The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
Not new in terms of primary predictions but just a hell of a lot closer than 20-25 years ago. And it’s scary as shit. Naturally the US is just one of a handful of countries that not only doesn’t give a shit (our conservative owners) but stunningly STILL argues fantasy vs reality. Of course those with brains know what is going on. The uber-rich, banks, massive corporations, the boards, top execs, etc., naturally know all of this is true and they have the whole time. But they fight bitterly to refute reality and the rest of the world — why? There’s a very interesting book out there (Bruce Cannon Gibney’s A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America)
with a premise that baby boomers are literally a generation of sociopaths so selfish and greedy, they’re willing to sell out their kids and grandkids and, hell, the whole damn world, content to let the earth and all on it get destroyed — in large part due to THEM and actions and inactions. Why? What will this accomplish? They’re so unbelievably blinded by narcissism, greed and power that they somehow can’t see, even as they massively fund new institutes to research extending the (their) human life span and much more, yet these big, rich mini-Kings are so fucking stupid that they seem not have realized what every powerful peoples throughout history (the Egyptians? Aztecs?) found out — you can’t take it with you! Yet they act like you can. If they’re not amassing wealth to pass down their family line/corporate descendants—and they’re not because in their continuing denial that the earth is not flat, that the galaxy spins, that humanity has set in motion, already underway, the virtual complete destruction of the earth so there will be NO descendants to speak of to pass on billion dollar inheritances. And they've more than proven they’re just fine with that. So the net result is what exactly? Something as basic and juvenile as the race to reach the finish line and “win” because you’re the richest? That’s brain dead stupid. But leave it to the Me Generation to not think rationally or for the good of others when considering the future.
As far as I can figure, when you die, you *might* leave one or two things to prove you existed. First, a legacy of some sort. It doesn’t have to involve fame, wealth, anything. Families can pass on heirlooms, admiration for certain religious leaders and a variety of notable people (NOT as defined by Wikipedia's criteria) might leave a famous legacy for a period of time. Writers, artists and musicians can leave various legacies, as can certain inventors, generals, scientists, etc. You get the picture. Do you want your legacy to resemble Donald Trump’s? Cause that’s basically what we’re talking about. People who are often quickly forgotten because they leave no legacy of any real value. Except in some cases, my second example of what people can leave. Wealth, property, investments, inheritances, etc. But we’ve already established those responsible for this crisis or in denial don’t care about that. They’re willingly sentencing their grandchildren to death along with everyone else so the second example is moot. Yet surely some of them must know this. But apparently not care or we would be joining the rest of the world to try to save the planet.
So the only answer must be none! Pure
selfish greed to amass as much money and power as possible despite the fact
that A) they really don’t want to pass it on and B) they’ve already ensured
that ultimately they won’t since 2–3 generations later, their destruction of
the world will have been complete. (The US DNI annual threat assessment of the
US Intelligence Community for 2021, given to Congress in April labels climate
change as, after dealing with COVID-19 and its aftereffects, the second
greatest transnational threat to America’s greatest security and humanitarian
threat there is and it provides plenty of recent examples and near-term
concerns. And this is not new. I recall one of the leaders on the Joint Staff
as early as about 2005 stating that global warming/climate change posed one of
America’s greatest national security threats — source forgotten, insufficient
time to look it up, sorry. If you don’t believe me and want to see the report
or if you DO believe or are on the fence or whatever, you can find it available
through the ODNI here.) So anyway
this makes Reason A moot too, because what good is it if you leave a legacy of
art, music, architecture, writing when it will encounter the same fate as
Reason B thanks to the same cause for the same reason. Which again is what
exactly? They’re the new Egyptians, Aztecs, whatever, but they’ll be the first
successful ones? That’s the only possible reason, it seems, which proves their
brilliance and superiority are bullshit. The Me Generation, despite a glut of
educated, successful faux geniuses have never given a shit about anyone but
itself, proven over the decades by all they’ve done and continue to do. Maybe
they should be called The Worst Generation instead, cause Baby Boomers is too
generic a term for what they’ve been and done. And honestly that’s hard for me
to say considering my spouse, friends, cousins and I myself (as well as other
loved ones) are all either Baby Boomers or on the very cusp (technically I’m
not a Boomer, but my wife is, as are most relatives, so I guess I am as well),
so I’m indicting us as well (though I think a good argument could
be made that it was the large percentage of Boomers prior to the last two years
of that period who are mostly responsible, but that’s both biased and a subject
for a different piece).
This book? Well written, important
book. The subject is more of a horror story to me than simple nonfiction, but
we can’t hide our heads in the sand. This is necessary. Recommended.
