book: Sudden and Disruptive Climate Change, eds. Michael C. MacCracken, Frances Moore, & John C. Topping, Jr.
Sudden and Disruptive Climate Change is a collection of academic works first published in 2008. It is simultaneously a fascinating reminder of climate-thought almost 2 decades ago (where Hurricane Katrina was one of the most major climate disasters of discussion), as well as an incredibly frustrating read.
The focus of the works within is to push back against the dominant narrative at the time: that the global temperature rise, sea level rise, etc, would be smooth and gradual, and consequently easy to deal with. The works outline factors like increased wildfires and major storms, feedback loops where warming-causes-warming, and tipping points where a previously "fine" habitat simply cannot cope anymore and massively deteriorates over a short time span. These things are a lot harder to deal with, with events like storms capable of completely rearranging a region with its force.
Simply put, the main point is that the best prediction we could make for the climate, is that it will be unpredictable. So many interconnected factors tangle up in the climate that we're working with incomplete understandings.
and that's part of why it gets frustrating.
Part 5 is focused on what we should do about climate change. It is overwhelmingly focused on green capitalism, with praise for J. P. Morgan, IBM, McDonalds, Wal-Mart, and fucking BP and Chevron and Shell ... for their commitment to sustainability. There is credit given to corporate and government actions, and not very much to anyone else. Of course hindsight is 20/20, but I can't help but feel if these academics had spoken to any activists they wouldn't have such an unshakeable belief that the government is going to handle it. Shell had been destroying the environment and lives of the Ogoni people for decades prior, including executing Ogoni activists — if you're going to write an academic piece about Shell and its environmental impacts, how dare you say nothing but praise (for its investment into hydrogen power).
nightmare nightmare nightmare nightmare.
this is precisely why I am foaming at the mouth demanding scientists go and talk to non-scientists, get involved in community groups. The academics in this book should've known better, would've known better if they'd spoken to the communities they know are at the greatest risk of harm (they say so, in the book). but even more so: with decades more experience and horror, WE should know better.
so why is the training and discussion being given to newcomers-to-science still "tell the politicians, and then sit on your ass hoping they'll actually do something" ???
aghh!!!
...
thanks for reading!🪱🦀
Atom feed ; RSS feed
check out my reading list while you're here :)