“Are humans almost totally to blame for global warming?” This is the question posed by our local newspaper, the Post. The real answer is no, humans are not "almost" totally to blame, they are totally to blame, without qualification.
There is no debate. There's no question. Science has told us about this for forty years, and (confronted with reality) we're only now beginning to believe it. Too bad for humanity and the planet that it's taken so long. The debate needs to be about what we do about it.
Unfortunately, this is only the beginning. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report makes it clear that the consequences of our folly are and will continue to be dire. All we can do to mitigate the problem is to take action now to drastically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, with the ultimate goal of getting them down to net zero.
Some say that this isn't possible, or that we can't afford it. These folks were wrong before (about whether it's happening and whether humans are the cause), and they're wrong now. It is possible, and although it will cost us, we can afford it. We can't afford not to.
What is the planet worth?
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