THIS POST IS A TRANSCRIPTION OF A SPEECH TO CONGRESS IN 1985 ON ANTHROPOGENIC GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE BY ESTEEMED SCIENTIST CARL SAGAN. THE LINK TO THE YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THIS SPEECH: LINK: https://youtu.be/Wp-WiNXH6hI

ABSTRACT: HERE IS A PROBLEM WHICH TRANSCENDS OUR PARTICULAR GENERATION. IT IS AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROBLEM. IF WE DON’T DO THE RIGHT THING NOW, THERE ARE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAT OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WILL HAVE TO FACE. IT IS ALSO A GLOBAL PROBLEM. IT IS NO GOOD IF JUST ONE OR TWO INDUSTRIAL NATIONS TAKE MAJOR STEPS TO PREVENT A MAJOR INCREASE IN CO2 AND OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES BECAUSE OTHER NATIONS MAY THROUGH THEIR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CAUSE THE PROBLEM BY THEMSELVES. NOT TO SAY THAT THIS IS INEVITABLE BUT JUST TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE. THE LARGEST COAL RESERVES IN THE WORLD ARE IN THE USA, SOVIET UNION, AND CHINA. CHINA IS UNDERGOING A VERY MAJOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BURNING OF COAL IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT MUST BE VERY ATTRACTIVE FOR THE CHINESE LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE. I WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM EVEN IF THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION WERE TO COME TO A PERFECTLY GOOD ACCORD ON THIS ISSUE WITHOUT INVOLVING CHINA – AND MANY OTHER NATIONS THAT WILL BE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE TIME PERIOD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. SO HERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH THE NATIONS, TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM, HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL CONCERN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND NOT ABOUT THE PLANET AND THE SPECIES. A CHANGE FROM THE TRADITIONAL SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES TO LONGER TERM OBJECTIVES. AND WE HAVE TO BEAR IN MIND THAT IN PROBLEMS LIKE THIS, THE INITIAL STAGES OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE, ONE REGION OF THE PLANET MIGHT BENEFIT FROM TEMPERATURE RISE WHILE ANOTHER REGION SUFFERS. SO THERE HAS TO BE A KIND OF TRADING OFF OF BENEFITS AND SUFFERING. AND THAT REQUIRES A DEGREE OF INTERNATIONAL AMITY WHICH CERTAINLY DOES NOT EXIST TODAY. I THINK THAT WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THIS PROBLEM IS A GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS. {IN OTHER WORDS WE MUST ALL TURN INTO GLOBAL CITIZENS FIRST AND COUNTRY CITIZENS SECOND}. IT IS A VIEW THAT TRANSCENDS OUR EXCLUSIVE IDENTIFICATIONS WITH GENERATIONAL AND POLITICAL GROUPINGS INTO WHICH BY ACCIDENT WE HAVE BEEN BORN. THE SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS REQUIRES A PERSPECTIVE THAT EMBRACES THE PLANET AND THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE ARE ALL IN THIS GREENHOUSE THING TOGETHER.

POSTSCRIPT: HERE I PRESENT THE CARL SAGAN POSITION JUST TO PRESENT IT. I AM NOT PROMOTING IT. HOWEVER, I THINK HE MAKES A VERY GOOD POINT ABOUT THE WEAKNESSES IN THE CLIMATE ACTION PLANS OF CLIMATE SCIENCE. PARTICULARLY SO, HIS POINT THAT CLIMATE ACTION HAS TO BE GLOBAL IS AN IMPORTANT ONE. THE UN WAS INVOLVED FOR THAT REASON. THE IDEA WAS A GLOBALLY COORDINATED PROGRAM TO REDUCE GLOBAL EMISSIONS. THE UN HAS FAILED AND AFTER 26 FAILURES IT IS STILL PROMOTING CLIMATE HEROISM OF NATION STATES. THIS WILL GO NOWHERE. NEITHER CLIMATE SCIENCE NOR THE UN APPEARS TO UNDERSTAND THIS ISSUE AS WELL AS CARL SAGAN APPARENTLY DOES.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

