This article will
discuss future woes that will inevitably become a reality in our society.
The supporting evidence that I will use in this article will be strong and
respectable scientific evidence. Believe
me when I tell you that I am not alone about the thoughts that I will bring
forth. As they say, history tends to repeat itself. Scholars and I believe that
what you are about to read, may very well happen. It is not a matter of if, but
rather a matter of when.
The world is
changing, there is no doubt about it. The United States, the most influential
nation in the world, is once again at the forefront of the current changes and
will be leading (along with other powerhouse nations such as China and Russia)
the future changes. Over the last 200 years, the human race has gone from what
some would call prehistoric, due to the unimaginable lack of technology, to an
"advanced race". We
travelled to the moon, planes practically fly themselves, technology is
advancing each day, and there are 7 billion people and counting. But everything
hasn't always been so peachy sounding, nor will it in the future. Those alive
today, along with future generations, face a dark and dismal future filled with
war, famine, disease and a potential economic collapse due to corruption and
globalization of monopolistic corporations.
One of the worst
dilemmas that the world faces today is the energy need of the future. Scientists at Oxford speculate that we
will deplete global oil supplies in about 40 years (2052), give or take, at our
current rate of extraction and consumption (OPEC). In addition to that statistic, Oxford also estimates that
oil demand will exceed oil supply, globally, in 2015. It is sad to see that Governor Romney and his billionaire
oil-tycoon energy advisor, Harold Hamm, are pushing for increased use and
production of U.S. Made oil. This
action, if pursued by Romney, given he wins the presidential election in
November, will put the United States and the world in a position that may
increase global consumption and production of oil bringing the 2052 point much
sooner. It is time to start
deviating from the tradition methods of creating energy for the world; with our
backs up against the wall, and only 3 years or so until demand exceeds supply,
we have no time to waste…we must start heavily investing in alternative energy
sources.
Getting back on
track, after 2050, when all oil deposits are depleted of their resources, I
speculate that the United States, and most of the world, will only start to
begin the process of mass producing alternative energy sources to supply our
nation and world with energy. As
we have seen in the past, society tends to wait until it is too late to act on
whatever the problem is; in this case it is energy. With information such as that presented by Oxford, we have
yet to see a major push for alternative energy in the Untied States, or the
world, that would indicate a societal and governmental change in the way that
we view obtaining energy.
As we have seen
in the last two decades, whether some want to believe it or not, there have
been global wars for natural resources, namely oil. The United States has created a significant presence in the
Middle East starting with President George H. W. Bush and continuing until
today. I see this as a tactical
move for the future. Within the
next 50 years, as oil supplies approach depletion, the United States will be in
the perfect position to acquire the worlds largest oil deposit. With thousands of troops in the region,
and the thousands more that will mostly likely be deployed there over the
years, we will have a military presence capable of defending the natural
resources available. As stated in
the beginning of this article, I mentioned that there will be wars fought over
resources; the Oil War, as I like to think of it, will be the first of their
kind. It will not be the United
States against the nations that make up the Middle East, no. This will be a global war comprising of
two groups, the United States and its allies (most likely the EU nations, NATO
nations, etc) versus Russia and its known allies, and the soon to be allies of
Russia. The end result will be the
war ending when the oil is gone.
If ended prior to that point, there will be one side who will have the
oil and the remaining countries will become oil-less.
