I’ve long held the opinion that humanity has, as it’s popularly known, overpopulated Earth. The interesting question is how the environment would change in response to the modifications in the composition of inputs: Increasing CO2 leading to a warming atmosphere, ditto methane, deliberate deforestation, nitrogen poisoning of waterways, acquisition of land for farming, etc. WaPo has an article on the unprecedented warming of the oceans, and a bit on how the spikes we’re seeing may be earlier and more intense than expected. From this article I’ve pulled this map:
The above, in combination with the article, is shocking and, really, quite frightening. The heat implied by the above map, as well as the other maps in the article, and the puzzlement for scientists, suggest that we, and the rest of life on Earth, are in for a beating.
This is known as a negative feedback loop, which for us engineers means that a phenomenon’s impact on its environment is such that the environment’s reaction will act to damp out the phenomenon. For most designs, both in reality and in software, a negative feedback loop is far more desirable than a positive feedback loop. The latter implies a mechanism that is out of control and causing damage, and liable to fail in a disastrous way at any moment.
But it’s important not to descend into abstractions too deeply. What does that heat represent? Death. Death for vulnerable humans, vulnerable animals, insects, plants, fish.
You may not believe in climate change, but let me remind you of a basic fact of life: Reality doesn’t give a shit what you believe. Reality isn’t affected by you and your beliefs. Think about what a rational being should do in the face of this simple fact.
It’s really getting late in the game, with many of our football players carried off on gurneys to hospitals and, yes, even to the cemeteries. It’s time to get off our duffs and get to work.