IT IS MY FUNCTION TO GIVE SOME SENSE ON WHAT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT IS, TO TRY TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT ON OTHER PLANETS AND TO UNDERSCORE THAT THIS IS A REAL PHENOMENON. AND THEN PERHAPS I CAN TAKE THE LIBERTY TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. {NOTE: THE TOPIC IS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT}

HERE IS WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

THE POWER OF HUMAN BEINGS TO AFFECT AND CONTROL AND CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT IS GROWING AS OUR TECHNOLOGY GROWS AND AT THE PRESENT TIME WE CLEARLY HAVE REACHED THE STAGE WHERE WE ARE CAPABLE BOTH INTENTIONALLY AND INADVERTENTLY TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE GLOBAL CLIMATE AND IN THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEM. AND WE’VE PROBABLY BEEN DOING ON A SMALLER SCALE THINGS LIKE THAT FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE, WHICH HAS BEEN WITH US FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS, PROBABLY WHICH CHANGES THE CLIMATE TO SOME EXTENTBY CHANGING THE ALBEDO – THE REFLECTIVITY OF THE EARTH. THAT MASSIVE CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED IS CLEAR FROM THE HISTORICAL RECORD. AS FOR EXAMPLE, EGYPT, WAS ONCE THE BREAD BASKED OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN THE ROLE THE AMERICAN MIDWEST PLAYS TODAY. THAT IS CERTAINLY NO LONGER THE CASE. THAT IS NOT A GREENHOUSE EFFECT ISSUE WITH THE UH! OVERGRAZING ISSUE, BUT IT IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW HUMANS ARE PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF MAKING THESE UNEXPECTED AND INADVERTENT CHANGES. BECAUSE THESE CHANGES OCCUPY MORE THAN A HUMAN GENERATION, THERE IS A TENDENCY TO SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT OUR PROBLEM. OF COURSE THEN THEY ARE NOBODY’S PROBLEM – NOT ON MY TOUR OF DUTY, NOT IN MY TERM OF OFFICE, IT’S SOMETHING FOR THE NEXT CENTURY, LET THE NEXT CENTURY WORRY ABOUT IT. BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE EFFECTS, AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT IS ONE OF THEM, WHICH HAVE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES {SUCH THAT} IF YOU DON’T WORRY ABOUT NOW, IT’S TOO LATE LATER ON. AND SO IN THIS ISSUE AS IN SO MANY OTHER ISSUES WE ARE PASSING ON EXTREMELY GRAVE PROBLEMS FOR OUR CHILDREN WHEN THE TIME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS, IF THEY CAN BE SOLVED AT ALL, IS NOW.

IF YOU ASK WHAT DETERMINES THE EARTH’S CLIMATE, CLEARLY THE MAIN THING THAT DETERMINES IT IS SUNLIGHT. SUNLIGHT IS WHAT HEATS THE EARTH. NOT ALL THE SUNLIGHT THAT ARRIVES AT THE EARTH FROM THE SUN GOES INTO HEATING THE EARTH, SOME OF IT IS REFLECTED BACK. JUST THE PART THAT IS ABSORBED GOES INTO HEATING THE EARTH. AND WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT THERE IS A CERTAIN RATE AT WHICH SUNLIGHT IS ABSORBED BY THE EARTH’S SURFACE AND THERE IS A CERTAIN RATE AT WHICH THE EARTH’S SURFACE RADIATES TO SPACE. WHAT COMES FROM THE SUN IS IN THE ORDINARY VISIBLE PART OF THE SPECTRUM THAT OUR EYES ARE SENSITIVE TO AND WHAT THE EARTH RADIATES INTO SPACE IS IN THE INFRARED PART OF THE SPECTRUM, A LONGER WAVE-LENGTH THAN RED THAT OUR EYES ARE NOT SENSITIVE TO BUT IT IS AS LEGITIMATE A FORM OF LIGHT AS THAT WE ARE USED TO. NOW, IF YOU CALCULATE WHAT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE EARTH OUGHT TO BE FROM HOW MUCH SUNLIGHT IS BEING ABSORBED EQUALLING HOW MUCH INFRARED RADIATION WOULD BE RADIATED TO SPACE, YOU FIND THAT THE EARTH’S TEMPERATURE PREDICTED BY THIS SIMPLE CALCULATION, IS TOO LOW – ABOUT 30C TOO LOW. AND WHY IS IT TOO LOW? IT’S TOO LOW BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS LEFT OUT OF THE CALCULATION. WHAT WAS LEFT OUT OF THE CALCULATION? THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.

