Climate disruption threatens humanity’s survival

In a recently published book – The Climate Pandemic: How Climate Disruption Threatens Human Survival – science writer Dennis Meredith has painted a highly pessimistic picture of our contemporary climate crisis, arguing that humans may not be able to survive the increasingly negative impacts of climate disruption.

“As horrific as the Covid-19 pandemic has been, its effects pale in comparison to the coming catastrophe from climate disruption,” Meredith wrote. “In fact, the climate pandemic will steadily worsen, even bringing our species to extinction, unless we launch a global revolution to abandon our carbon-dependent energy system.”

Relying upon over 1,700 peer-reviewed scientific articles, books, and reports from governmental and international agencies and scientific organizations, Meredith has explored the science, technology, politics, economy, and psychology of climate disruption. In his view, most of the current climate-rescue policies are vague and naïve, and many plans to limit global warning are not scientifically grounded.

“The benchmark temperatures used in climate policymaking […] are political numbers not scientific numbers,” he explained. “Their scientific provenance is highly dubious. The conveniently round numbers might even be considered scientifically dishonest because scientists don’t really know the consequences of each increase. But for political expediency, they pretend that they do.”

Moreover, although many scientists and policymakers are arguing that decarbonizing the global energy system by increasing renewable energy or capturing CO2 from power plants will reduce or even eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, Meredith is highly pessimistic that this is possible, given the past and current efforts to reach these goals. For him, the Paris Agreement, renewable energy, carbon capture, geoengineering, or nuclear power are nothing more than “unrealistic panaceas” people use to cover the grim realities behind our predicament.

Nevertheless, he still believes that individuals and organizations should work together in trying to mitigate as much as possible the most devastating effects of climate change. 

“Some might see the dark future of climate disruption as an excuse to indulge in our most selfish, destructive impulses – continuing to plunder the Earth for our own benefit. However, one hopes that our better angels would prevail; that in the twilight of our species we would instead seek solace in environmental good works – in essence, palliating our planet. As we cycle among the stages of grief, we could give our lives meaning by offering our time, money, and effort to the organizations and causes that work toward mitigating climate disruption,” he concluded.

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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer

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