Why I am Concerned

You may have noticed two new columns these past few issues. Charles Revilla has rejuvenated a column he wrote for the Bulletin in years past. The column, “On the Lighter Side,” as the name suggests consists of quips, some very bad poetry and some only slightly exaggerated stories you may have heard in your wanderings around the oil patch. The other column, “In the News,” again as the name implies aims to provide the members with a variety of geological news from other societies, from local and national newspapers and from various government agencies engaged in geoscience research. Contributions of newsworthy articles or announcements from the membership are always welcomed by the Bulletin staff, as long as they are in generally good taste and do not say really bad things about us.
 
You may also have noticed a few environmental articles and short news items about some of the challenges we are facing now and will be facing in the years ahead. Perhaps a few words need to be said about those. Firstly, they generally reflect my understanding and opinions and not necessarily the opinions of the HGS, other officers or board members. Were you or I to canvas the board, there would certainly be a wide range of opinions about most of the geologically-related controversial issues in the news these days. Having said that brings me to my second point—I write about global warming and climate change because I am very concerned, even scared that we are in the midst of a crisis that threatens not only our way of life but our very lives and the lives of many other peoples across the globe. The little research I have been able to do on this subject as a non-expert scientist has convinced me that this global warming crisis is real and perhaps more importantly is of our own making. Because it is of our own making we can fix it, maybe—but only if we act now and give it the attention it deserves. There are most likely a wide range of opinions on this issue. Many of us are reluctant to embrace the idea that humans are responsible for much of the recent global warming. After all, we are in the business of finding and producing oil and gas, and the burning of fossil fuels is a major source of pollutants and greenhouse gases. As an eternal optimist and hopeless romantic, I believe we can develop the technology to burn fossil fuels much more efficiently and in ways that significantly reduce the harmful emissions from our cars and electrical plants. The costs will most likely increase, but those increases will probably be an order of magnitude lower than what the fear mongers are claiming. In fact we already have in place some of the technology to take the first meaningful steps. For example, there is a brief article in
the “In the News” section that mentions existing technology for decreasing CO2 emissions from coal burning power plants by 70% to 80%. We really can do this! But first we must convince ourselves that this is really necessary. As scientists we should have no difficulty convincing ourselves that we are indeed in a crisis. All we have to do is read the current scientific literature. Let me suggest you start with Science, the relevant AGU journals, the numerous NASA, USGS, NOAA and even EPA Web sites that provide broad access to most of the relevant information, much of it free. Look hard at the data and I am confident you will see the truth that permeates the responsible scientific literature. Why I am Concerned?There is no lack of consensus among scientists active in the field. Global warming is a reality, we caused it, and we had better deal with it and deal with it now. As always, we welcome your letters and opinions on this and other matters of geological concern.