Hannah Waters of the Smithsonian, opines that even though the dire predictions of first Earth Day almost 50 years ago did not come to be, they live on in our environmental discourse, and then as now, the most extreme voices get the most attention.
It is important to acknowledge that there is a relationship between the past predictions and the current ones, says Paul Sabin, a Yale environmental historian. They helped feed a dynamic of extremes with both sides bashing each other.
This is evident in the loudest parts of the climate change discussion. Extremists on one side are certain the world is going to end as we know it (Far Left?), but extremists on the other side are certain everything is fine and climate change is a conspiracy (Far Right?).
The truth is more complicated. Climate change will not destroy the planet, although it will change the environment we are accustomed to, in ways we can not predict and with possibly dire consequences. And weaponizing failed predictions of the past to justify leaving the climate problem to the market is deceptive. If we do not act because a previous prediction failed, we face an array of human suffering, which will hit the poorest and disadvantaged the hardest.
We should try to figure out the relationship between the earlier predictions and the current ones, says Sabin, The environmental community and advocates for climate action will be in a stronger position if they can figure out how to explain why climate change is different from past predictions of resource scarcity and why we need to take action now.
Good read, especially about scarcities and commodities.
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