Lesson 3At War With The PlanetBarry Commoner.docx
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Lesson3AtWarWithThePlanetBarryCommoner
AtWarwiththePlanet
ExcerptfromBarryCommoner"MakingPeacewiththePlanet"
(PantheonBooks,1990)pp.3-18
GuidetoReading
AtWarwiththePlanetistheopeningchapterofMakingPeacewiththePlanet,abookpublishedin1990byBarryCommoner,aleadingenvironmentalistintheUnitedStates.Thetextisanabridgedone.
ForCommoner,WorldWarIIrepresentsawatershed.BeforetheWar,therewasnoenvironmentalcrisis.Afterwards,therewas.Theexplanationisthatnewtechnologieswereintroducedintothemeansofproductionandcausedanimbalancebetweennatureandsociety.Thenewtechnologieswereintroducedbecausetheyheightenedtheprofitmargin.BarryCommmonerfurtherelaboratedonthisinaninterviewwithScientificAmericancontributingwriterAlanHallinMay,1997.Hesaid,“Wherescienceisforcedtoserveapowerfulself-justifiedpurpose,itbecomestoonarrowtoservethewiderneedsofsociety.”“Theenvironmentalcrisisarisesfromafundamentalfault:
oursystemofproduction…”
Commonerarguesinapersuasivewaythatwhatmandoestotheenvironmenthasconsequences.Hepointsoutthattheharmdonetotheenvironmentishuman-madesoitisalsowithinourpowertoremedy.Hedoesnotopposeindustrializationormodernizationassuch.Whatheadvocatesissustainabledevelopment.
Inreadingthisessay,wefindmanythingsfamiliarbecausetheseproblemsalsoexistinChina.Wehavealreadypaidheavilyforpastignoranceorneglectofenvironmentalconsequences.Itwasnotuntilthedisastrousfloodin1998thatwerealizedtheimportanceofafforestationandtheseriouseffectofturningpartofthegreatlakesintofarmland.Itwasnotuntiltheduststormsoftherecentyearsthatshockedusintoseeingtheseriousnessofdesertification.AsCommonerputsit,“Thehumanattackontheecospherehasinstigatedanecologicalcounterattack.”Havingtastedthebitterfruitof“ecologicalcounterattack”,wehavemadesustainabledevelopmentanationalpolicy.Butwearestillfarfromhavingattainedanewpublicawareness.Thisessaywillheightenourawarenessandhelpmotivateustobecomeactivistsinenvironmentalprotection.
Text
1.Peopleliveintwoworlds.Likealllivingthings,weinhabitthisnaturalworld,createdovertheEarth's5-billion-yearhistorybyphysical,chemical,andbiologicalprocesses.Theotherworldisourowncreation:
homes,cars,farms,factories,laboratories,food,clothing,books,paintings,music,poetry.Weacceptresponsibilityforeventsinourownworld,butnotforwhatoccursinthenaturalone.Itsstorms,droughts,andfloodsare"actsofGod",freeofhumancontrolandexemptfromourresponsibility.
2.Now,onaplanetaryscale,thisdivisionhasbeenbreached.Withtheappearanceofacontinent-sizedholeintheEarth'sprotectiveozonelayerandthethreatofglobalwarming,evendroughts,floods,andheatwavesmaybecomeunwittingactsofman.
3.LiketheCreation,theportendingglobaleventsarecosmic:
theychangetherelationshipbetweentheplanetEarthanditsstar,thesun.Thesun'spowerfulinfluenceontheEarthisexertedbytwoforces:
gravityandsolarradiation.Gravityisanearlysteadyforcethatfixestheplanet'spatharoundthesun.Solarradiation—largelyvisibleandultravioletlight—isavaststreamofenergythatbathestheEarth'ssurface,fluctuatingfromdaytonightandseasontoseason.Solarenergyfuelstheenergy-requiringprocessesoflife;itcreatestheplanet'sclimateandgovernsthegradualevolutionandthecurrentbehaviorofitshugeandvariedpopulationoflivingthings.Wehavebeentamperingwiththispowerfulforce,unaware,liketheSorcerer'sApprentice,ofthepotentiallydisastrousconsequencesofouractions.
4.WehavebecomeaccustomedtothenowmundaneimageoftheEarthasseenfromthefirstexpeditiontothemoon—abeautifulbluespheredecoratedbyswirlsoffleecyclouds.Itisaspectacularlynaturalobject;atthatdistance,noovertsignsofhumanactivityarevisible.Butthisimage,nowrepeatedlythrustbeforeusinphotographs,posters,andadvertisements,ismisleading.Eveniftheglobalwarmingcatastrophenevermaterializes,andtheozoneholeremainsanesoteric,polarphenomenon,alreadyhumanactivityhasprofoundlyalteredglobalconditionsinwaysthatmaynotregisteronthecamera.Everywhereintheworld,thereisnowradioactivitythatwasnottherebefore,thedangerousresidueofnuclearexplosionsandthenuclearpowerindustry;noxiousfumesofsmogblanketeverymajorcity;carcinogenicsyntheticpesticideshavebeendetectedinmother'smilkallovertheworld;greatforestshavebeencutdown,destroyingecologicalnichesandtheirresidentspecies.
