A technological fix could buy us some time in the face of global warming, but there are other issues increasing the global temperature besides the burning of fossil fuels. It is both humorous and reasonable to think that masses of cows passing gas contribute to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. A technological fix can be developed to solve the “cow farts” problem, by simply containing them, and producing energy by combusting it. However, this is only a temporary fix; the only permanent solution is to move away from fossil fuels. We humans will need to do this anyway, as we will likely exhaust our fossil fuels within this century. Humanity needs to figure out what will replace our current energy generation methods, and fast.
Like most of today’s scientific disciplines, climate science as a separate field of science has only existed since the early to middle 20th century. The practice of studying the climate, and the various gases that compose it, was originally classified under chemistry and physics. The man who discovered the heat-absorbing properties of certain molecules, John Tyndall, was a physicist by profession (Reidy, 13.) People stating that climate science is relatively young are not necessarily wrong, as it became a serious discipline of science several decades after Tyndall’s death. Yet, they are not necessarily correct, as the data behind climate science have existed since the mid 19th century. The answer to people’s distrust of climate science because it is so young can be described as “sort of, kind of.” A simple yes or no does not suffice.
Finding a large scale and viable replacement to fossil fuels will be one of the greatest technological fixes of this century. Not only is it paramount that we find a way to accomplish this, but it is also key to determine all the issues currently contributing to global warming, such as methane output from cows. I love the idea of converting cow farts to usable energy! We have been too dependent for far too long on fossil fuels and it is now the number one issue we need to solve. I don’t think it necessarily matters how long climate science has been around. People have been completing studies and gathering significant data about our impact on the environment. People denying it are ignorant to the findings or ignoring them because it doesn’t fit their narrative. These findings need to be taken seriously by everyone regardless of how long “climate science” has been an actual discipline.
First off, I love your title and secondly I really enjoyed your bog. You make some good points, like cows. I never really gave much thought about the environment closing on its self like that but what can we expect when we have large herds of cattle that we only keep on increasing their numbers. I like beef but I guess I just never give a bigger thought to the little things. I agree with you that our only real option is to move away from fossil fuels. We have a real problem that we tend to rely massively on temporary fixes and when they go out it’s typically too late for the environment. I do have to say that I don’t think technology is to young, it’s been around for over 9,00 years and it only continues to prove many theories wrong and give explanations to why.