174
Transitional impacts of climate change are related to the human response. This
may include things as mundane as switching vehicles from gasoline to electric, or
changing electrical generating sources from fossil fuels to renewables like solar,
wind, and geothermal or other non-carbon sources like nuclear. More substantial
transitional impacts could include the large-scale migration of human populations
to areas that are higher, drier, cooler, and provide more food and fresh water.
Agriculture will transition to new crops for any particular region that are more heat
tolerant, drought tolerant, cold tolerant, salt tolerant, or whatever else is needed to
survive new weather patterns and temperatures. There could be wars over limited
resources, or to defend national boundaries from migrating populations. (There
have already been troop mobilizations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over serious disagreements concerning water allocations from the Nile River.) Large numbers of climate refugees could end up fleeing from newly-established deserts, places
with intolerably hot temperatures, and drowned coastal areas.
It is interesting to note that climate change concerns have attracted the attention
of the U.S. military. The Pentagon certainly takes climate change seriously and is
not treating it as a hoax (Klare 2019). Military planners worry about sea level rise
flooding coastal bases and naval ports, and these concerns have been amplified
recently after a number of major facilities were significantly damaged by intense
storms. In addition to infrastructure threats, the armed forces are also trying to prepare for some of the national security aspects of climate change, including wars and
refugees. The concerns of the military have gained some traction with climatedenying members of Congress who may not care about the extinction of birds or
bees, but definitely pay attention if there is a newfound potential for a horde of refugees to pour across the border.
Ignoring or denying climate change won’t make it go away. The beauty of science
is that it is based on facts, not beliefs. “Believing” in climate change is not required
for the physics of Joseph Fourier, Eunice Foote, or John Tyndall to be valid. The
calculations of Svante Arrhenius and the statistical conclusions reached by the IPCC
stand on their own without the necessity of a leap of faith. Anyone who doesn’t trust
the physics or math may repeat the experiments and check the work. This is the way
science operates. However, almost all scientists are confident in the results, and a
large body of peer-reviewed literature has presented overwhelming evidence that
human-induced climate change is underway. It is as inescapable as an avalanche
coming down a mountain slope, which also by the way does not require the victims
below to “believe” in gravity before it engulfs them. As Senator Whitehouse has
said, “Time is not our friend with climate change.” The longer we wait, the harder
this is going to be to fix.
9.3 The Future of Fossil Fuel
Although the use of fossil fuels is sometimes labeled as “immoral” by
environmentalists, there is no denying that fossil fuels have dramatically improved
the overall living conditions for humanity, including health, hygiene, life expectancy
9 Fossil Fuels and Climate Change
Transitional impacts of climate change are related to the human response. This
may include things as mundane as switching vehicles from gasoline to electric, or
changing electrical generating sources from fossil fuels to renewables like solar,
wind, and geothermal or other non-carbon sources like nuclear. More substantial
transitional impacts could include the large-scale migration of human populations
to areas that are higher, drier, cooler, and provide more food and fresh water.
Agriculture will transition to new crops for any particular region that are more heat
tolerant, drought tolerant, cold tolerant, salt tolerant, or whatever else is needed to
survive new weather patterns and temperatures. There could be wars over limited
resources, or to defend national boundaries from migrating populations. (There
have already been troop mobilizations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over serious disagreements concerning water allocations from the Nile River.) Large numbers of climate refugees could end up fleeing from newly-established deserts, places
with intolerably hot temperatures, and drowned coastal areas.
It is interesting to note that climate change concerns have attracted the attention
of the U.S. military. The Pentagon certainly takes climate change seriously and is
not treating it as a hoax (Klare 2019). Military planners worry about sea level rise
flooding coastal bases and naval ports, and these concerns have been amplified
recently after a number of major facilities were significantly damaged by intense
storms. In addition to infrastructure threats, the armed forces are also trying to prepare for some of the national security aspects of climate change, including wars and
refugees. The concerns of the military have gained some traction with climatedenying members of Congress who may not care about the extinction of birds or
bees, but definitely pay attention if there is a newfound potential for a horde of refugees to pour across the border.
Ignoring or denying climate change won’t make it go away. The beauty of science
is that it is based on facts, not beliefs. “Believing” in climate change is not required
for the physics of Joseph Fourier, Eunice Foote, or John Tyndall to be valid. The
calculations of Svante Arrhenius and the statistical conclusions reached by the IPCC
stand on their own without the necessity of a leap of faith. Anyone who doesn’t trust
the physics or math may repeat the experiments and check the work. This is the way
science operates. However, almost all scientists are confident in the results, and a
large body of peer-reviewed literature has presented overwhelming evidence that
human-induced climate change is underway. It is as inescapable as an avalanche
coming down a mountain slope, which also by the way does not require the victims
below to “believe” in gravity before it engulfs them. As Senator Whitehouse has
said, “Time is not our friend with climate change.” The longer we wait, the harder
this is going to be to fix.
9.3 The Future of Fossil Fuel
Although the use of fossil fuels is sometimes labeled as “immoral” by
environmentalists, there is no denying that fossil fuels have dramatically improved
the overall living conditions for humanity, including health, hygiene, life expectancy
9 Fossil Fuels and Climate Change