So are we doomed or what?
I’ve always been a big Michael Crichton fan, so I’m looking forward to reading his latest work, State of Fear, even though I find it rather difficult to buy into the premise (that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by radical environmentalists).
It seems hard for me to believe that there can still be doubt about the reality of global warming when we regularly see news like this:
Countdown to global catastrophe
The global warming danger threshold for the world is clearly marked for the first time in an international report to be published tomorrow - and the bad news is, the world has nearly reached it already.
The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics from around the world - and it is remarkably brief. In as little as 10 years, or even less, their report indicates, the point of no return with global warming may have been reached.
So which is it? Are we doomed or not? (Not that this will have much bearing on my enjoyment of Crichton’s book, mind you, but I would like to adjust my retirement plans accordingly.)
By the way, you know what I would really like from Amazon.com? A feature that would enable me to receive e-mail notification whenever a book I’m interested in becomes available in paperback. Although I really prefer hardcover books, they are much less practical to read on the train.
I was just talking about this with my mom (who is reading the book) last night. My point of view is that unless you are an expert in climatology it’s all taking other people’s word for it, and I am more likely to take a bunch of climatologists’ word than MC’s. Still, he does have a point that once something becomes a “religion” of sorts, even scientists who would disagree can’t because their funding will be cut off and all sorts of other unpleasant things.
Here is an interesting article (that I was going to blog about but never did) by him on this very subject. Like everything he writes, it’s entertaining, although I can’t say anything as to the veracity of it:
Remarks to the Commonwealth Club
by Michael Crichton
San Francisco
September 15, 2003
P.S. she probably won’t want to bring her hardback all the way to South Africa, and if she doesn’t I’ll mail it to you if you wish.
Thanks for the link, Zachary! I’ll have to get back to it at some point (it’s getting a bit late right now), but it seems to me like there should be at least some middle ground on this issue.
Who am I to burden your poor mother with an unwanted book?
Just because someone writes an article saying the sky is falling, doesn’t mean it really is.
Post a comment
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.