AsitreachestheEarth'ssurface,solarradiationisabsorbedandsoonerorlaterconvertedtoheat.TheamountofsolarradiationthatfallsontheEarthandoftheheatthatescapesitdependsnotonlyonthedailyturningoftheEarthandtheyearlychangeoftheseasons,butalsoonthestatusofthethingaseousenvelopethatsurroundstheplanet.OneofthenaturalconstituentsoftheouterlayerofEarth'sgaseousskin--thestratosphere--isozone,agasmadeofthreeoxygenatoms(ordinaryoxygenismadeoftwoatoms).OzoneabsorbsmuchoftheultravioletlightradiatedfromthesunandtherebyshieldstheEarth'ssurfacefromitsdestructiveeffects.Carbondioxideandseveralotheratmosphericcomponentsactlikeavalve:
theyaretransparenttovisiblelightbutholdbackinvisibleinfraredradiation.ThelightthatreachestheEarth'ssurfaceduringthedayisconvertedtoheatthatradiatesoutwardintheformofinfraredenergy.Carbondioxide,alongwithseveralotherlessprominentgasesintheair,governstheEarth'stemperaturebyholdingbackthisoutwardradiationofheatenergy.Thegreaterthecarbondioxidecontentoftheatmosphere,thehighertheEarth'stemperature.Glasshasasimilareffect,whichcausesthewintersuntowarmagreenhouse;hence,the"greenhouseeffect,"thetermcommonlyappliedtoglobalwarming.
Theseglobaleffectsarenotnew;theyhavemassivelyalteredtheconditionoftheEarth'ssurfaceoveritslonghistory.Forexample,becausetheearlyEarthlackedoxygenandthereforetheozoneshield,itwasoncesoheavilybathedinsolarultravioletlightastolimitlivingthingstodarkplaces;intenseultravioletradiationcankilllivingcellsandinducecancer.Similarly,analysesofice(andtheentrappedairbubbles)depositedintheAntarcticoverthelast150,000yearsindicatethattheEarth'stemperaturefluctuatedconsiderably,closelyparalleledbychangesinthecarbondioxidelevel.
ChangesintheEarth'svegetationcanbeexpectedtoinfluencethecarbondioxidecontentoftheatmosphere.Thus,themassivegrowthofforestssome200millionto300millionyearsagotookcarbondioxideoutoftheair,eventuallyconvertingitscarbonintothedepositsofcoal,oil,andnaturalgasproducedbygeologicaltransformationofthedyingtreesandplants.Thehugedepositsoffossilfuel,theproductofmillionsofyearsofphotosynthesis,remaineduntoucheduntilcoal,andlaterpetroleumandnaturalgas,wereminedandburned,releasingcarbondioxideintotheatmosphere.Theamountsofthesefuelsburned:
providehumansocietywithenergyandrepresentthecarboncapturedbyphotosynthesisovermillionsofyears.So,byburningthem,inthelast750yearswehavereturnedcarbondioxidetotheatmospherethousandsoftimesfasterthantherateatwhichitwasremovedbytheearlytropicalforests.Theatmosphere'scarbondioxidecontenthasincreasedby20percentsince1850,andthereisgoodevidencethattheEarth'saveragetemperaturehasincreasedabout1degreeFahrenheitsincethen.Ifnothingisdonetochangethistrend,temperaturesmayrisebyabout2.5to10degreesmoreinthenextfiftyyears.Thisisaboutthesamechangeintemperaturethatmarkedtheendofthelasticeageabout15,000yearsago—aneventthatdrasticallyalteredtheglobalhabitat.Ifthenew,man-madewarmingoccurs,therewillbeequallydrasticchanges,thistimeendangeringagooddealoftheworldthatpeoplehavefashionedforthemselves.Polaricewillmeltandthewarmeroceanswillexpand,raisingthesealevelandfloodingmanycities;productiveagriculturalareas,suchastheU.S.Midwest,maybecomedeserts;theweatherislikelytobecomemoreviolent.
RegardlessofhowserioustheresultantwarmingoftheEarthturnsouttobe,andwhat,ifanything,canbedonetoavoiditscataclysmiceffects,itdemonstratesabasicfact:
thatintheshortspanofitshistory,humansocietyhasexertedaneffectonitsplanetaryhabitatthatmatchesthesizeandimpactofthenaturalprocessesthatuntilnowsolelygovernedtheglobalcondition.
Theozoneeffectleadstothesameconclusion.Thisproblemarisesnotfromtherapidman-madereversalofanaturalprocess,butfromtheintrusionofanunnaturaloneonglobalchemistry.ThechiefculpritsarethesyntheticchemicalsknownasCFCsorchlorofluorocarbons.Likemostofthepetrochemicalindustry'sproducts,CFCsdonotoccurinnature;theyaresynthesizedforuseinairconditioners,refrigerators,andspraycans,assolvents,andasameansofproducingfoamplastics.CFCsreadilyevaporateandareextraordinarilystable;escapingfromconfinementinajunkedairconditioneroradiscardedplasticcup,theymigrateupwardintothestratosphere.Theretheyencounterozonemolecules,generatedbytheimpactofsolarradiationonordinaryoxygenmolecules.AcomplexcatalyticreactionensuesinwhicheachCFCmoleculecausesthedestructionofnumerousozonemolecules.Thischemicalprocesshasalreadyeatenahugeholeintheprote