by William A. Blunden \/ September 30th, 2018<\/p>\n
\nIf something cannot go on forever, it will stop<\/p>\n
\u2014 Economist Herbert Stein<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Those who live in the reaches of the Arctic Circle tend to convey the same humbling lesson: Mother Nature calls the shots and survival depends upon preparing for her mood swings. It\u2019s an adage that will take on increasing relevance as history unfolds because disaster has been baked into our future. Decades ago a whole series of events was set into motion and it may be too late to break their momentum. Civilization will be tested as large swathes of the globe become uninhabitable. While it might be tempting to seek refuge in the form of denial or nihilism, doing so won\u2019t prevent what\u2019s coming down the pike.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Much Worse than You Think\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n
The indicators are hard to miss. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached levels<\/a> not seen for nearly a million years. Roughly half of India\u2019s population (which tips the scales at over a billion) currently faces extreme water scarcity and within two decades India\u2019s demand for water will likely rise to twice the available supply<\/a>. Moreover, by the end of the century scientists assess that population centers across the Middle East will confront \u201ctemperature levels<\/a> that are intolerable to humans.\u201d Which is a polite way of describing a death trap. One that will probably snap shut<\/a> even if emissions are somehow kept within internationally agreed upon levels.<\/p>\n
At some point our system\u2019s…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n