Political Climate Not Changing

There are two reasons I chose a turtle to illustrate this blog post. The first is unhappy news about the fate of Costa Rica’s leatherback turtles: As sea temperatures rise due to global climate change, the reefs on which the turtles feed are disappearing. When this threat is added to coastal development, egg poaching and drift net fishing, it becomes apparent that this endangered animal may be extinct within a few years.

The other reason I chose a turtle is to illustrate what’s expected at next month’s climate talks in Copenhagen: an approach to environmental catastrophe that’s incredibly slow to evolve and moves at a sluggish pace. The primary obstacle? The U.S. Congress.

As a result, even more plants and animals may be extinct within a few years. As I’ve said before, humans are reactive species, not a proactive one, and we’ll probably get around to working on climate change after it’s too late.

I’m running out of optimism. Anybody have some I can borrow?