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AustinWolfgram
Mrs.Reisig
APLang
4914

TheGreatestEscape
Everythingischangingallofthetime.Toexpectonesenvironmenttoremainstatic
wouldbenaive.Ourhomeplanetdoesnotdefythiscontinuousandinevitablealterationinfact
itisaprimeinstanceofit.Fromevolutionoflifetomovementoftectonicplates,millionsof
yearswillneverfailtomoldEarthintosomethingnew.Andthesechangeshaveproducedsome
ofthemostincrediblethingsknowntohumankind.Forexample,oxygenwaspoisontoEarths
dominantspeciesoflongago,bacteria.Now,thatsameelementcoursesthroughtheveinsof
Earthscurrentdominantspecies.Someradicalchangemusthaveoccurredinthemakeupofthe
atmospherethatallowedfortheeventualevolutionofyouandme.Why,then,areweso
concernedaboutaslightupwardtrendinthetemperatureoftheplanet?Weshouldacceptthe
realityofglobalwarmingandthemeltingicethataccompaniesit,andallowlifetoadapttothe
newconditions.
AccordingtoBarransinthearticleIcebergComposition,allglaciersarefreshwater
(Barrans).TheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(WhereIsAllofEarths
Water?)reportsthatabout3percentofallofEarthswaterisfresh,andover69%oftheworlds
freshwateriscontainedwithinglaciers.Allofthesefactsequatetoglacierscomprisingroughly
2.1%ofallwateronEarth.Thatmayseemnegligible,butifallofthaticemelted,theoceans

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wouldclimb230feetstraightup(NOAA).Theimportantthingtograsphereisthatthisdoesnot
meanthatanyland230feetfromthecoastwilldisappear.Itmeansthatanylandwithan
elevationabovesealeveloflessthanorequalto230feetwill.Thisismuchmoresignificant,as
itaffectsquiteabitmorelandarea,muchofitfertilefarmlandbecauseofitsproximitytothat
whichwilldestroyit.Suchacataclysmwoulddisplacebillionsofpeople,peoplewhowould
needfoodandshelter,bothofwhichwouldbelessplentifulthantheywereevenbeforethe
refugeesfloodedin.Eventhedevelopedcountriesthatmighthavemitigatedthechaoswouldbe
crippledtheoceancaresnothowwealthyaregionitswallows.Riotswouldbreakoutas
desperaterefugeesexhaustedtheirlastoptionsforsurvival.Theresultingdisarraywould
undoubtedlybefatalformanywhoseneedscouldsimplynotbemetgiventherestrictedflowof
resources.ThisscenarioisbynomeansfarfetchedateamofscientistsledbyBoxhave
predictedthemeltingoficesheetsaslargeastheonethatcoversGreenland,oneofthelargeston
Earth,by2020ifcurrentwarmingtrendscontinue(Box).
Mostpeoplenowagree,howevergrudgingly,thatglobalwarmingisanthropogenic.Our
blatantdisregardforthehealthofourownenvironmentandourinsatiablethirstforfossilfuelsis
manifestedinrowsofsmokestacksbelchingforthsuffocatingcarbondioxide.Suffocatingtous,
atleast.Butistherereallysomeuniversaldepravityinherentinthemolecule?Whileitmayseem
thatwaytous,rememberthatmanybacteriatodaymustfeelthesamewayaboutoxygen.Surely
theirspeciesdespairedtheadventofphotosynthesiswhichundoubtedlymassacredagreat
numberofthem?Perhaps,butthecontinuanceoftheoxygenationoftheatmospherewaswhat
gaverisetohumankind.SowhenwelamentovertheruinofourpureMotherEarthwiththe
toxichorrorofcarbondioxide,wemustrememberthatotherlifeformsmayconsidercarbon

