 |
| Pastoral scenes like this of our field in Nolalu today will become fewer |
We all know someone who has or still is battling cancer. It's a scary proposition. In fact, most people are frightened out of their wits to begin with. But then some facts start resonating and reassuring: there is an army of scientists out there, right around the globe, all determined to find ways to treat and beat this awful disease. And they have made great discoveries and have come up with new drugs and procedures that are letting people get on with their lives.
This is a wonderful story and we all look forward to the day when cancer can be beaten for good.
Every day that passes brings new scientific discoveries. We can rightfully claim that our civilization is making progress on the cancer front.
Now imagine how we would feel and the sheer destructiveness that would result if we elected a leader who claimed cancer was "fake news." There's no such thing as cancer, this jerk asserts.
And then he not only stops all cancer research but destroys all the studies and trials that have ever been conducted.
"Let's go back to the good old days," says the Blowhard. "Our grandparents and great-grandparents knew that all you need to do is eat an apple a day. They were far smarter than today's fake scientists with their fake science about fake cancer."
Here's the point: our planet's atmosphere has "cancer." The Earth is sick and is quickly getting sicker. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are metastasizing. Like a smoker, we could have prevented the disease had we heeded our doctor's advice 20 or 30 years ago. But we didn't and now we're really sick and must rely on the latest cancer treatments. The situation is grim but if we start doing the right thing there is a chance we can make it. There is still a shred of hope, isn't there? Actually, such faith is probably misplaced when it comes to climate change. Just as progress starts to be made, the 36 per cent get control of the government and destroy everything.
What 36 per cent? I'm talking about Trump's base in the U.S. I'm talking about new Ontario Premier Doug Ford's base. I'm talking about former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper's base, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley's base, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's base.
They are the "base" of the world and polls show they consistently number about 36 per cent of the population. Hitler got into power with just 36 per cent of Germans behind him.
How can someone in a democracy get elected with less than 50 per cent of the population voting for him, or her? Easy, it happens every day as the above examples illustrate. For example there can be a third candidate that splits the vote between two progressive candidates. That is almost always the case in Canadian politics which has three main political parties. Or the "base" candidate resorts to dirty tricks and/or election tampering, with or without foreign interference. That route is incredibly easy now with half of the population getting all their news from Facebook, better called Fakebook.
Who are the base? Abraham Lincoln described them way back when he said, "You can fool some of the people all of the time..." Stop right there. That describes the base perfectly.
They only believe the things they want to believe, things that are convenient for them, that fit into their worldview when their world doesn't extend beyond their own street.
They are always there, everywhere you go, just waiting for a messiah to promise them all the riches in the world, with absolutely no responsibility for anything, if they vote him into office. It works every time and there is no reason to believe it will ever be any different. Such is the lot of democracy.
What can be done about climate change? Nothing, at least on the macro scale that is needed and which requires national and state/provincial government support. No matter what advances we make, eventually the base will destroy all the progress that has ever been made.
Individually we can make choices knowing that the weather is going to become ever-more vicious.
Move to higher ground to keep out of the floods from catastrophic rain events that are already commonplace. Make your roofs out of hail-proof materials. Prepare for the worst forest fires ever seen. Get ready for tornado after tornado. Anticipate that each summer will be hotter than the last. Figure out what you will do with the waves of refugees fleeing even harsher conditions.
And of course, keep using fossil fuels.
