The main news story around the world this summer is climate change, which of course is not new at all. Scientists have been warning us about it since at least since 1974, when the “hole in the ozone” theory was announced and 1985, when it was confirmed.
But many writers foresaw the problem in non-fiction and science fiction as early as the 1950s and no doubt even earlier than that. The role played by human beings in provoking it is no longer politically controversial, though it is past the time when we might have done something to avoid the worst consequences.
This particular summer, 2022, will be remembered as the one that hit Europe so forcefully that the issue could no longer be avoided. That may be a good thing.
There are still climate deniers of course. There are also people who think the world is flat, that Elvis is alive and that Trump won the 2020 election. Go figure.
What’s left to those of us not in psychotic denial is mitigation, our best hope until the time comes for forced migration. Much of the land currently populated will apparently no longer be habitable. So humans will have to move to higher ground, as nomadic groups already do in desert lands like Afghanistan.
That will without doubt produce new wars, again much like has occurred in the hills and valleys of Afghanistan. I fear we can glimpse our common future there, not in the wealthy suburbs of America, where all still seems well, at least until the next mass shooter shows up. But in a very real sense, the way forward may be backward for everyone on this planet as it melts beneath us.
But I, naively perhaps, think we still have time to prepare for all of this.
One story. One world. Whether you think our species will get through this is the ultimate test of whether you’re an optimist or pessimist. Despite all I have read and written, I think we will. This isn’t a matter of logic for me but of hope.
But it will take an effort that would make Hercules proud.
***
Update: Grandson Oliver’s little leagues team lost in extra innings, 3-2, last night, ending a six-game win streak. But their season is not over yet, as it is double elimination at this level, so the two teams will play a rematch tonight. The winner of that game moves on to the state tournament.
Stay tuned…
LATEST LINKS:
France battles massive wildfires, Britain records highest ever temperature (Reuters)
Heatwave: Wildfires spread across Europe as countries break record temperatures (BBC)
Extreme Heat Puts Life on Hold in Britain, a Land Not Built for It (NYT)
Fire engulfs homes near London as temperatures hit record 40C (Reuters)
VIDEO: London Endures Sweltering Heatwave (Reuters, Associated Press)
Ferocious European heat heads north (BBC)
With Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and all Senate Republicans torpedoing hopes of more spending aimed at climate change, Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to take a more aggressive approach. “This unchains the president from waiting to act. This frees up the president to use the full powers of the executive branch, and those full powers certainly include a climate emergency,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said. Here are some of Biden's options. [HuffPost]
A 1792 case reveals that key Founders saw abortion as a private matter (WP)
Former Trump National Security Council official will testify at Thursday's January 6 hearing (CNN)
House Republican who voted against certifying 2020 election results now says Trump 'lost his mind' and that it 'would be best for the party' if someone else led it in 2024 (Business Insider)
Jury nearly set in Jan. 6 contempt trial of Trump adviser Stephen Bannon (WP)
Russian forces kept up their bombardment of cities across Ukraine, with intense shelling of Sumy in the north, cluster bombs targeting Mykolaiv and a missile strike in Odesa in the south, authorities said. (Reuters)
Zelensky Takes Aim at Hidden Enemy: Ukrainians Aiding Russia (NYT)
Ukraine’s farms have become Russia’s latest targets. Missile attacks are hitting and burning fields of grain. Ukraine’s wheat is key to feeding much of the rest of the world. (WP)
Enormous Structure on Surface of Sun Appears to Be Coming Apart (Newsweek)
Decades of 'good fires' save Yosemite's iconic grove of ancient sequoia trees (NPR)
Put Your Face in Airplane Mode — Masking only at the start and end of every flight will do a lot to keep you safe. (Atlantic)
New internal documents could bolster antitrust case against Google, Amazon (Politico)
Hunt for wild monkey in Japan after 10 attacks in a fortnight (Guardian)
Dairy Queen Fires Employee Who Discovered Blizzard Machine Gained Sentience (The Onion)
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