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dioxideandwarmththatwouldseemstiflingtoustobeessentialtoprosperity,justaswenow
embracethemoleculethatwasdeadlypoisontoallthingsbillionsofyearsago.Sojustasitis
nighundeniablethatglobalwarmingisanthropogenic,itmustalsobeconcededthatsoisthe
negativeconnotationthatshadowsit.
Whyisthissignificanttothedilemmahumankindfindsitselfinnow?
TheDailyCaller
reportsthattheUnitedStateswillspend22.2billiondollarson"climatechangeactivities"in
2013(Bastasch).Whatthatvaguephrasemeansisanybody'sguess,becausetheactivitiesdon't
seemtobedoingmuchgoodtheESRLdivisionoftheNOAAmaintainsthatcarbonemissions
(andtheglobalmeantemperature)havetrendedupwardsconsistentlysincetheIndustrial
Revolution(NOAA),anddidnotfalterevenwhenglobalwarmingbecameawidelyrecognized
politicalissueinthelate1980'swhentheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)
wasestablished.Regardlessofwhetheronebelievesthatglobalwarmingiscyclicalor
anthropogenic,it'stimetoadmitthatwewillneverconquerourimmensegreedforenergywith
solarpanelsandeducationalinitiatives,andglobalwarmingisgoingtocontinue.
Sowhatnow?Doweacceptourdemiseandallowmodernhumanitytobereplacedby
smallerandhardiercreatures?Becauseitappearsthatnomatterwhatwedo,asaresultof
rapidlymeltingice,Earthissoongoingtobeachaoticmessunlivableforhumans.Theonlyway
tosurvive,then,istonotbeonEarthwhenthesystemcollapsesthehumanracemustbecome
spacedwellers.Perhapsthismeansthathumanswillliveinmassive,selfsustainingspaceships,
orterraformMars,orperhapsfindawaytoreachnewsolarsystemsandthoroughlyinhabitthe
universe.Eventually,itwillbetheonlyoptiontoensuretheracessurvivalagainstfreak
catastrophessuchasasteroidimpactsorgammaraybursts.However,beingonthewholea

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shortsightedspecies,humanshavenotyetcollectivelyrealizedthatthisistheonlylogicalnext
stepforsuchanadvancedcivilization.PeopleseemdeterminedtofixthingshereonEarth,even
whenithasbeenempiricallydemonstratedthatstoppingglobalwarmingisalostcause,andthat
theinsistenceofmanypoliticiansandtheirconstituentsontryingtodosoisundercutting
fundingtotheworldsmostadvancedspaceprogram,NASA,whichPlaitrevealsinThe
ShrinkingUniverseonlyreceives17.5billiondollarsperyearwithwhichtoquiteliterallysave
thehumanrace(Plait).Humankindisexperiencinganunprecedentedtimeofprosperityand
scientificadvancement.Thepotentialforsocietytotakethestepthat,asfarasweknow,noother
specieshaseverdaredtotakebeforeisveryrealrightnowbutonlyifhumanityrecognizeshow
fleetingthiswindowofopportunitymayturnouttobeandtakesadvantageofit.Tostop
pursuingitnowandletthatopportunityslipawaywiththeeventual,perhapsimminent,
downturnofsocietywouldbeatragedy.Theturningpointisnowwillhumankindescapetothe
starsandendureindefinitely,orbejustanotherbriefspeckonthetimelineofalittleplanetcalled
Earth?
Endeavoringtostopglacialmeltingisnoble,andperhapssomedaywecanrelaxinthe
warmthofBetelgeuseandthinkaboutgreenenergy.Butnowisnotthetime.Themeltingof
Earth'siceisacrisis,anditthreatensourveryexistence:butonlywhileweremainonEarth.
Educationwillnotsaveus,windfarmswillnotsaveus.Weneedtoescapeourdoomedhome
planet,andtheonlywaytodothatisinaspaceship.Aspaceshipthatwillcostagreatdealmore
than17.5billiondollars.Thekeytotheindefinitesurvivalofthehumanraceistheadequate
fundingofNASA.Itwouldbeappropriatetostartsavingupbycuttingfundingtothelostcause
ofstoppingglacialmelting.

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WorksCited
Barrans,Richard."IcebergComposition."IcebergComposition.UnitedStatesGovernment,June
2012i.Web.06Apr.2014.
Bastasch,Michael."TheDailyCaller."
TheDailyCaller
.TheDC,28Oct.2013.Web.09Apr.
2014.
Box,J.E.,X.Fettweis,J.C.Stroeve,M.Tedesco,D.K.Hall,andK.Steffen."GreenlandIce
Sheet
AlbedoFeedback."TheCryosphere.TheCryosphere,1June2012.Web.6Apr.2014.
"ESRLGlobalMonitoringDivisionGlobalGreenhouseGasReferenceNetwork."ESRLCo2
Trends
RSS.UnitedStatesGovernment,n.d.Web.06Apr.2014.
"IPCCHistory."Facts.IPCC,n.d.Web.06Apr.2014.
Plait,Philip."TheShrinkingUniverse:TheWhiteHouseCutsNASA'sBudgetOnceAgain."
Slate
Magazine.Slate,n.d.Web.06Apr.2014.

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"WhereIsAllofEarth'sWater?."NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration.United
States
Government,11Jan20.Web.6Apr2014.