Winds of Change Newsletter, February 2006     See sidebar for table of contents

Global Warming: Seven Hard Realities for Americans

	Proof of Global Warming

by David Merrill, GlobalWarmingSolution.org.

As American citizens, we should feel nothing but shame and horror as the U.S., the world’s largest greenhouse gas polluter, continues its reckless refusal to commit to binding emissions reductions. It’s time we took stock of our central role in the deepening global warming crisis, because what Americans do from this point forward will in all likelihood decide the fate of the earth.

1 75 percent of the gases destabilizing the atmosphere came from wealthy countries, like the United States, over the last two centuries.

2 Each year, climate change is already killing an estimated 150,000 and sickening 5 million people. Until global warming is adequately addressed this tremendous suffering will increase.

3 No rational person can dismiss the possibility that the survival of humanity is now at risk.

4 The scale of the threat is so great, that addressing global warming should be the number one political priority of the world community.

5 The most prudent action humanity can take is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly and sharply as possible. The main cause of global warming is the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. There is no question that the entire global economy can run on 100 percent renewable energy with existing technologies. We need to transform the global energy infrastructure as swiftly as possible.

6 The key obstacle to addressing the global warming threat is the refusal of the world’s number one producer of greenhouse gases, the United States, to commit to reducing its own emissions.

Unless U.S. policy changes, the global warming threat will not be addressed, indeed can not be addressed, and we can expect humanity’s future to be a continual descent into chaos. Rising emissions from developing countries, particularly China and India, will need to be considered. How will we ever be in a position to work with them to control their emissions if we refuse to do so ourselves?

7 The only conceivable way that U.S. policy will change is through massive, organized pressure from millions of American citizens.

The world’s top climate scientists have been issuing urgent proclamations on global warming since 1990. Yet, the U.S. government refuses to craft a responsible policy right up to the present day. At this point, it’s safe to conclude that federal officeholders will continue their intransigence until they are politically forced to do otherwise.

The time has come for every American citizen to ask themselves: “What am I doing to pressure the President and the U.S. Congress into adequately addressing this apocalyptic threat?” The eyes of our children and all of humanity rest upon us.