Arrgh, Disaster looms!
Well, that will push people along and you might think it is a laudable way to get people to do good. The problem with it is that it tacitly makes the argument that doing all the things we do is OK so long as the consequence is that we do not cause global warming that leads to famine, total breakdown, etc.
I have a slightly different argument on the ‘why’ of how we should proceed, which is this:
There may be room for argument about the effect that man is having on global warming. There may even be room for argument about whether we are experiencing global warming as anything other than a blip in the graph.
What is not in doubt is that we are destroying the Earth with pollution.
So this is my slightly off centre position – don’t let arguments about global warming be a red herring to deflect from the fact that we should clean up the mess we are making.
It doesn’t or shouldn’t need the justification that we are facing disaster.
A tree does not need to justify its existence. We do however need to justify destroying it, whether or not at some point down the road the fallen tree will get its innocent revenge by releasing CO2 and killing the planet.
And careful housekeeping – looking after the place and not treating it like a rubbish tip – is simply good manners and a show of gratitude. And if – a big if – it was carried out to the full, it would do all the things that we ask ourselves to do to counter global warming.