I've never given any credence to doomsday predictions, but even before Al Gore began to speak, I knew Global Warming was going to be a crisis. I used to argue with Conservatives on discussion boards about it. I wrote to one of them, "In five years you're going to agree with me."
I thought the US was going to be especially hard hit. Simply because we were the most productive agricultural country in the world. That meant that any shift in precipitation patterns would likely be unfavorable, and potable water was already precious west of the Mississippi.
Unfortunately, it turns out I've been right, and if anything I've been too cautious. Anybody following the news knows that the whole state of California is a serious drought. It has year's worth of water left. Experts are telling us that this will now be normal for the state. This means that agriculture is basically finished in the state.
However, if this drought doesn't abate, California is suddenly not going to be able to support its population, which is now close to 40 million. Those people will have to move.
So, imagine them becoming environmental refugees. Imagine the US having to resettle half that number of people. Considering its agriculture will already a loss, imagine doing that when food is so expensive that there's famine. It's going to be the reverse of The Grapes of Wrath, with "Calis" settling in Oklahoma, perhaps once more knocking the Indians off their land. This is a catastrophe that's about to happen, for the nation and for the world.
It's not going to be the only problem. Florida, another major densely populated state has problems with sea water level rising and salinating its aquifer. Governor Rick Scott, is taking the conservative ostrich approach to problem-solving and forbidding state workers from mentioning the words Global Warming, Climate Change or sustainability.
So, the writing is on the wall that we're going to have to relocate much of Florida's population as well. That's about 28 million people.
Therefore, in the short term, we could expect much of both California and Florida's populations to become environmental refugees. I estimate that to be probably to be 25-30 million people. Socially, we're talking an unprecedented disaster for the country. The loss of agricultural production will be terrible enough. We'll see rising food prices and famine.
Politically, it's going to create an internal power-shift as California and Florida hemorrhage population. Internationally, the US will be finished as a super-power and will fighting to keep itself from being considered a "developing" country.
The crisis that's coming would be difficult with the best of preparations. Our government, however, is not prepared in the least. What has created the problem and what will continue to exacerbate it is that we put self-centered, greedy, superstitious morons in charge of our country at every level. The most frustrating thing for me since 1980 has been standing by helpless and watching our system put the worst people in charge. That is in charge of companies, in charge of industries, and in charge of our government at all levels.
If there's one thing in my life I wish this country could do over, it would be the election of Ronald Reagan. I remember at the time I was very hopeful about it, and if he didn't turn out well, I thought we could always turn him and the rest of the conservatives out at the next election. I never thought that decision would be so indefeasible. I never thought Reagan would spawn an entire propaganda industry. I never pictured that people raised within the propaganda wall would be so badly mis-educated and spoiled. But I began to see that as early as 1985. I had two stints in college in two different decades, and my classmates were very different in each. The ones I saw in the eighties were much more fascinated with power, much more materialistic and much more anti-union. The most striking thing was they would talk about guns. I never had discussions with anyone about guns in the '70s. Nobody thought the Second Amendment was under attack.
Nothing had really changed, in fact we had a more conservative government by that time. What did change, though, is the the media environment. Conservative propaganda, and I mean on the John Birch level, was gaining a credibility it never had and didn't deserve. Meanwhile, the news industry was being gobbled up by new conglomerates.
I believe if our country hadn't elected Reagan, it wouldn't be looking doom in the face while grinning stupidly, much the way Reagan did. Carter would have been ready to tackle, and not ignore Global Warming. The Conservatives who rose to power with Reagan would only deny and ignore the problem, because it went contrary to their religion and/or ideology.
There's more to it than that, though. Voters did not have to believe these guys. They might have just laughed off conservative propaganda. But instead, they not only elected Reagan, but they let him make them dumber.
For that, both the US and the Conservatives are going to be treated very badly by history-- if there is any. Because with Global Warming, the extinction of humankind is a possibility.
