Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The Aussie Government ABC says there is nothing special about human beings.
The human race is not special. So why do we think we’re immune to mass extinction?
By Geoff Dawson
Updated Tue at 6:58amCould we face a mass extinction of human beings in our lifetime?
As global temperatures rise and this summer’s bushfires devastate the Australian landscape, it’s a worst-case scenario that is beginning to be seriously discussed.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus in recent weeks has also escalated the anxiety that people feel about their mortality.
However, there seems to be a difference in the way the public has reacted to these two threats. Global warming and potential mass extinction are seen as a vague threat somewhere out there in the distant future, whereas coronavirus is viewed as a clear and imminent danger.
The growing fear of a coronavirus pandemic appears to have quickly motivated Australian health authorities and governments into immediate and appropriate action.
By comparison, the anxiety around global warming and potential mass extinction seems muted.
Human beings have a naive optimism
A report written by Paul Gilding, a fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and commissioned by the Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration, put forward the view that there is a “high likelihood of human civilisation coming to an end in 2050” if action is not taken to curb climate change.
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Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-03/global-warming-mass-extinction-psychological-impact/11923370
The reason people are not taking climate change seriously is the lack of evidence that global warming is a serious problem.
Climate scientists cannot credibly explain why a few degrees of warming, bringing temperatures at home closer to the warm sunny climate of Summer holiday destinations, would be such a bad thing.
Convinced of your own personal suffering and extirpation; all blamed upon the extremely nebulous “climate change”?
Odd, that species are species because they’ve adapted to and thrive because of “climate change”.
That mankind has lived and thrived during the past several million years in climates ranging from pure hot and/or humid tropical to tens of thousands years of a glaciated world.
Yet, Paul Gilding and Geoff Dawson prefer to take the view that “climate change” dooms mankind.
Frankly, if you feel so doomed Paul and Geoff, why wait?
Personally, when discussing “future” events, treating cries of alarm as “vague threat somewhere out there in the distant future” is by far the most rational approach.
So, bugger off Paul and Geoff. Your shrieks of doom indicate your own inner depression preferences, not any real threats to the world.
ABC might be right if they limit their prediction to Australia and the folks there don’t wake up!!
They are watching too many Hollywood movies.
Perhaps the reference is to the asteroid Apophis.
About the only things that would result in a mass extinction that included mankind would be a large impact event or the Sun going nova. Nothing else comes close, even plagues and super volcano eruptions, both of which mankind has already survived multiple times . Anyone who thinks that the insignificant climate effect from CO2 emissions can cause a mass extinction that includes mankind is in dire need of some remedial education in both science and history. Mankind has already survived the substantial climate change arising from the ebb and flow of ice ages as naturally modulated by Earth’s orbit and axis variability, moreover; no possible amount of atmospheric CO2 will prevent ice ages from occurring and they will, again and again.
The climate changers and sundry weather worriers played the bushfires and poor fauna card for all it was worth but it was always going to be yesterdays news by winter and some decent falls of rain have come early anyway.
However with Covid19 and the pandemic word being bandied about they’re suffering an acute case of media deprivation syndrome and can’t get a look in so they’re at a total loss. Perhaps they’ll resort to the old Gaia’s wrath and Sodom and Gomorrah routine they’re that barking mad crying wolf with their perpetual dooming.
So our species isn’t special….I guess they fail to realize that it is homo sapiens alone that is fast developing the ability to defend this planet from rogue asteroids. Yes, asteroids – those things from outer space that can actually cause a mass extinction of the vast majority of the planet’s plants and animals.
So if any of these hardcore green fantasies ever came true of all humans (but no other living things) being wiped off the face of the earth, the future would indeed be very grim should a big space rock come calling. All that would happen then would be like when the dinosaurs were alive – animals would simply look up at the sky helplessly and watch the incoming fireball that would destroy most of their kind.
There are a lot of things special about humans like the opposing thumb and women having breasts even when not pregnant.
One thing not special about humans are humans will not go extinct by, as the article states, a 1 or 2 degree rise in temperature and certainly not for a claim that has no evidence for support. Like we could worry ourselves to death.
Extinction is more likely from a 70 mile wide rock hitting the earth at a speed faster than a speeding locomotive. Much faster.
It is institutionalized stupidity.
Those writing the articles, are good little soldiers for the Cult.
They are clueless about industrial production, power grids, implications of super high power costs, balance of trade, GDP, and so on.
They are not lying, they are just clueless, angry children, as to what zero carbon dioxide emission would mean.
Their ‘plan’ is dead on arrival.
Zero CO2 emission means:
No air travel
No mining
No ships
No hydrocarbon industry
No manufacturing
Mass unemployment/currency collapse/rioting in the streets
Ignoring the fact that all of the IPCC ‘science’ is incorrect….
… The Cult’s solution to global warming is to spend a gazillion dollars on sun and wind gathering.
The intermittent power solutions all fail at the point when power storage is required. It does not matter how much money is spent.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obamas-renewable-energy-fantasy-1436104555
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/11/22/shocker-top-google-engineers-say-renewable-energy-simply-wont-work/
Billions of people dying is not a mass extinction.