THE AIR BETWEEN US IS TRANSPARENT IN THE ORDINARY VISIBLE PART OF THE SPECTRUM WE CAN SEE EACH OTHER. BUT IF OUR EYES WERE SENSITIVE IN THE 15 MICRONS, IN THE INFRARED, WE COULD NOT SEE EACH OTHER. THE AIR WOULD BE BLACK BETWEEN US AND THAT’S BECAUSE, IN THIS CASE, CARBON DIOXIDE. CARBON DIOXIDE IS VERY STRONGLY ABSORBING AT 15 MICRONS AND OTHER WAVELENGTHS IN THE INFRARED. LIKEWISE, THERE ARE PARTS OF THE INFRARED SPECTRUM WHERE WATER VAPOR ABSORBS. WHERE WE COULD NOT SEE EACH OTHER IF WE WERE ONLY AS FAR APART AS WE ARE IN THIS ROOM. IF YOU ADD THIS INFRARED ABSORBING GASES TO A PLANET THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS, THE SUNLIGHT COMES IN AS BEFORE, BUT WHEN THE SURFACE TRIES TO RADIATE INTO SPACE IN THE INFRARED, IT IS BLOCKED. IT IS IMPEDED BY THE ABSORBING GASES. AND SO THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE HAS TO RISE SO THAT THERE IS AN EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN WHAT COMES IN AND WHAT GOES OUT. SO THIS IS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. IT IS A MISNOMER FOR MORE REASONS THAN ONE. IT IS A MISNOMER FOR ONE BECAUSE THAT’S NOT HOW THE {FLORACE??} GREENHOUSE WORKS BUT THAT’S A VERY MINOR POINT. THERE ARE OTHER GASES THAT ABSORB IN THE INFRARED. ALL OF THEM, MANY OF WHICH HAVE BEEN MENTIONED ALREADY, NITROUS OXIDE, METHANE, THE HALOCARBONS, AND THESE ARE PRODUCTS PARTLY OF AGRICULTURE, IT’S A FERTILIZER, REFRIGERATION, AEROSOL SPRAYS, AND SO ON. THEY ARE ALL PRODUCTS OF HUMAN TECHNOLOGY. WE DON’T GENERATE MUCH WATER INTO THE ATMOSPHERE BUT WE CERTAINLY DO GENERATE A GREAT DEAL OF CARBON DIOXIDE THROUGH THE BURNING OF WOOD AND FOSSIL FUELS. IN APPARENTLY BENIGN ACTIVITY. WHO COULD OBJECT TO HUMANS BURNING OIL, AND COAL, GAS, AND WOOD?

I’D LIKE TO STRESS THAT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT MAKES LIFE ON EARTH POSSIBLE. IF THERE WERE NOT A GREENHOUSE EFFECT, THE TEMPERATURE WOULD HAVE BEEN MAYBE 30C OR MORE COLDER AND THAT’S WELL BELOW THE FREEZING POINT OF WATER. THE OCEANS WOULD BE SOLID ICE. SO A LITTLE GREENHOUSE EFFECT IS A GOOD THING. BUT THERE IS A DELICATE BALANCE OF THESE INVISIBLE GASES.

