110 Years & So Little Changes!

I recently came across something that stopped me in my tracks - a 1912 newspaper article from The Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette that warned about CO2 emissions and climate change. Think about that for a moment: 1912. That's 110 years ago.

The article stated quite clearly that burning coal was releasing dangerous amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, with the atmosphere acting like "a more effective blanket for the earth" and raising its temperature. This wasn't speculation or primitive science - this was accurate scientific understanding over a century ago.

What's even more remarkable is that scientific awareness of coal's atmospheric impact actually dates back to the 1850s. We've known about this problem for longer than most people realize, yet here we are in 2022, still grappling with the same fundamental issues.

The numbers today are stark: current CO2 levels are at 411 parts per million, the highest they've been in 800,000 years. While global warming is indeed a natural planetary process that occurs over geological timescales, human activities are accelerating it at an unprecedented rate.

What frustrates me most is the lack of meaningful action over these 110 years. We've had the scientific knowledge, we've had the warnings, and we've had the data. Yet corporate interests, political inaction, and short-term thinking have consistently trumped long-term environmental stewardship.

The 1912 article was prophetic in its accuracy. The science hasn't changed fundamentally - we've just gathered more evidence to support what we already knew. What has changed is the urgency of the situation and the narrowing window for effective action.

I can't help but wonder what future generations will think when they look back at our era. Will they see the early 21st century as the time when humanity finally took decisive action, or as another missed opportunity in a long series of warnings ignored?

The harsh reality is that mankind may not survive the consequences of its environmental actions. We're not just talking about inconvenience or economic disruption - we're talking about fundamental threats to human civilization as we know it.

110 years of scientific warnings. 110 years of incremental action and political delays. How many more years can we afford to waste?

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