That is what is known as culling the herd, especially if it is a bunch of frail people in ill-health.
Even every human on the planet dying is not a mass extinction.
That would just be a run-of-the-mill extinction.
Mass extinction refers to something specific…a large number of species going extinct in a short period of time, basically simultaneously.
And according to these same morons, the one chance for the planet is we all go away.
As usual, they cannot keep their story straight.
Do they want less people or not?
If so, then they should welcome terrible pandemics.
Do they want the Earth to return to the way it was before people?
Then they should do nothing about this pandemic, or any other.
In fact, the want to scream about anything worrisome, and talk out of both sides of their mouths.
If they get their way with deindustrialization, we will not need any diseases to see billions die.
If we stop burning fossil fuels with no replacement source for all that energy, they best learn to stop worrying about large numbers of people dying.
I am Australian, our national broadcaster is autonomous and should not be described as belonging to the Australian government it does not. The journalists of the ABC are either green or of the left hence this nonsense that they pedal. They have 20% of the audience which is in decline but nevertheless they have become a huge problem and are out of control. There was a time when they were objective and produced content which was in the general interest of the Australian populous. Not anymore. Personally I have stopped watching them because of their bias and irrational actions. The current Australian government was opposed by the ABC in the last election and currently our government is trying to reduce funding. There are many including myself who wish to have our ABC sold. I think the ABC is a treasonous anti-competitive organisation populated by ideologues.
I support Mike O’Ceirin’s remarks about the ABC which is certainly not a mouth piece for the Australian Government notwithstanding it funds the ABC by about $1bn AUD a year
The Government appoints the Board which however has shown itself incapable of reining in the staff or getting some political balance in both presenters and comments
A survey revealed that the ABC staff identified 70% as Green -Left whereas the Greens in Australia poll between 10 to 12 % of the national vote
The ABC was quick to blame the recent bush fires on climate change and has never once mentioned the the positive Indian Ocean Dipole as the principal cause of the drying drought which enabled the fires
The ABC’s TV program the Drum has announced that it will not permit discussion on climate change that does not accept the Orthodoxy of CAGW -yet another example of ABC green left bias
Somebody let the Aussies know there are some real existential threats in the air and space near you.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mile-wide-asteroid-fly-earth-233535903.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy/coronavirus-death-toll-jumps-to-107-in-italy-all-schools-shut-idUSKBN20R23R
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-iran-rouhani/coronavirus-has-spread-to-nearly-all-iran-provinces-president-idUSKBN20R1ES
Whilst the corona virus is a useful comparator for global warming alarmists to push for urgent action on global warming I think that mass extinction by asteroid collision is more appropriate. Whilst no one has died from global warming the virus is here and now and requires urgent action. If one looks at the historic rate of global warming ( man induced) it’s difficult to use that info to predict a mass and near term extinction. In fact if the conclusion that the dinosaurs indeed became extinct due to an asteroid collision at least there is some historical context to assume some concern. The other similarity with global warming and asteroid collision is that no matter how many resources are applied can you do something about it. With corona virus it’s clear applying resources immediately does have an impact, but with asteroid collision and global warming it’s very uncertain that no amount of resources being spent will actually make a difference. In the corona virus case the cost benefit is clear and quantifiable. With asteroid collision and global warming the cost is clear ( or understated) but the benefit is problematic.
If the mass extinction occurs “within our lifetime”, it probably ought to be at the very end of our lifetime. Just sayin’.
Phew! For a while there I thought it might be 32% increased risk and thanks to the beeb for helping quantify that for the doomed-
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/climate-change-boosted-australia-fire-risk-by-30percent/ar-BB10Ln0K
what makes you think a 2 degree rise in temperatures will be the end of life on earth?? You’ll notice our recent temp is listed as being in the ‘Icehouse’. Then they take a scientific ‘stab in the dark’ for the future.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149157242@N05/49545333311/in/dateposted/
I have philosophised with a close friend for some years now that the human species needed a wake-up call and that this needed to be natural disaster. Our developed societies have become besotted with trivialities. This comes in many forms: climate phobia, draconian environmental and safety regulation, slaves of the smartphone and those that control them.
I foresee that within the next 6 months the pandemic’s social impact is going to be most severe in the Southern Hemisphere. You in the Nth are nearing the end of your cold/flu season. Ours will arrive in about 2 months. We are supposed to self-isolate and make a judgment on when to seek help. We cannot visit an A&E. Help must be sourced through a hotline. Once flu and colds kick in it sure will be hot. I predict that numbers of people will die in their own homes.
Research of past virus pandemics indicates that several involved 2- 3 waves spanning 2- 3 years. In theory the situation should improve in the Nth as summer kicks in but may well worsen 6 months later.
We are already witnessing that the reaction to the outbreak is doing more harm than the event itself. I feel qualified to make such a sweeping statement being of the right age, gender and health status to bite the dust. We are the only group left that can be targeted and criticised under woke law (given colour).
Is he woke too? 🙂 – Oops I forgot that he must be a gender-neutral : “it”