Oil always has,
and always will be (until it is gone) the driving force of the global
economy. No nation on Earth can currently
sustain itself without oil. I believe
there will be select countries that will realize the severity of the situation
and act in a way that will set them up to succeed and survive the issues ahead
of us. Already, nations in
Scandinavia, Europe and Asia are taking the necessary steps and starting the
transition towards a sustainable alternative energy fueled nation. Most of the residencies in states such
as Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Finland are heated by means of geo-thermal
energy, using the Earth’s emitted heat to warm their water and houses. The Netherlands is using tidal power
and wind power to fuel much of their country. China is investing billions of dollars a year to fund the
research and development of solar panels as they try and strive away from one
of their current major sources of power, coal. But what do we see in America, no action and only the
criticism of those who are trying to lobby for this action. The first attempt by President Obama to
follow in China’s footsteps by subsidizing the solar panel manufacturer, Solyndra,
ended in the company ultimately filing for bankruptcy. This should in no way discourage
Congress or the public from progressing in this direction. Success cannot come without
failure. One way or another, we
will have to make the transition to a total alternative energy driven
nation. This WILL happen within
the next 100 years.
The location and
resources available in our nation are immense; we have thousands of miles of
coastline that can be used for tidal and wind energy, millions of acres of open
land in the mid-west for solar energy and the entire country has the ability to
support geothermal energy. In
addition to this, the United States has arguably the best and most advanced
technology to support new nuclear power plants, which can essentially replace oil
as the largest supplier of energy.
Unfortunately, nuclear energy may be a non-renewable resource itself, as
we do not know how much uranium is available on Earth. Our nation has the ability to
successfully invest in every type of alternative energy to power our nation,
our houses, our cars and every other energy-requiring object. The first steps are always the hardest,
but we must take them.
In accordance
with the energy need of the future and our current way of acquiring energy
(through the use of fossil fuels), climate change will eventually reach a
tipping point and the consequences will be devastating. Currently, carbon dioxide is the target
emission that governments around the world are trying to reduce and eliminate
in an effort to combat and possibly reverse the current state of climate
change. Scientists dispute the
“tipping point” at which we will see irreversible changes to our environment
and climates. Some say that 450ppm
(ppm, or parts per million, being the measurement at which carbon is measured
in the atmosphere) is the maximum amount of carbon before all Hell breaks
loose. Others, such as 350.org,
are suggesting that 350ppm was the
tipping point. We are now hovering
above 395ppm, according to, co2now.org.
Regardless of what the tipping point is, scientists have no way of
determining what it might be and what the consequences will be once we reach
it. Whether or not we passed it or
are rapidly closing in on it, the climate is changing and with each year that
passes, we are noticing more extreme weather and are recording startling levels
in sea-level rise, global temperature and their effects on the Earth and
society. 
At current rates, we will surpass the “tipping
point” of 450 ppm years before the estimated oil depletion year. In the future, due to extreme carbon
dioxide levels, the earth is supposed to warm up anywhere from 3-7 degrees Fahrenheit
over the next 50-100 years (Blaine).
Whether it is 3 or 7 degrees, or somewhere in between, a one-degree
increase over the last 100 years ("Future Climate Change…”) has caused mass
glacial melting, which in turn has caused sea levels to rise 4-10 inches –
varying due to location – ("Climate
Change Over…”).
In addition to sea level rise, the amount and magnitude of weather anomalies’
has drastically increased; we have seen stronger tropical storms more
frequently, which have taken countless lives and cost hundreds of billions of
dollars in damage. If the
estimated increase in global temperature happens (some sort of increase will
happen), we can expect to see a partial, to total melting of the Antarctic,
Greenland and other glacial caps. On
July 18, 2012, the Huffington Post reported that the Petermann Ice Cap in
Greenland broke off into the ocean.
This piece of ice is double the size of Manhattan (Borenstein); this is yet another
example of ice cap depletion which may have consequences on humans around the
world. If we were to lose both of
these ice caps, global sea level is estimated to rise two feet globally, which will
essentially put many island nations, such as the Maldives in the Indian Ocean,
under water, displacing millions of people from their homes and forcing them to
relocate elsewhere in the world.
