Glimmers of Hope
“2015 was the year of the Paris Climate Change Talks. I sure hope we got it right this time.”
Greetings, Descendants!
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing from 2015, and what a year this has been.
2015 was the year of the Paris Climate Change Talks. I sure hope we got it right this time. Of course, we must have "got it right" otherwise how would you be reading this, right? For, if we went wrong, the devastation would be so complete that I don't believe anyone would ever be able to read this.
Let me explain. 2015 was the year that I learned about a possible 50 gigaton methane burp. 50 gigatons is big. Because methane had over 20 times the ability to warm the Earth, 50 gigatons of methane could do as much damage as over 1000 gigatons of carbon dioxide. And that is what we had already released into the atmosphere. And 50 gigatons of methane is what we just realized is under the polar ice, which is melting fast. 1000 gigatons of carbon dioxide has already started a dangerous warming, and now, we risk adding 50 gigatons of methane. After that, carbon at the surface is likely to be burned in huge wildfires and eventually the mass of water in the oceans is likely to be vaporized and added to the atmosphere. The end result is that Earth looks like Venus. With temperatures and pressures more severe than in any autoclave, NOTHING will be living here.
Fortunately, 2015 had glimmers of hope. It was the year that I got to drive a Tesla Model S. This car was so good that it broke the Consumer Reports rating scale by scoring 103 out of a possible 100. The car is THAT GOOD! I drove one. I know. Oh, and did I mention it's electric? Tesla appears poised to mass produce electric cars. And these can run on energy that isn't based on carbon. 2015 was also the year that I got my Zero Model S. It's an electric motorcycle. Besides putting a smile on my face, and others' faces, it allowed be to achieve a 73% reduction in carbon emissions compared to driving. It, too, can run on wind and sun. When it, or any other electric vehicle, does that, it results in a 100% reduction in carbon emissions. Finally, in December of 2015, we had the Paris Climate Change Talks.
Yes, I hope that went well.
