Our inherent misunderstanding of time dimishes climate change arguments

Lord Nicholson Stern.

Inherent understandings of time make it rather difficult to mount an argument about combatting climate change.

On the human understanding of time, our climate is changing spectacularly slowly, but in geological terms it is happening spectacularly quickly, beyond the understanding of most.

The contrast between what is really happening and what most people perceive sits an impassable chasm.

Subsequently the public misunderstanding of the crushing urgency to take a society-wide stance against the unfolding catastrophe of climate change demands the taking of a long position, but governments all around the world slide out of those challenging responsibilities to surrender those duties to short term economic goals.

One who understands those dilemmas is Lord Nicholas Stern, who produced in 2006 the “Stern Review” for the U.K. Government under the Tony Blair prime ministership.

In a story published in The Guardian and headed: “Lord Stern: I should have been fiercer in climate change review”, it was noted that global temperatures will increase by 4-5C in the next century.

“Government are fooling themselves if they think this will only have a modest impact on economies,” Lord Stern said.