Sunday, June 05, 2005

The big picture

The Green Lantern has the essential World Environmental Day post, featuring this article on a Pentagon report on climate change:
The document predicts that abrupt climate change could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy as countries develop a nuclear threat to defend and secure dwindling food, water and energy supplies. The threat to global stability vastly eclipses that of terrorism, say the few experts privy to its contents...Climate change 'should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a US national security concern', say the authors.

Sadly, the report was made public in 2004, and the article was wrong in predicting that the presidential election could turn on Bush's ignoring what the Pentagon report described as a vital national security issue. But it should be a reminder of what's ultimately at stake when we talk about environmental policy - and why "they're not being responsible, why should we?" isn't a valid argument.

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