SubscribeClimate Change
We humans often like to feel that we are in control. Random events conspire to show us that this is not the case. Natural disasters, extreme weather, freak accidents, untimely deaths and illnesses are notoriously difficult to predict and to take account of when planning. These events serve as a reminder to us of our true nature and the transient and vulnerable nature of our existence. Living every day with this awareness alters some of our goals and priorities.
The illusion of control extends to many areas. Take climate change as an example. There have always been periods of dramatic climate change long before the industrial revolution and the consequent pumping of gases into the atmosphere. Ice Ages, periods in Earth’s history when sea ice or glaciers have covered a significant portion of the planet’s surface and significant cooling of the atmosphere has occurred frequently interspersed with warmer periods. Earth has existed for about 4.5 billion years. During that time it has experienced several ice ages, each lasting tens of millions of years. The total of these episodes may account for as much as 15 to 20 percent of the planet’s history. The icy cover has ranged from about 10 percent to about 30 percent of the entire surface of the planet. The most recent ice age, the Pleistocene epoch lasted from about 1.6 million years to 10,000 years before present. During that time at least 20 glaciations, or periods when the ice cover increased, occurred. Each of these periods was followed by an inter glaciations, or a period when the ice cover shrank. The most recent glaciations lasted from about 115,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. The climate during that time was much different from what it is today, with temperatures on the continents as much as 15° C (27° F) colder. In areas that are currently occupied by subtropical deserts, cooler and wetter climates caused large lakes to form from increased rainfall and glacial runoff. The past 10,000 years have been part of a relatively warm interglacial period. However, the presence of massive continental ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, along with numerous smaller glaciers in mountainous regions throughout the world, indicates that Earth is still in the grip of an ice age.
Gaia the Greek goddess represents mother earth that brings fourth and sustains our existence. James Lovelock an independent scientist and author is known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis in which he postulates that the Earth functions as a kind of super organism. The Gaia hypothesis is an ecological hypothesis that proposes that living and nonliving parts of the earth are a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. This hypothesis postulates that all living things have a regulatory effect on the Earth’s environment. Effectively it is postulated that there is a control mechanism in operation to keep the Earths temperature regulated by the complex interactions of sea, atmospheric cloud cover and composition along with life itself and its impact on the environment. This is similar to our own temperature control mechanism when we shiver when cold to warm us up and sweat when warm to cool us down. This is a cybernetic type system as when the temperature of an oven is maintained between two values. If the temperature drops below the lower values it switches on and if it rises above the higher one it switches off.
Despite the ice ages the Earth temperature has remained remarkably constant over eons of time. The world has been around for an unimaginably long time and has always had dramatic climate change, has always supported life and is not likely to end any time soon. Irrational fears about the end of the world send us running into the arms of those that would save us, if that is their real agenda. I am not saying that we shouldn't take reasonable steps to preserve and enhance the environment but don’t give control of you life over to those that are promoting doomsday scenarios if you don’t. Hard won freedoms and common sense must prevail. Stop worrying, live consciously and enjoy it!