Where The Hell Am I? On A Warming Planet

Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children... - Ancient Indian Proverb

Here we go. I was chatting with a friend today who works at the United Nations in Bangkok. She had to go off to a meeting to watch this report. I'm watching it from home on CNN International. Right now, Dr. Susan Solomon, the IPCC's working group co-chair, going over why they've come to the conclusion that global warming is "unequivocally" due to human action.

What does this mean? Well, those who have been calling for scientific evidence have it. It means those arguing that global warming is just an upswing in a natural cycle are going to have an uphill battle. I've seen these guys on CNN, and I wonder if they'll be on later today or tomorrow? I'm sure they will be. I've already seen attacks on the report.

However, I believe, that there is simply no reason to risk the results of inaction at this point.

For people like me, it means there is no reason for anyone to not curb their wasteful behaviors. I always got bent out of shape seeing friends purchase an SUVs when, like me, they lived in the big city where a compact car, mass transit, a bike or walking would do. However, I got to Korea and purchased a compact car that I honestly could have done without. BTW, I got rid of it before I moved to Seoul. Anyway, I know I've slipped as I've gotten older, so it's time for me to get back to being mindful of conserving more.

However, that applies to everyone. It's not just individual choices and changes, but we're going to need to lobby our governments to react to this news. Also, we're going to have to force businesses to react by changing our consumption habits and preferences. Business leaders were mobilizing last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos. This report will only propel their actions forward and now governments have no choice but to respond in kind.

This requires knowledge, so folks, stay informed because we can't just sit back and rely on those in power. Also, don't feel like the science is too much to take action. We know things are getting worse, therefore, we must act.

To that end, I'll step down from the soap box and provide you with some links:

1. The Report: Working Group I - The Physical Basis of Climate Change This is in .pdf format, so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't have it.
2. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
3. Press Release - IPCC adopts major assessment of climate change science
4. TreeHugger's - How to go green guides

News stories:

1. Google News: Google News Links on this report - over 1,400 articles as I type.
2. CSMonitor: Global Warming - What Can We Do?
3. ABCNews: 46 Nations Back Body to Protect Planet - 46 Nations, but Not U.S., China or India, Call for New World Body to Protect Warming Planet

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