An Honest Sceptic

The purpose and meaning of being sceptical is to discover the truth, not to be contrarian. As I looked into global warming, I found many people determined to believe what they wanted to be true, regardless of what was actually so.

I decided to create this story because I know there are people, like myself not so long ago, who don't see the extent of the problem or understand what it takes to solve it, but who could if it were explained in a way that made sense. And I know that there are some who won't understand, who won't even seriously look at the problem, because they're araid of what they'll see if they do look honestly.

Most of us now know we have to change, and that our government has to lead the way. There is only so much we can do as individuals; we need to act collectively, and our government needs to make sure that everyone carries their share and everyone is protected.

Yet there are still voices - powerful voices - calling out that the threat is exaggerated, that we don't need to change, or that if we do, the "free market" will take care of the problem - and of us.

Global Warming or Climate Crisis?

Well, as part of being an honest sceptic, I had to give up some cherished conceptions. As I dug into what I thought was a debate about global warming, a more appropriate term became climate change, and more recently, as more scientific information has become available, climate crisis is more accurate.

Make no mistake, the best scientific evidence says this: If we do not begin radically reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the next few years, it will be impossible for civilization to survive. Most of humanity will also be destroyed, along with 75-90% of all other species on the planet.

When I began looking into this, I had many misconceptions: it's not as bad as a few environmentalist scaremongers are making it out to be; human ingenuity, the free market, and technology will find solutions; at worst, we'll just adapt somehow. At some point, I had to make a decision whether to believe opinions or facts, and I thought it wiser to pay attention to the facts. And the facts clearly show that we are on the edge of the abyss; the fall will not be pleasant. You can imagine a world with not enough food or water, with diseases spreading out of control, with wars over resources, with coastlines flooding and hundreds of millions of refugees driven inland - there will be no country or area that is safe. Even the rich will pay the price, if not from enraged people who realise they've been duped, then from one of the diseases that are even now spreading - West Nile, molds, hanta virus, SARS...you might be able to fend off two-legged invaders for a time, but you can't stop fungus and bacteria and insects.

Fact versus Opinion

I am not going to go into all the arguments and counter-arguments about the climate crisis. If you don't believe me - good. Go research the facts, but make sure you get facts rather than opinions or lies. What I discovered is that those who doubt are either dupes or liars. I was a dupe - I believed most of the lies spouted by, as it turned out, people and organizations funded by oil companies, automobile corporations, coal consortiums, and so on. As I kept digging, I found that the scientists have hard evidence that we're in trouble deep, that they have been sounding the warning since the 1970s, and that some very wealthy corporations have been spending money to discredit this message - just as they did with warnings about the dangers of cigarettes, and asbestos, and so on.

Many sensible people simply cannot bring themselves to believe that others could be this dumb or blatantly lie about something this dangerous, especially as the people doing their best to minimize concerns are those who have clawed their way to the tops of our largest and most powerful organizations. Surely that qualifies them as being wiser than we? Surely they must act on facts, not wishes? Sadly, wisdom is not a requirement to make it to the top in our society. I duscuss how this happened in The Way We Are.

What to Do?

The climate crisis is not a matter of opinion; it is scientific fact. The question is what to do about it. As you will see throughout The New Green Economy Story, we need large-scale change, not little fixes. There are several key components in our economic and political system that are broken.

But imagine that things could be different:

Imagine that your next new home was built to last 1,000 years, and that you paid no energy bills - but in fact sold energy back to the grid. Imagine this house was made of natural materials that warm the soul and soothe allergies. And that it cost you about the same as a house built using current construction methods.

Imagine you could walk to work, where you work a four-day work week, because that's the standard now, and that your kids can walk to school, and in fact almost everything you want is within a five-to-ten minute walk.

Imagine some areas of your city being car-free, others with first-rate transit, and still others with private vehicles - that run on clean, green energy.

Income taxes have gone down - way down, replaced by taxes on waste. The more you waste, the more you pay. The less you waste, the more money stays in your pocket.

Imagine fewer police, because they're not needed, and most police officers don't carry guns - because they don't need them.

All of this is possible - and much of it will actually save us money and result in a permanent reduction in taxation levels. It's common sense: if there is less pollution, there is less need for cleanups, for government regulators, for insurance, for health care. If our products last longer, there is less waste, and less waste means less cost. If some people don't drive - because they don't need or want to - they have more money to spend. That's good for our economy. A smarter justice system that reduces crime means less cost for prisons and guards and courts and lawyers, and means that those who would have gone to jail are now productive members of society. What was lost now becomes a gain for all.

If you want to be sceptical about this - I encourage you. But be honest, not contrarian. Ask yourself, well, why couldn't these ideas work? And more, if we have to make radical changes anyway, why not ensure we make wise decisions?

Next: Living Within Our Means