We live in a world with a severe case of information overload. The biggest problem is that we are very selective of which paper we read and the editorial policy often obscures the truth we hope to discover!
Market researchers can differentiate between social groups and have a very clear idea of household income simply by asking us what morning paper we buy, or which television programmes or channels we watch. With a wealth of data at their fingertips, they can also make an accurate assumption of your political views and which products you may want to buy.
One subject that cannot be overlooked is that of Global Warming. Scientists have been reporting this for years with peer-reviewed studies, but it took too long before this fact was accepted! Even now, this is still disputed by over half the population in the USA and a third in Britain. The argument has subtly shifted to the cause, is it a natural phenomenon, the effect of industry, or the by-product of fossil fuels? Depending on which paper or TV channel you watch will influence which view you have. Journalists are not Scientists and unlike their reports, the media's content is not peer-reviewed for accuracy due to print or transmission deadlines. So what you may be reading is an interpretation of an interpretation.
Now, the argument has moved to how many degrees of global warming will push our planet over the edge. Does it matter? When its incapable of supporting human life the argument is over and it doesn't matter who was right or who was wrong. We all lose!
While we argue the political and emotional aspects of taking global action, the earth continues to warm up. It is not waiting patiently for us to make a collective decision on what we should do about it! If nothing else inspires anybody to take action, the weather of the past year all around the world should be of some concern to us, no matter what our political view is. Mankind now has the power to shape the earth to whatever we need or desire. The construction of the Panama Canal took over ten years to build, while the Hoover Dam was five years and cost the lives of over 100 workers. But the speed of the same project if undertaken today with the heavy plant and machinery at our command would be a fraction of these construction times.
We can move mountains, but are we losing sight of what we are? We are one of millions of species on this earth, yet we exploit the resources of our land and seas to the point of collapse. Many species are endangered or at risk of extinction because of our quest for Earths natural resources and food; due to loss of habitat, over fishing, oil spills and similar disasters of our own creation.
It's not a question of personal freedom or our right to drive a resource hungry car, or fly abroad to holiday in the sun. It is a question of survival! What kind of future are we bequeathing to our children and their children? There are many tough questions we need to resolve. Will we be able to feed ourselves in fifty years time? How many species will only be found in Zoo's? Where is the last barrel of oil? The list goes on and it's too long to mention here.
Lets face it, if Market Researchers can draw accurate assumptions of our buying habits from their data, don't you think that Scientists can achieve the same accuracy with their super computers, terabytes of daily data and years of dedicated study. Climate models may contain spurious or misleading conclusions, but with more data being added to the models daily, we can trust their accuracy will improve.
We need to discover the truth. It is beyond politics, emotion, economics, religion or national boundaries. The choices we face today, for our future, depend on what we do now!
Thankfully, our world is not going to end next week, but collectively, we do face an uncertain future. It is our responsibility to the generations that follow us, to discover the truth, analyse the data and most importantly, to ACT!
John Sandow invites comments and factual links to help build a working network to discover the truth behind Climate Change on the following Facebook Page ~ Stay Cool and help to protect our environment. (c) copywright ~ John Sandow 2011. All rights reserved worldwide. |