THEREFORE, A LITTLE GREEN HOUSE EFFECT IS A GOOD THING. BUT THERE IS A DELICATE BALANCE OF THESE INVISIBLE GASES AND TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE GREENHOUSE EFFECT CAN MEAN THE TEMPERATURE ON EARTH IS TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW. AND HERE WE ARE POURING ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF CO2 AND THESE OTHER GASES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE EVERY YEAR WITH HARDLY ANY CONCERN ABOUT ITS LONG TERM AND GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES.

NOW, CERTAINLY NOT ALL ASPECTS OF HOW INCREASED CO2 AND OTHER GASES IN THE ATMOSPHERE THAT AFFECT THE CLIMATE ARE KNOWN. THERE ARE MANY UNCERTAINTIES ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL PICTURE IS QUITE CLEAR AND QUITE WIDELY UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED. BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT AEROSOLS, ABOUT CLOUDS – AS YOU HEAT UP THE EARTH HOW MUCH INCREASE OR DECREASE IN CLOUDINESS IS THERE, HOW DOES THAT CHANGE THE ALBEDO OR REFLECTIVITY OF THE EARTH. THERE’S QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OCEAN AND ITS RESPONSE TIME TO AN INCREASE OR DECREASE IN CO2. THERE ARE FEEDBACK EFFECTS. THEREFORE IT IS CERTAINTY WORTHWHILE TO SPEND SOME ADDITIONAL MONEY ON FURTHER RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT.

ANOTHER POINT IS THAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPERATURE CHANGES ON THE EARTH BETWEEN ICE AGES AND OUT OF ICE AGES, I.E. BETWEEN GLACIAL AND INTERGLACIAL TIMES SEEMS TO BE CONNECTED WITH QUITE SMALL CHANGES IN THE AMOUNT OF SUNLIGHT THAT REACHES THE EARTH DUE TO CHANGES IN THE EARTH’S ORBITAL PROPERTIES AND THAT SUGGESTS THAT THE EARTH’S CLIMATE SYSTEM MAY BE VERY DELICATELY DEPENDENT ON THE SORTS OF FACTORS THAT WE ARE TLKING ABOUT HERE AND THAT’S WHY IT MAKES SENSE TO STUDY PAST CLIMATIC CHANGE ON THE EARTH IN AN ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN SOME CALIBRATION.

ANOTHER SOURCE OF CALIBRATION IS THE OTHER PLANETS. EVERY PLANET WITH AN ATMOSPHERE HAS SOME DEGREE OF A GREENHOUSE EFFECT. THE MOST SPECTACULAR EFFECT BY FAR IS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT OF VENUS. IT IS VERY SIMILAR THE EARTH. IT IS THE NEAREST PLANET. IT IS A PLANET WITH THE SAME ABOUNT OF MASS, RADIUS, AND DENSITY AS THE EARTH BUT IT IS SPECTACULARLY DIFFERENT IN SEVERAL RESPECTS ONE OF WHICH IS THAT THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 470C AND THAT ENORMOUS TEMPERATURE IS NOT DUE TO IT BEING CLOSER TO THE SUN BECAUSE VENUS IS SURROUNDED WITH BRIGHT CLOUDS THAT REFLECT SUNLIGHT TO SPACE BUT IF THAT IS ALL THAT WERE HAPPENING THERE IT WOULD BE COOLER NOT WARMER THAN THE EARTH. THE REASON FOR THIS ABSURDLY HIGH TEMPERATURE ON THE SURFACE OF VENUS, WHICH IS WELL UNDERSTOOD, I MEAN A SOVIET SPACECRAFT HAS LANDED ON VENUS AND MEASURED ITS TEMPERATURE AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE IS VERY HIGH. AND LATER U.S. SPACECRAFT VERIFIED THIS HIGH SURFACE TEMPERATURE. THE REASON IS A MASSIVE GREENHOUSE EFFECT IN WHICH CARBON DIOXIDE PLAYS THE MAJOR ROLE. THE AMOUNT OF CO2 IN THE VENUS ATMOSPHERE IS MUCH LARGER THAN HERE. THE AMOSPHERE IS ALMOST ENTIRELY CARBON DIOXIDE WITH ABOUT 90 TIMES MORE OF IT THERE THAN HERE. BUT IT IS AN INDICATION OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN AN EXTREME CASE. YOU LOOK AT MARS OR JUPITER OR TITAN, THE BIG MOON AT SATURN AND YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT. DIFFERENT GASES, DIFFERENT AMOUJNTS OF SUNLIGHT REACHING THE SURFACE, DIFFERENT PLANETARY ALBEDOS AND CLOUDINESS, AND IN ALL THOSE CASES THERE IS ALSO A GREENHOUSE EFFECT. IN ADDITION, IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO CALCULATE THOSE GREENHOUSE EFFECTS FAIRLY ACCURATELY SO THAT THE KIND OF THEORETICAL ARMAMENTARIUM WHICH IS USED TO CALCULATE THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT CHANGES ON THE EARTH IS ALSO USED TO CALCULATE THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT ON OTHER PLANETS AND THEREFORE CAN BE CALIBRATED TO SOME EXTENT AGAINST THOSE OTHER PLANETS.