Aside from that threat, here in the U.S., New Orleans will no longer be
inhabitable; much of Florida and Manhattan will also be under water. Simply put, maps will have to be redone
and the face of the Earth will be forever changed. What are now the beaches of the United States will be
underwater and those who lived miles from the ocean may have beachfront real
estate. With 44% of the worlds
population (or 3 billion people) living within 150km of the ocean ("UN Atlas…”), by the end
of the century, we may see close to 1 billion environmental refugees due to sea
level rise. That means 1 billion,
or more, people whose home are underwater and have nowhere to go. Many of these people will most likely
relocate to urban centers inland as the coastal metropolises will be
uninhabitable. The most populated
area in the world that will be effected by this the most is South East Asia,
specifically China and India. Just
over 1/3 of the world’s population lives in these two nations (Exner) with most living in
cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Calcutta, Mumbai and Kochi – all
of which are cities only a few miles from the ocean.
So far, the future isn’t looking so bright.
Global Warming is directly related to, but not
the only cause of, Climate Change.
Many believe these two terms to be the same, when they are in fact very
much different. The process of
global warming affects the systems that make up climate change. One of the better-known examples is the
melting of the ice caps, which releases freshwater into the oceans. Our oceans are driven by a system
called thermo-haline circulation, which is a mixture of salinity (saltiness)
and the temperature of the water – an example: Hot water rises, cold water sink
and saltier (denser) water sinks and less salty (less dense) water rises. This system creates our oceans currents
and creates the atmospheric climates that define our world. With the addition of freshwater,
salinity is directly affected which throws off ocean currents, the main driver
of global climate. Over the past
decade, we have seen extreme weather differentials in the U.S. and all over the
world. Summers tend to be getting
warmer, winters are mostly getting colder, droughts are becoming more prevalent
and extreme and what were once temperate climates (The Mid Atlantic Area and
North) and are becoming more like tropical regions for longer amounts of time
out of the year.
Over the past few months, as a result of drought
and climate change, thousands of towns across the country have broke
temperature records, and we are currently experiencing one of the worst, if not
the worst drought in our
history. “The U.S. Department of
Agriculture has recently named over 1000 counties in 26 states as disaster
areas – the largest declaration in history – as a result of the recent drought,
wildfires and other extreme weather events” as former Vice President, Al Gore,
put it on his website (Gore).
These types of phenomenon are not being seen in the United States alone;
extreme weather has affected almost every region of the world in the past five
years, and it is only getting worse.
According to the University College of London, almost all of the
Northern Hemisphere is experiencing extreme droughts that have drastic consequences
on the local regions (University). Fresh water resources in Asia and
Africa have evaporated leaving millions of people with little freshwater,
people are starving because their crops and livestock are dying and the shear
heat that is overcoming these nations is hot enough to kill.
As stated earlier, climate change is partly
occurring as a result of a disruption in the thermo-haline circulation
system. Over the next 100 years,
with the Earth’s global temperature set to raise more anywhere from 3-7
degrees, with the most extreme temperature increases occurring in the polar
regions, we can expect to see a total melting of glacial ice releasing billions
of gallons of freshwater into the oceans which will not only raise sea level
drastically, but it can possibly shut down the system that drives our global
climate. Now this shutting down of
the thermo-haline circulation system will most likely not occur immediately,
but with most or all of the glacial water in the oceans, it will only be a
matter of time before we start seeing drastic global climate change. The changes that we will inevitably
face will force all of humanity to adapt to the new ways of life that will come
as a result of climate change.
With oil, global warming and climate change all
serious threats, arguably the most severe issue that humans face in the next
100 years, is the decreasing access to freshwater. Water is essential for all life - humans, animals and
vegetation. Without water, life as
we know it would most likely not exist on this planet. Although over 70% of the world’s
surface is covered in water, less that 3% of it is fresh water. According to National Geographic, of
all of the freshwater that is on Earth, only .007% of it is accessible and
drinkable for the 7 billion people living on Earth ("Clean Water Crisis...”).
