will be experienced by Americans. For example, we can build roads and railroads into areas that are likely to remain or to become arable. We can strengthen our building codes, so that our homes and factories will be able to withstand the wide spread fires and the more than hurricane strength winds that are expected. We can repair our dams and build new ones to prevent some of the otherwise inevitable floods. We can install pipe lines from our sources of potable water to areas in which Americans will otherwise die of thirst. We can bury our power and communication cables. And, we can make the development and installation of individual renewable energy production devices our highest priority.
We can still act, but not if we wait much longer, because the resources that we will need will soon be destroyed.
