The heat goes on, the heat goes on.

The sun keeps sending power to the Earth

La de da de de, la de da de da.

Fossil fuels were once the rage, uh huh.

History has turned the page, uh huh.

Wind's the current thing, uh huh

Solar is our newborn king, uh huh

The heat goes on, the heat goes on.

The sun keeps sending power to the earth

La de da de de, la de da de da.

I wish the above lyrics were true, that fossil fuels were relegated to our past. Unfortunately, fossil fuels are still the rage, with little political support for renewable energy and energy conservation. And the heat goes on and the Earth continues to warm.

Brits cover global warming, Americans — not so much

Recently 200 of the world's leading climate scientists met at British Prime Minister Tony Blair's request in Exeter, England. The Independent/UK covered the conference with a feature article on Feb. 6, "Apocalypse Now: How Mankind is Sleepwalking to the End of the Earth." Geoffrey Lean wrote:

"The conference opened with the secretary of state for the environment, Margaret Beckett, warning that 'a significant impact' from global warming 'is already inevitable.' It continued with presentations from top scientists and economists from every continent. These showed that some dangerous climate change was already taking place and that catastrophic events once thought highly improbable were now seen as likely. Avoiding the worst was technically simple and economically cheap, they said, provided that governments could be persuaded to take immediate action."

In another article from the Independent/UK on Feb. 19, "The Final Proof: Global Warming is a Manmade Disaster," Steve Connor wrote: "Scientists have found the first unequivocal link between manmade greenhouse gases and a dramatic heating of the Earth's oceans. The researchers — many funded by the U.S. government — have seen what they describe as a 'stunning' correlation between a rise in ocean temperature over the past 40 years and pollution of the atmosphere."

These are important stories that deserve major play and are, perhaps, even more important than covering Kobe Bryant or Michael Jackson. Yet have you seen much ado about these stories in the corporate media?

Bush's approach: don't worry, be happy

The Bush administration is reluctant to take any action against the fossil-fuel industry, a key source of campaign contributions as well as carbon dioxide emissions. Bush and other politicians are putting the interests of the fossil-fuel industry and their own sinful greed before the needs of the world's people. Bush uses the rationale that the U.S. economy would be harmed if we took mandatory steps to curb carbon dioxide emissions when, in fact, it is just the opposite.

The Bush mantra seems to be, oil and coal, good; global-warming treaty, bad; don't worry, be happy. And we have fallen for it.

Other views

Britain's chief science adviser, Sir David King, warned in 2004 that climate change was "a far greater threat to the world than terrorism." If George Bush can declare an endless war to "rid the world of terrorism," why can't we assume the challenge of "ridding the world of excess atmospheric carbon"? King added: "If we do not begin now, more substantial, more disruptive and more expensive change will be needed later on."

In a candid interview with the London Guardian in June 2004, Ronald Oxburgh, the head of British Shell Oil, confessed that he saw "very little hope for the world." Oxburgh added: "people are going to go on allowing this atmospheric carbon dioxide to build up, with consequences that we really can't predict." While a solution to global asphyxiation might be found, Oxburgh fears "the time scale might be impossible." Lord Oxburgh continued: "You can't slip a piece of paper between David King and me on this position."

A March 3, 2004, Reuters article reported that Swiss Re, the world's second-largest reinsurer, said: "There is a danger that human intervention will accelerate and intensify natural climate changes to such a point that it will become impossible to adapt our socio-economic systems in time. ... The human race can lead itself into this climatic catastrophe — or it can avert it." Last year, even the Pentagon's commissioned report pointed out that global warming was a threat to our national security and economy. And, according to the report, many parts of the world face devastation due to global warming.

The common theme of these messages is that we are rapidly running out of time to avert or to lessen a looming disaster. Avoiding the worst is technically simple and economically cheap if we act now. Tomorrow will be too late.

Ron Forthofer, a Longmont resident, is a former Green Party candidate for state governor.

© 2005 Daily Camera

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