The most essential element of life is also one
of the hardest to access, which will become a larger and more serious issue in
the next 100 years, as our population is most likely going to exponentially
grow. Our population is expected
to grow to 10 billion or more people by the end of the century ("Global population …”). This issue directly affects the current
and future global water issue as well as the ensuing food crisis that many
nations around the world are already facing. There is already famine killing millions of people each
year; with a drastic population increase within the next 100 years, our already
unstable food supply will undergo growing pressure to feed more people than it
is capable of. With only 7 billion
people on the Earth at the moment, more and more forests and farmland are
already getting destroyed in order to support the ever-growing population. Within the next 100 years, we may no
longer see the our planet from space as a blue and green, but more or less a
blue and brown planet with lights covering every corner of the Earth. With this being said, we will see the
second and third natural resources wars, the Water War and the Food War.
The issue at hand, that will ultimately decide
the future of mankind is not the state of the economy, or who is the strongest
nation, no. The issue that is
constantly under minded and ignored, but is the most threatening to our species
is the status and stability of the environment and ecosystem. My vision is in no way exaggerated or
dramatic, it is actually supported by many of the worlds leading scientists and
politicians. Unfortunately, the
issues of global warming, climate change and overpopulation draw harsh
criticism from people who are fed false information. Hundreds of billions of dollars per year are spent on
advertising to brainwashing information in an attempt to persuade the public that
global warming is a hoax, or that climate change is not real, or that our
future is looking peachy and that everyone will have food (or only Americans
considering it is mostly American corporations that monopolize the global food
industry) so that the value of their company does not decrease and so their
annual profit reports continue to break records. The fact that our own politicians, the ones that we elect
and who swear under oath to protect and serve the civilians of the nation and
who are the same ones protecting these companies and special interest groups,
should make you cringe.
Those who realize this corruption that we call
Congress and the natural resources industry are often labeled as “green freaks”
or “eco freaks” because of the opposition that they show towards these
corporations and people who are single handedly destroying our world now, and
the future that our children will live in. I fear for those who will be alive in the next 100 years. It will in no way be a world that I would
want to live in. It will be a
world filled with war, not because of political differences, but in an effort
to survive. Natural resources,
water and food are already scarce, but will only become less available. Global warming will raise sea level in
ways that will flood most of the metropolitan areas of the world forcing
billions of people to become environmental refugees. In addition to the billions who will become refugees, there
may be billions of people who will lose their lives due to global epidemics
that will rapidly spread, lack of clean water for drinking and hygiene and the
fact that a majority of the world population will no longer be able to
eat.
With the exception of the worlds richest nations
(America, China and a few European countries) what was just said will affect
the rest of the nations. What are
now our allies will become our enemies as we fight to acquire the remaining
natural resources such as oil, water and food.
I, along with millions of people, have been
laughed at for caring about the environment. Unfortunately, most nations outside of the United States do
care about the environment and make it a government responsibility to ensure
the environment recovers and stays in a stable state. We have had to make sacrifices for the health of humanity
and the environment before in the cases of chlorofluorocarbons (or CFC’s; a
chemical used in aerosols that was a factor in the deterioration of the ozone
layer) and lead. Within a few
years, most of the global community rid of the use of all CFC’s and lead in
paints and fuel; not too long after that, we saw a recovery of the ozone layer
and a decrease in lead concentrations in the atmosphere, as well as
lead-attributed illnesses. There
is no reason that this same philosophy could not be applied in the carbon
dioxide and fossil fuel issue.
Actually, there is – the Oil industry and those who protect it. Unless we make a change to the way our
governments protect and view the oil industry and start to heavily regulate
carbon dioxide levels and fossil fuel use, and start to transition to renewable
energy, my vision of the future can and will happen. The United States is the strongest and most influential
nation in the world, but with the political polarization that we have in our
nation, it will take a drastic change and restructuring of our government and
the views of a certain political party (including its public constituency) to
realize that we must change our ways.
