In 1996 I wrote that global warming is an interesting issue but not one
of high priority. Now I think it one of priority issues, but still
think that it has high priority because it is compounded with other
problems.
The first compound is with fragmentation of wild life habitat by
various kinds of "development". It seems that there have been rapid
climate change before industrialization, for example,
Dansgaard-Oeschger oscillation during the last interglacial. The
ecosystem has survived, despite there must have been extinction of
many individual species. Many others migrated. Now migration is
hampered by croplands, urban constructions, fences and dams. I think
that the bleaching of corals is a problem of this category. (I guess
that migration of such strains of symbiont algae that are tolerant to
higher temperature is somehow disturbed by human activity.)
The second is with limitations of human migration. The logic is similar
to the first one, but the main cause of the limitation is difficult --
in this case, it is social institution such as national borders and
ownership of land. If someone can design optimal relocation of human
settlements, it would not be approved by nations.
The third is with "the limits of growth". Now it is obvious that we the
humans collectively need to reduce our ecological footprint sooner or
later in order to live sustainably. But, coal could save us a few
centuries. We can avoid SOx and particulate pollution by burning more
coals wisely. Prospect of global warming has denied this hope, and we
have to face the limit sooner than previously expected.
Ko-1 M.
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