Even though I don't agree with our system of capitalism, it is what it is and we have to deal with it for now. What has really been irritating me lately is the way in which the US spends its money. I could go on forever about wasteful military spending, political campaign spending and the ridiculous ways in which we cut funding to programs that support the health and well-being of humans and the Earth. What ever happened to all the promises that president Obama made to support the environment and make necessary changes to protect the Earth and our own health? The thing that has bothered me most recently is the cuts in funding for science. I suppose it hits home because I see it first hand, how it effects people. Not only that, but how it effects our ability to learn about our actions and the way in which they are impacting our Earth and all her systems. US congress doesn't give a shit about funding research anymore. It is just sad that our reckless spending has gotten us to the point to where we have to make decisions that could ultimately impact ourselves and our Earth in a negative way, all because of something that doesn't even really exist - money.
There has been a lot of criticism in regards to science that concludes climate change is anthropogenic. I believe this has indirectly resulted in funding being cut to specific programs. This shouldn't even be an issue. The whole point of science and the scientific method is to disprove hypotheses. Whether or not climate change is human-induced is irrelevant to some degree. Either way, the Earth is changing and science can help us understand and prepare for those changes. Physical and social sciences are merging in a way that has never happened in the past. New multidisciplinary approaches are true advances in science. Unfortunately, at the same time, budgets and programs are being cut at an unprecedented rate.
Maybe I'm biased, but atmospheric science needs funding more than ever. As we increasingly add different chemicals into the air, someone needs to be researching what the impact is. I'm not sure how people can deny that our burning of fossil fuels isn't having a major impact when there is photochemical smog in almost every urban area. If one really understands the composition of the atmosphere, it actually becomes scary to think about what we could possibly be altering. As an example, the burning of fuels has caused ozone to fill the air near Earth's surface; it is naturally found mostly in the Stratosphere (9-30 miles above sea level), not to be breathed by humans. It has numerous adverse health effects in addition to damaging trees and crops. Ironically, while we're creating ozone in the air we breathe, we've depleted it where it is supposed to be, in the Stratosphere, where it actually filters out harmful rays from the sun.
This brings me back to my main point about how important science is, now more than ever. If it weren't for science, we would have never realized that CFC's were breaking down ozone molecules in the ozone layer. Thanks to science, we discovered how ozone was being broken down, what caused it, and we implemented a protocol that completely stopped the creation of the chemicals that broke down ozone. Even though it will still be many years before the breaking down of ozone will stop, we were able to fix the problem and implement changes worldwide. How sad it would have been had we not discovered this and essentially made ourselves and the planet suffer major solar radiation, harmful to all life, just so we could have our little aerosol cans, air conditioners and refrigerators.
It breaks my heart to see programs and funding being cut, to see people who are trying to make a difference in this world, to understand how we are impacting our environment, lose their jobs. These are the jobs that matter, and we just let them disappear with nothing said. It sickens me where we have our priorities in this country. If everyone on the planet lived like we do, we would be completely screwed as a species, as the Earth couldn't maintain the level of comfort and consumption that we enjoy here for all humans on this planet. It isn't fair to the rest of the world, and yet we continue to fuel consumerism and cut funding to science and education, the things that have the potential to save and better our species, the things that have the potential to help us learn to maintain a comfortable standard of living that is in harmony with the rest of humanity and the planet.