AND THEREFORE IF WE KEEP COMING UP WITH THE RIGHT ANSWER IN ALL THOSE CASES, THEN PROBABLY WE UNDERSTAND FAIRLY WELL HOW THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS. IT WOULD HOWEVER BE WORTHWHILE, ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT SENATOR GORE WAS TALKING ABOUT TO HAVE AN INCREASED PROGRAM THROUGH NASA TO UNDERSTAND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT ON OTHER PLANETS. THIS MIGHT BE A VERY PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF PLANETARY EXPLORATION. AS YOU’VE HEARD, THE BEST ESTIMATES, AND THEY CERTAINLY HAVE SOME UNCERTAINTY ATTACHED TO THEM, ARE THAT AT THE PRESENT RATE OF BURNING FOSSIL FUELS, AND THE PRESENT RATE OF INCREASES IN MINOR INFRARED ABSORBING GASES IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE, THAT THERE WILL BE A SEVERAL CENTIGRADE DEGREE TEMPERATURE INCREASE ON THE EARTH GLOBAL AVERAGE BY THE MIDDLE TO THE END OF THE NEXT CENTURY AND THAT HAS A VARIETY OF CONSEQUENCES TO THE RE-DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL CLIMATES TO THE MELTING OF GLACIERS AND INCREASE IN GLOBAL SEA LEVEL. THERE IS CONCERN ON A SOMEWHAT LONGER TIME SCALE ABOUT THE COLLAPSE OF THE WEST ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET {WAIS} AND A GENERAL RISE OF MANY MANY METERS IN SEA LEVEL.

SO WE HAVE A KIND OF HANDWRITING ON THE WALL. CERTAINLY THERE IS MORE RESEARCH TO BE DONE BUT AS I SAY THERE IS A CONSENSUS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT. THE IDEA THAT WE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY STOP BURNING FOSSIL FUELS HAS SUCH SEVERE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES, NO ONE OF COURSE WILL TAKE IT. SERIOUSLY, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE. ONE HAS TO DO WITH SUBSIDIES FOR FOSSIL FUELS. MORE EFFICIENT USE OF FOSSIL FUELS COULD BE ENCOURAGED BY FEWER GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES. SECONDLY THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES SOME OF WHICH ARE USEFUL AT LEAST LOCALLY. SOLAR POWER IS CERTAINLY ONE THAT MIGHT BE OF MORE GENERAL USE. SAFE FISSION POWER PLANTS WHICH ARE IN PRINCIPLE POSSIBLE. AND THEN ON A LONGER TIME SCALE THE PROSPECT OF FUSION POWER. FISSION AND FUSION POWER PLANTS IN PRINCIPLE VENT NO INFRARED ACTIVE GASES AND THEREFORE, WHATEVER OTHER PROBLEMS THEY MAY PRESENT, THEY DO NOT PRESENT A GREENHOUSE PROBLEM.

