2008 Woodie Awards
Lets worry about Earth first
Melissa Dudum-Maya
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: Pro Con
- Page 1 of 1
If you haven't already accepted climate change as fact, well, face it:
Global warming is happening. Polar ice caps are melting and that
spells disaster for the entire human race. In the coming decades,
suitable drinking water will become increasingly scarce, natural
disasters will worsen, and Livermore will become beachfront property.
As humans we are all guilty for the destruction we've caused to our home-planet Earth. We've emitted endless amounts of greenhouse gases,
and thought that we could use up all of the Earth's natural resources
without consequence. Now we know just how wrong we were.
To those who may naively think that we can simply abandon ship, pack
up and jet off in search of another livable planet, I say tell them we are
not living in a sci-fi thriller.
First off, NASA would have to build a space shuttle that would actually travel quickly enough, ensuring we approach this new planet before we are dead. In addition, this would have to be done largely enough to accommodate more than a few billion people and animals---Noah's Arc style, we'll take two of each creature-and it's got to be cost effective as well. I'm not sure many of us could afford to spend several million dollars for one ticket.
Then there is the minor detail of actually finding the darn, new human habitat. Not only must it have an atmosphere similar to Earth's, but the climate, including weather elements such as rain and snow, must be present too.
This new planet must have the 24-hour cycle Earth goes through with day and night---we'll need a sun and a moon for that. And if people
would like to keep breathing, there must be some sort of oxygen we can
inhale. We'll also need trees and plants.
Colonizing another planet isn't just a silly idea, it's downright
impossible. How about instead of destroying the home we have now, we
all start taking serious measures to change the damage we've done
before we hit the point of no return.
If we haven't been able to take care of our own little, blue marble up until now, it's time for a serious clean up. We're going to have to pay for what we've done for some time. Nevertheless, if we act quickly enough, effects brought on by global warming may still stand a chance of being reversed.
Global warming is happening. Polar ice caps are melting and that
spells disaster for the entire human race. In the coming decades,
suitable drinking water will become increasingly scarce, natural
disasters will worsen, and Livermore will become beachfront property.
As humans we are all guilty for the destruction we've caused to our home-planet Earth. We've emitted endless amounts of greenhouse gases,
and thought that we could use up all of the Earth's natural resources
without consequence. Now we know just how wrong we were.
To those who may naively think that we can simply abandon ship, pack
up and jet off in search of another livable planet, I say tell them we are
not living in a sci-fi thriller.
First off, NASA would have to build a space shuttle that would actually travel quickly enough, ensuring we approach this new planet before we are dead. In addition, this would have to be done largely enough to accommodate more than a few billion people and animals---Noah's Arc style, we'll take two of each creature-and it's got to be cost effective as well. I'm not sure many of us could afford to spend several million dollars for one ticket.
Then there is the minor detail of actually finding the darn, new human habitat. Not only must it have an atmosphere similar to Earth's, but the climate, including weather elements such as rain and snow, must be present too.
This new planet must have the 24-hour cycle Earth goes through with day and night---we'll need a sun and a moon for that. And if people
would like to keep breathing, there must be some sort of oxygen we can
inhale. We'll also need trees and plants.
Colonizing another planet isn't just a silly idea, it's downright
impossible. How about instead of destroying the home we have now, we
all start taking serious measures to change the damage we've done
before we hit the point of no return.
If we haven't been able to take care of our own little, blue marble up until now, it's time for a serious clean up. We're going to have to pay for what we've done for some time. Nevertheless, if we act quickly enough, effects brought on by global warming may still stand a chance of being reversed.
Be the first to comment on this story