One Wave Short Of A Shipwreck

The area in red is, of course, that magical place known as Siberia. Once home to communist officials and military officers who needed some time out-tough love, it is now significant as the largest methane sink in the world. The Siberian permafrost is melting like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day, and 70 billion tons of methane are set to be released in perhaps just a few short years. Scientific data tell us that methane holds heat in our atmosphere 20 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide.

A lot of the global warming models now being touted do not take this scenario into account, the reasons of which I'm sure are political. Shortsightedness may play into it as well, as the Peter Principle is just as much in effect in the sciences as anywhere else. After all, it was experts who built the Titanic. But, the research grant money does tend to gravitate towards those who comprehend the corporate wants and needs of the day. So, it's left to Al Gore and the environmentalists to sound the alarm.

The roll-back of global warming awareness is certainly underway. The Competitive Enterprise Institute, funded by Exxon, has launched an advertising campaign to counter Al Gore's movie. The premise is that carbon dioxide is our friend, and actually very healthy for us. Now, we're going to find out who's really paying attention, and who's not. The truth may be inconvenient, but it's not going to be wished away. Recently, someone mused that euthanizing right-wing pundits would solve global warming. While I like that kind of thinking, it's probably going to take a little more than that to get things under control.

It is incomprehensible that Exxon and other oil companies would try to put out the fire with pseudo-scientific nonsense and cling desperately to their lofty perch, but there you have it. It may well be that they are subconciously thinking, if we go down, they go down, too. If we can't have the world, then no one can. It's a thought that makes me want to start smoking crack, but I think I'll just settle for an ice cream cone for now.