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 For the last three centuries, humanity has been pumping excessive amounts of burnt oil, gas and coal into the atmosphere, ramping up the levels of greenhouse gases past the planet's ability to comfortably assimilate it. We have now dangerously overheated the globe.
What does this have to do with us? In the 12th Century, Western Europe experienced the onset of a "Little Ice Age." Crops failed, starvation levels increased and Europe experienced the onset of a devastating new disease pandemic as rat habitats shifted. In 1348, the Black Death killed thousands of Europeans. Not only that, but anti-Semitism, witchcraft and heretic incinerations and homophobic persecution all thrived in the economic, social and environmental turmoil. The lessons are clear. Climate change leads to resurgent religious fundamentalism and authoritarian societies.
With that in mind, what tangible effects might climate change wreak on our lives?
As little as a one degree global temperature rise could turn much of the rural midwestern United States into a dustbowl, and cause Andean glacier loss to provoke water shortages in Peru. In Australia, warming sea levels will destroy the Great Barrier Reef, followed by other coral atolls.
At two degrees, the Arctic Ocean will become ice-free in summer. Polar bears, walruses and ringed seals will become extinct. California will enter drought as the Sierra Nevada glaciers lose their ice. South Africa will face turmoil as the Kalahari desert grows apace. Greenland goes into meltdown and loses its ice cover. Phytoplankton loss starts to impact on marine ecologies in an increasingly acidic ocean.
At three degrees, the Amazon rainforest becomes tinder dry. It only takes a single lightning strike to ignite it, adding to further global warming. Heatwaves and droughts devastate Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Thailand, Chile and Argentina. Australia's agricultural infrastructure collapses. From this point on, consequences become irreversible if nothing has been done to stop their development beforehand.
At four degrees, Siberia's permafrost starts to melt, as do Himalayan glaciers. Widespread drought, famine and social and economic disruption occur in India, Bangladesh, Burma South Africa and Pakistan.
At five degrees, the Western Antarctica ice cap begins to disintegrate. Eastern India, Bangladesh and Burma now face torrential monsoons, as does much of South East Asia. Increasingly violent storms cause massive loss of life. South Africa and the African continent as well as Western Europe either descend into anarchy or totalitarian government, ravaged by desert growth, agricultural failure, winter flooding and widespread population movements.
At six degrees, sub-ocean methane residues desublimate. The ozone layer is ravaged by hydrogen sulphide gases, turning oceans toxic. South Africa and Africa has been abandoned and the remnants of humanity now cluster around the poles. Massive species extinctions have occurred, last seen at the close of the Permian era 250 million years ago in terms of ecological severity.
As climate and environmental degradation accelerates, South Africa's culture, economy and society will be threatened. Is our queer society strong enough not to succumb to hatemongers if we ignore the lessons of yesterday and contemporary warning signs?
As for the climate change deniers, they are reminiscent of anti gay bigots and the American far right. Indeed, many of them are the same people. They do blame us for their stupidity and greed of course. As they started doing already. |
