Term Paper on "Global Warming Daniel Botkin Delivers a Wholly"

Term Paper 3 pages (1174 words) Sources: 2

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Global Warming

Daniel Botkin delivers a wholly ineffective argument in favor of ignoring the impact of global warming, and he uses a number of slick rhetorical devices to distract the reader from the heart of the message. Yet, it is exactly in the heart of that message that we find the compelling reason to set aside short-term self-interest long enough to act in the best interests of the planet. In the grand scheme of things, Botkin is right in that the planet and most life on it will carry on just fine. The problem with climate change is that we -- human beings -- are among the species most at risk from climate change. The best way to frame the argument that we should take action to stem climate change is not the red herring argument that we are pitting our own interests against the planet's. The accurate way of framing this debate is the best one, and the most effective one -- we need to take action to stem climate change because if we do not, we are choosing short-run self-interest over long-run self-interest. In doing so, we are failing to make the rational, survival-based decisions that other species are already making to keep themselves alive.

To make this point, we can begin with one of Botkin's sloppy arguments. He argues that because the Vikings made a warming trend in the middle ages work to their advantage, we do not need to worry much about rising sea levels. This conveniently ignores the fact that we are not Vikings. We do not live in sod houses that can easily be moved to higher ground. We live by the hundreds of millions in cities permanently affixed to the seaside. Flooding of coastal areas is one of the biggest risks we face as the result of climate change. The ten cities most at risk from climate-change related flooding are Mumbai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Miami, Saigon, Calcutta, New York, Osaka, Alexandria and New Orleans (Vigran, 2008). That is eight of the world's most powerful and vibrant cities, with a combined population in the range of 125 million people. And that is just the ten most at-risk cities. It is ludicrous to equate the relocation of a few hundred Vikings with the relocation of the largest and most powerful cities -- along with billions of their residents.

Botkin notes that mockingbirds came to New York not for better weather, but because one of their food sources had set up shop in New York City. He probably -- if he is serious about his academic bona fides -- should have asked the question of how that plant came to recently settle in New York. Plants, and other creatures that form the lower rungs of the food chain, respond directly to climate stimulus. When one element of the ecosystem changes, all the other elements must change along with it. There may be cases where the realignment goes smoothly, there is also a significant risk that the realignment will not go smoothly at all. Either way, there are significant ramifications for our food supply. Unlike the mockingbirds, we cannot simply fly to somewhere else to find more food -- our system of nation states simply does not allow for that kind of freedom of movement.

Zhang and Cai (2011) released a study that illustrates how different the outcomes might be in the next century based on current climate models. Some models show gains in arable land exceeding losses, others show the reverse. This is important… READ MORE

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