For those who believe that environmentalism is a
joke and that climate change or global warming are not real, or that humans are
in no way contributing to global warming, wake up. You are the same people that will utterly destroy our
planet. Science has proven that
the combustion of fossil fuels release carbon dioxide. Science has proven that carbon dioxide
traps heat and finally, science has proven that the accumulation of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere traps heat from the sun causing global temperature to
rise. Global warming and climate
change are very real and are occurring right in front of our eyes.
For those who do not believe that a stable and
healthy environment create a stable and health economy, also need to wake
up. We have seen that natural
disasters such as tropical cyclones, mudslides and tornadoes’, as well as other
natural disaster, have not only caused millions of lives throughout history,
but it has also caused national and global economies to plummet - Hurricane
Katrina did it in 2005. With an
unstable and climate change-prone environment, strong tropical storms, heavy
rains, droughts and more natural phenomena will continue to occur. Without healthy crops and livestock,
our market prices will skyrocket, as we are seeing now with the drought that is
sweeping the United States.
Some have forgotten that the fossil fuels debate
is just as much of an environmental issue, as it is an economic issue, if not
more. It was the natural world
that developed the fuel that we use every day. Without the millions of years that it took to create the
oil, coal and natural gas, there would be no fossil fuels here. We only started heavily using these
resources less than 200 years ago at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution,
and it will have only taken 300 years to deplete the oil deposits, and possibly
the natural gas deposits as well.
I believe that this future will happen, although
I believe it is possibly preventable.
It will take drastic changes to global government priorities and it will
most definitely upset many people who have special interests in certain
industries. There is no longer
time for political debates on issues such as carbon emissions and global
warming because the science is there and for the most part it is universally
accepted. To prevent the
apocalyptic possibilities that may very well become the reality of our future,
we must significantly decrease carbon emissions, ultimately eliminating them
within the next few years. Oil
extraction and use must eventually stop within the next few years, as oil
combustion is the leading carbon emitting source caused by man. All developed nations, since they are
the ones that use the majority of carbon emitting fuels, must start the
permanent transition to renewable energies, such as nuclear energy, solar
energy, hydro-electric energy, wind energy, etc. And finally, the technology to sequester carbon from the
atmosphere must be used. While
this may not completely reverse the unimaginable damage that humans have
already caused to the environment, it may possibly slow down climate change
systems.
The inevitable fact that population increases
will occur is another issue. I
unfortunately believe that more countries will adopt the same policies that
China has on how many children a family may have in an attempt to control
global populations. With
population growing as fast as it is, this may be the only temporary solution
for the next 100 years until another there is better technology to care for and
feed the billions of people that are expected to inhabit the Earth by the end
of the century.
This is our only home; we know of no other
places in our universe that we can get to which can support our way of
life. So this is what we
have. We need to realize that the
Earth was here billions of years before us and it will be here billions of
years after us. 99% of all species
that have lived on Earth have become extinct; with the current path that we are
on, we may very well join that statistic.
We are a part of nature, as is every other living thing on this
planet. We abuse the resources
that the Earth produces for us to live off of and show it no respect back. I hope for the sake of our lives, our
children’s lives, and for the future generations, that we change the way we
currently live life and treat our environment. To leave a dead and unstable environment as our legacy is
not something that I want to be remembered for, and you shouldn’t either. Again, everything that I said is not
bogus material, it is scientific facts that will happen. I do not want to live in a world consisting
of global wars, billions dead and environmental disasters because we are too
stubborn to stop emitting increasing levels of carbon and cutting use of fossil
fuels.
This is my letter to you all, to warn you about
the future world that you and your future generations will live in if we do not
change our current ways. It is
bleak, grim and disturbing. I fear
for us all, for our lives, for humanity and for all life on Earth that there
may no longer be life past the end of the century. But, if we change our ways of life, and follow the steps
that I discussed, we may still have time to halt our damage and begin to
reverse that damage that we have done.
It is up to us to decide our own future…what will you do?
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