CONCLUSION

I’D LIKE TO CLOSE BY JUST SAYING A FEW WORDS ON THE KIND OF PERSPECTIVE THAT THIS PROBLEM, AS RELATED PROBLEMS, POSE TO US. HERE IS A PROBLEM WHICH TRANSCENDS OUR PARTICULAR GENERATION. IT IS AN INTERGENERATIONAL PROBLEM. IF WE DON’T DO THE RIGHT THING NOW, THERE ARE VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAT OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WILL HAVE TO FACE. IT IS ALSO A GLOBAL PROBLEM. IT IS NO GOOD IF JUST ONE OR TWO INDUSTRIAL NATIONS TAKE MAJOR STEPS TO PREVENT A MAJOR INCREASE IN CO2 AND OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES BECAUSE OTHER NATIONS MAY THROUGH THEIR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CAUSE THE PROBLEM BY THEMSELVES. NOT TO SAY THAT THIS IS INEVITABLE BUT JUST TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE. THE LARGEST COAL RESERVES IN THE WORLD ARE IN THE USA, SOVIET UNION, AND CHINA. CHINA IS UNDERGOING A VERY MAJOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BURNING OF COAL IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT MUST BE VERY ATTRACTIVE FOR THE CHINESE LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE. I WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM EVEN IF THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION WERE TO COME TO A PERFECTLY GOOD ACCORD ON THIS ISSUE WITHOUT INVOLVING CHINA – AND MANY OTHER NATIONS THAT WILL BE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE TIME PERIOD WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. SO HERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH THE NATIONS, TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM, HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE FROM THEIR TRADITIONAL CONCERN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND NOT ABOUT THE PLANET AND THE SPECIES. A CHANGE FROM THE TRADITIONAL SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES TO LONGER TERM OBJECTIVES. AND WE HAVE TO BEAR IN MIND THAT IN PROBLEMS LIKE THIS, THE INITIAL STAGES OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE, ONE REGION OF THE PLANET MIGHT BENEFIT FROM TEMPERATURE RISE WHILE ANOTHER REGION SUFFERS. SO THERE HAS TO BE A KIND OF TRADING OFF OF BENEFITS AND SUFFERING. AND THAT REQUIRES A DEGREE OF INTERNATIONAL AMITY WHICH CERTAINLY DOES NOT EXIST TODAY. I THINK THAT WHAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THIS PROBLEM IS A GLOBAL CONSCIOUSNESS. {IN OTHER WORDS WE MUST ALL TURN INTO GLOBAL CITIZENS FIRST AND COUNTRY CITIZENS SECOND}. IT IS A VIEW THAT TRANSCENDS OUR EXCLUSIVE IDENTIFICATIONS WITH GENERATIONAL AND POLITICAL GROUPINGS INTO WHICH BY ACCIDENT WE HAVE BEEN BORN. THE SOLUTION TO THESE PROBLEMS REQUIRES A PERSPECTIVE THAT EMBRACES THE PLANET AND THE FUTURE BECAUSE WE ARE ALL IN THIS GREENHOUSE TOGETHER.

RELATED POST: CARL SAGAN 1980: LINK: https://tambonthongchai.com/2018/06/23/carl-sagan-on-climate-change-1980/

POSTSCRIPT#2: THE DENIALIST FRIENDS IN MY DENIALISM COMMUNITY ARE WORRIED BY WHAT THEY SEE AS A BLOG POST PROMOTING CLIMATE ACTIVIST CARL SAGAN. HAVE I GONE OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE?

ANSWER; NO, I HAVE NOT GONE OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE BUT I HAVE ALWAYS MADE A POINT OF STUDYING THE OTHER SIDE AS YOU CAN SEE IN MANY OF MY POSTS GOING BACK TO 2010 AND EARLIER.