On August 30, 2006 on the anniversary of Katrina and upcoming anniversary of 9/11; 20/20 News Program aired an interesting segment titled “Last Days On Earth.” This segment entertained scenarios such as, engineered bio-weapons, asteroid collisions, nuclear war, and of global warming. Each of these unique scenarios according to the program’s leading experts has the capability of ending mankind.
Not only was this segment extremely interesting, it was thought provoking. Especially, when the focus was on the next crucial 100 years. We face a number of threats, which the program covered. But climate change or that nasty word “global warming” caused to me sit erect in my seat.
It is amazing to me the the incredible amount of chemical compounds found in the Earth’s atmosphere. Which according to the leading experts on the news program agreed, that greenhouse gases are the main catalyst to climate chage or “global warming.”
I placd italics around “global warming” because of the negative publicity it has received in recent years. It is incredible that George W. Bush did not sign the Kyoto Treaty. Even if a majority of Americans support the treaty which addresses global warming and carbon dioxide emissions (americans-world.org). Moreover, the esoteric games played by big oil companies [with the exception of a few]in terms of misinformation campaigns, attribute to the plethora of confusion and possibly how decisions are made in the U.S. Congress as it relates to this issue.
Among the many leading experts who made appearances on the program, Former Vice-President Al Gore struck me as the most credible participant in this segment. The film and/or book, “An Inconvenient Truth” is a must see/read for anyone who is concerned about future generations. This endeavor takes a hard look at the moral challenges that faces this country and the world; as it relates to climate change. Climate change has been finally recognized by many leading authorities on the related subject matters that carbon dioxide and other chemical compounds [man-made} e.g. aerosols, contribute the Greenhouse property theory regarding radiation and the earth’s atmosphere.
Finally, I was awestruck about the island of Greenland and the consequences of the ice-caps melting and the possibility of a rise of 20′ in sea level capacity. Greenland’s land area covers 839,999 sq miles. The coastline is mountainous and barren. The land then rises to a sloping icecap that covers most of the island. The highest point on the island is Mt. Gunnbjorn which is 12,139 ft, which is melting. If the scenario entertatined by Al Gore and other leading experts concerning Greenland’s ice-caps melting and the possibility of the sea levels rising [true], the consequences for man-kind would be immeasurable in this century, the 21st century.
ABC News. (August 30, 2006). Last Days On Earth
ABC News. [Online]. Last Days On Earth. Retrieved on August 31, 2006 from http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Science/story?id=2319559&page=1.
Gore, A. (April, 2006). An Inconvenient Truth. St Martens Press.
Americans and the World. [Online]. Global Warming: Kyoto Treaty. Retrieved on August 31, 2006 from http://www.americans-world.org/digest/global_issues/global_warming/gw2.cfm.
EIA. [Online]. Greenhouse Gases. Retrieved on August 31, 2006 from http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html.
Greenland. [Online]. Greenland Map. Retrieved on August 31, 2006 from http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/gl.htm.
The program not only looked at worst case senarios, it looked at global warming in an exaggerted way. While Global warming could kill millions, possibily billions, and would wipe out many species, it is highly unlikely that humans would be wiped out by it.
No pseudoscience in it, I hate it when people who know nothing about science, let alone pseudoscience, call something pseudoscientific. However, there were exagerrations aplenty. “Global Warming” may cause our coasts to decay, but it is a gradual decay, not the overnight slaughterfest they made it out to be. Also, the fear inducing dialogue was entertaining the first two minutes, then it became just plain stupid. Come on now, there’s plenty of interesting stuff about black holes to fill in the timeslot, you don’t have to spend five minutes explaining how coming near one will kill you (gory details included). I’m kinda sad that topics such as Islamic terrorism and the end of world oil supplies weren’t included. Maybe it won’t destroy all of mankind, but it can mean the end of modern civilation if nothing is done about it.
Just another “Crock-u-mentry” full of psuedoscience