Respect Revisited
We live in a world where human respect for the “other” is lacking, significantly. If respect was not AWOL then quite simply we, humanity, on space ship earth would not be facing the climate issues currently surfacing as they are most assuredly. Our lack of respect for this old earth and more along with our practices and preferences for greater amounts of product and wealth has incrementally and more rapidly in recent decades put the earth on a definite path of climate change, which we are now witnessing, resulting in a temperature rise in turn causing the extreme conditions occurring. The principle direct cause of climate change has been the burning of fossil fuels.
WHAT WE KNOW
1. The earth is round (science) with an atmosphere, although some still dispute saying it is flat.
2. “Carbon is the foundation of all life on Earth, required to form complex molecules like proteins and DNA. This element is also found in our atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon helps to regulate the Earth’s temperature, makes all life possible, is a key ingredient in the food that sustains us, and provides a major source of the energy to fuel our global economy. … Where the carbon is located — in the atmosphere or on Earth — is constantly in flux. On Earth, most carbon is stored in rocks and sediments, while the rest is located in the ocean, atmosphere, and in living organisms. These are the reservoirs, or sinks, through which carbon cycles.” https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/carbon-cycle.html
3. Global Warming Potential and Atmospheric Lifetime for Major Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gas
Chemical formula
Global Warming Potential, 100-year time horizon
Atmospheric Lifetime (years)
Carbon Dioxide
CO2
1
100*
Methane
CH4
25
12
Nitrous Oxide
N2O
265
121
Chlorofluorocarbon-12 (CFC-12)
CCl2F2
10,200
100
Hydrofluorocarbon-23 (HFC-23)
CHF3
12,400
222
Sulfur Hexafluoride
SF6
23,500
3,200
Nitrogen Trifluoride
NF3
16,100
500
SOURCE
Fifth Assessment Report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014).
4. Sea level is rising, in part, because melting glaciers on land are adding more water to Earth’s oceans. Glaciers – large sheets of ice and snow – exist on land all year long. They are found in the mountains of every continent except Australia. Greenland and Antarctica contain giant ice sheets that are also considered glaciers. As temperatures rise, glaciers melt faster than they accumulate new snow. As these ice sheets and glaciers melt, the water eventually runs into the ocean, causing sea level to rise. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/whats-causing-sea-level-rise-land-ice-vs-sea-ice/
5. There has been a “staggering rise” in the number of extreme weather events over the past 20 years, driven largely by rising global temperatures and other climatic changes, according to a new report from the United Nations. From 2000 to 2019, there were 7,348 major natural disasters around the world, killing 1.23 million people and resulting in $2.97 trillion in global economic losses. By comparison, the previous 20-year period, 1980-1999, had 4,212 natural disasters, claiming 1.19 million lives and causing $1.63 trillion in economic losses. Much of this increase, the report notes, can be attributed to climate change. Climate-related disasters jumped 83 percent — from 3,656 events during the 1980-1999 period to 6,681 in the past 20 years. Major floods have more than doubled, the number of severe storms has risen 40 percent, and there have been major increases in droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/extreme-weather-events-have-increased-significantly-in-the-last-20-years
6. Wealth distribution, power and control is heavily skewed to a small per cent of the global population.
Incremental can be insidious and difficult to recognize. Over the past century-and-a-half, during the industrial revolution and digital periods mother earth has been in the throes of exactly that as temperatures have been on an upward trend bit by bit. While a one degree change does not seem to be a lot, the consequences are proving to be serious. With temperatures rising humanity is witnessing more extreme climate events. The CO2 genie has been let out and long term climate balance is now skewed into an upward trend of more and repeated identifiable climate events. This is happening globally although it is also true to say some areas are more exposed to extreme events. While predicting specific events well in advance is not currently possible, trend curves do indicate where more of the same types of events will repeat. The frequency and power of those events is also on the rise as temperature records increase.
Humanity has known about the potential of the greenhouse effect upon climate for a long time, since the 19th century and maybe, at least in part, that is why so very little has been done to prevent CC. The changes have taken generations to become evident with repeating extreme events ramping up more significantly since WWII on the back of Western and spreading global growth trends. With more industry and mobility the need for energy has spiked and the CO2 emissions have risen commensurately to a level not present on earth for many hundreds of thousands of years. No matter where you live, work and play an extreme weather event is more likely today than before and some areas are being affected much more than others.
