Op-Ed: Is it too late

The+fuel+tax+protests+in+France.+

NurPhoto via Getty Images

The fuel tax protests in France.

Brent Jones

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Our world is dying, and yet so few are willing to set aside their hatred or their indifference that we now have to ask ourselves, is it to late for this world? It is a well known fact that global warming poses a threat to society and we need to act on it, but no country, and no group of people, have managed to slow it down or raise sufficient support to solve the issue. Whilst we are bickering amongst ourselves and plotting the downfall of others we have left this issue to fester and rot, and by doing so we are destroying ourselves. For instance, the turbulent relationships between political factions within the United States have left the country polarized, to the point of having a 35 day government shutdown back in December, which has only served to weaken the position of the few who are trying to make a difference in the face of our extinction. And that isn’t the only political problem which threatens the world. America’s relationship with China and Russia could simply end in nuclear war, terminating our existence upon this earth.

Another issue which which has received very little attention globally relates to an important aspect of the world, homeostasis. When we think of this word, we think of our own bodies, and how they always stride to keep ourselves in working order. Now imagine that you have contracted a disease, your bodies normal response would be to increase the number of white blood cells and kick start your immune system. Now what would happen if for some reason, you decide to take a pill which would stop your immune system from working, well… that disease would exponentially grow and kill you. This may be exactly what is happening to the world this day. You see, the negative feedback loops that cause a reduction in something cycle after cycle, which maintain homeostasis in an environment like your body, may have just switched to positive feedback loops in the case of our world. Which would cause the destruction of our beautiful planet. A great example of this can be found in today’s carbon pollution, which has caused an average rise in temperature. This average rise in temperature may cause a certain species of plant to die out, which would cause less CO2 to be converted into oxygen, which would in turn cause the temperature to rise and kill off another species, and so on and so forth. This would mean that without drastic environmental intervention by the people of world, we are doomed, and that simply lowering carbon emissions would do nothing but slow this process down slightly.

But wouldn’t such a threat to the world spark action among its people, well the short answer would be no. The Yellow Vest Protests in France prove just as much. But what are the Yellow Vest protests and why do they matter when speaking of the literal end of the world? To summarize what sparked this mass movement in France we have to go back to November 17th, 2018, when France decided to take action to lower emissions by imposing a new fuel tax to discourage people from using gas operated machines. And people weren’t happy to say the least, as evidenced by the riots that ensued which caused an estimated 10 billion euros in damage including the concessions made by the French government. It would appear that saving the world is once again proven to be a wealthy man’s hobby, for it seems that the working class simply isn’t up for it.

All of this doom and gloom, and what for? Why would I write to convince you that we will die out? All I am doing is simply highlighting the need for action. As it stands, we are doomed; without the action of world’s people we will die out. I mean to spur action, to highlight the true threat, the threat that “trumps” American politics and the threat of war. For there will be no war if we are all gone, for there will be nothing, if we continue down this dark path of inaction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_movement,

https://www.thelocal.fr/20181217/yellow-vests-how-much-will-the-protest-movement-cost-france

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback