Earth On Fire; Where Are the Firemen?
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Let’s imagine, just for fun, that the world just keeps getting hotter and hotter.
The Midwest US is preparing for a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures 10–20 degrees above the historical averages for the time of year. It’s supposed to be autumn. High temps are normally around 70. It will be 90+.
In South America, many countries are experiencing a record-breaking spring heatwave, with temperatures 10–20 degrees above normal for this time of year.
Let’s imagine, just for fun, that in 6 months time, these extreme deviations from the norm, become the norm, the new normal, where winter becomes spring, spring becomes summer, and summer becomes something entirely new, something humans have never experienced on this planet.
We can assume, along with this extreme deviation from historical temperature norms, that extreme impacts grow at the same rate, make the same exponential jump, such that we have to make new scales to measure hurricanes and tornadoes, that the number of acres burned during fire season jumps tenfold, that droughts and deluges worsen, with more of each, more inches falling per hour, per day, per event, and flash droughts that happen faster and last longer, that instead of 2 billion dollar disasters each month in the US, it becomes 2 per week.
Let’s assume, as a mind game, that this comes to pass.
Abrupt climate change becomes a reality.
Let’s assume, humanity learns that it has passed 9 of 9 planetary boundaries required for sustained life on this planet, and we all admit and recognize and do not deny that we have activated too many positive feedback loops and the climate is spinning out of control.
What do you think happens?
Let’s imagine that humanity bands together, decides to fight seriously and collectively for our survival, and we immediately ban all non-essential carbon emissions.
No cars. No trucks. No planes.
We marshall all the available renewable resources for only essential services, to keep hospitals running, food growing, sanitation systems working, all the basic stuff humanity needs to survive.
