BORING IN A GOOD CAUSE

by RAY FLEMING
THOSE of us who believe that global warming is a reality and threat to future life on this planet are in danger of becoming bores. We go on, and on, and on about it. But it's not our fault. What else can we do when the people who have responsibility for our futures behave like the three monkeys, hearing nothing, seeing nothing and saying nothing? And doing this despite the steady accumulation of evidence from highly qualified scientists all over the world that damaging emissions from earth are creating a greenhouse effect in the atmosphere which in turn is leading to the global warming whose effects can already be seen and measured in many places. Sir David King, the chief scientific adviser to the British prime minister has said that global warming is a more serious threat than terrorism. Yesterday Sir David's predecessor, Lord May, who is now president of the Royal Society and, as such, Britain leading independent scientist, warned that global warming threatens to negate the debt-relief and other economic measures agreed on for Africa at the Gleneagles G8 Summit in July. It was a politically shrewd move by Lord May to spell out the problem in these terms: “If the increase in aid and other measures outlined in the Gleneagles action plan on Africa are to create the maximum benefit, they must be accompanied by effective action on climate change by stopping the inexorable rise in greehouse gas levels in the atmosphere.” At Gleneagles it was President Bush who insisted on separating African economic aid from the issue of global warming but Lord May argues that they are inseparable because if African nations have to face the economic consequences of the effects of global warning, especially of lower rainfall, they will be pushed further back than where they were before the G8 meeting. Environment ministers from the G8 countries are due to meet in London next week. They will under orders from their masters not to deviate from the evasive Gleneagles communique on global warming. Which means the media and others will have to continue to go on, and on, and on about it. Sorry!