This essay explains why, above all else, respect, on a world in stress, is so crucial to healthy and therefore livable environments, societies and global climate. We cannot divorce ourselves from the planet upon which we have evolved, not yet awhile and maybe never. Our destiny has evolved with a set of circumstances of our own design and making, unintentionally although it may be, where for the moment at least, humanity has become, earned by default, the earth’s caretakers, doing a bad job of fulfilling those responsibilities and now driving climate change. Respect has been substituted, if indeed it ever existed in humanity’s value and attitude cache, with a comprehensive desire for acquisition and gain, consequently testing earth’s resources and sinks limits. Humanity, with hubris and the power of technology in a back pocket, has abandoned humility and due regard in favour of disregard buttressed with an attitude advocating: if possible and remote from view, do it, regardless of the consequences. We have cut mountains and hills down mining for coal. Drilling for oil and gas and now fracking for the latter has left landscapes broken and littered with abandoned pumping technology. Our continents are crisscrossed with pipelines, prone to leaking and spilling and spills in the oceans occur much more often than preferred. We continue to emit CO2 and other GHG’s into the atmosphere, emanating from a variety of sources both technological and forced natural, ramping up the CO2 parts per million amount now firmly above the 415ppm level, a 50% rise from pre-industrial levels. The impacts on societies and our environments have become enormous in dollars, anxieties and loss and those impacts will grow in severity. We have paid insufficient attention to the consequences of our values, attitudes, beliefs and actions.
Respect is a word with a multi-faceted meaning contained in three parts concerning someone and/or a system in time and with a space component: acknowledgement of the existence of the “other”; recognition of intrinsic value; and admiration / due regard for the essence, rights, vulnerabilities and contributions of “others”. Briefly, I need to unpack what I mean.
Someone can be oneself or anyone. Self-respect is a prerequisite for respect for “others”.
Our world consists of a myriad of interconnected systems of all kinds of shapes and sizes. While they may not be perfect they have purpose and function. We can assume systems include and surround us and that they can and will change for good or bad depending upon both internal and external influences. Our bodies are highly complex and composed of many different, interconnected and dependent systems. The environment, equally, is composed of vast numbers of inter-related systems supporting life on earth.
Time and space involves transition where change is a constant. So, a most basic transition cycle involves a turning earth in a solar system that gives us seasons. Life responds in sync with birth, aging and death. Time and space can be influenced to affect system transitions.
We are not alone. Together as humanity we exist with and because of our environments on a planet, in a solar system, in a galaxy and in a universe. Respect must involve acknowledgement of the existence of the “other”, our component parts, other folks and the environmental systems supporting life.
Recognition of intrinsic value, the notion that all of the elements of and associations in existence play a part or have a role in furthering the quality of existence, all that we sense around us, all that sustains life.
Admiration / due regard for the essence, rights, vulnerabilities and contributions of “others” involves a sympathetic understanding. Personal biases and prejudices fog up our thinking and attitudes leaving clear and warranted assessments out of reach.
Our responses to science and technology, historically, have been inconsistent, contradictory and hypocritical. Where science and technology have been shown to have clear benefits for our demands and purposes, the findings are accepted with enthusiasm. Not so if the findings uncover flaws or dangerous biases in our beliefs and actions. Science and technology is all about discovery and application.Time and time again humanity has demonstrated complete lack of respect for science and technology when and where they go against common knowledge, pursuits and beliefs. We are more than ready to confirm and support findings that reinforce expectations and intentions, but disregard findings that demonstrate harmful actions. If we are prepared to accept science and technology when it suits us we should not then be turning around and rejecting just because the findings are inconvenient.
Humanity’s approach to climate change is a clear example of our biases, pursuits and prejudices controlling our responses to the scientific findings concerning the causes of and projections for climate change. Without respect for the diligent efforts of the scientific community to warn about the fact and consequences of climate change, humanity has allowed, indeed worsened future prospects for extreme climatic conditions, compounding over time to dramatically alter our livable environments.
There is so much we could be doing over the next couple of decades, but I fear the efforts will occur only when the crises stare us in the face, when they are unavoidable, when we finally respect science and the power of the earth. As long as controlling and disrespectful interests remain in power the necessary global changes will remain out of reach.
Over the past two or three decades humanity has demonstrated a great talent for wishful thinking while wearing blinkers and listening only to those who advocate for more growth as if growth by itself would solve our problems. Government policy and the private sector with the public in tow have lead us down this path of disrespect. Whereas, maybe years ago mitigation might have been enough, today the only solution to the climate change crisis is to prevent any further accumulation of CO2 emissions. On the surface, that would be the respectful response, but there are so many other issues that dealing with CO2 alone will not be enough. Respectfully, the broad range of harmful issues need to be finally addressed without leaving anyone behind and ensuring a healthy and livable environment for generations to come.