Visualize a world with raging storms, water shortages and a Greenland without its ice. Imagine experiencing a southwestern climate while walking the streets of Chicago. Consider a rain forest that no longer absorbs carbon dioxide, but rather emits it. That world is what Generation Hot might have to anticipate.
Recently, journalist and author Mark Hertsgaard published the book Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, which dares to speculate on what living on Earth will be like for the youngest generation. A veteran environmental reporter, Hertsgaard has been covering global warming since the term was coined back in 1988, writing for Vanity Fair, The Nation, and Time magazine. It was not until his daughter was born five years ago, however, that he could directly connect with the consequences of our energy-hungry, profit-driven society. Heartsgaard considers his daughter – and anyone born after 1988 – to be part of Generation Hot. After decades of studies and research, scientists around the globe agree that this generation must adapt to the results of centuries of industrialization and decades of political denial.
Recently, Hertsgaard received media attention due to a spontaneous interview with Republican Senator James Ihofe of Oklahoma, who is a climate change denier. During this interview, the Senator argues that the scientific data on climate change is inconsistent. A recording of the interview posted on YouTube also shows an energy lobbyist admitting that scientific proof is inconsequential in a political arena. Hertsgaard refers to these folks as “climate cranks,” and he uses any opportunity he can to highlight their ignorance. While these “cranks” provide no logic or rationale for their views, Hertsgaard cites international scientific organizations who agree that climate change is real, dangerous, and man-made. But the journalist continues to engage deniers in the hopes that any media attention will uncover their ignorance, and in turn, will motivate public figures and private citizens to plan for life in the midst of climate change. It is this willingness to envision a world radically different from our current situation that will ease the transition for Generation Hot to a warmer, less predictable planet.
Author, Mark Hertsgaard, via flickr
Unfortunately, the “climate cranks” have distracted the American media and citizenry from the real work to be done. While the planet warms to a dangerous tipping point, they debate the value of the Environmental Protection Agency and the 30 year-old scientific foundations that climate change rests upon. Thanks to their distractions, we are at an unprecedented moment in human civilization in which we know that human activity has irreversibly altered the climate of the planet, causing widespread systemic ramifications. Desertification, melting ice caps and glaciers, rising sea levels, devastating storms – this is what Generation Hot has to look forward to. But that’s not where it ends.
While scientists have a grasp on the immediate consequences of global warming, there is speculation about how far into the future those consequences will reach. Presently, there is more discussion of compounding consequences, such as methane released from thawed Siberian permafrost and the effect warming oceans will have on the Gulf Stream, which drives our planet’s weather. On top of that, those warmer ocean waters absorb less carbon, thus possibly negating any carbon reduction we might achieve. Hot dares to explore these possibilities, and it must because the media and our politicians refuse to do so.
In writing his book, Hertsagaard draws attention to a looming global crisis that will be passed down to future generations, who must adapt to this strange new world that is approaching. The jury is still out on exactly when we will reach the final tipping point. It could be five, ten, or twenty years down the road. And while some of our political leaders might not be around to see how it all plays out, Hertsgaard’s daughter will. By confronting the issue head on, he is handing down a legacy of hope to her and all of Generation Hot.
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Mark Hertsgaard Gives the Youth of Today a New Name: Generation Hot
Visualize a world with raging storms, water shortages and a Greenland without its ice. Imagine experiencing a southwestern climate while walking the streets of Chicago. Consider a rain forest that no longer absorbs carbon dioxide, but rather emits it. That world is what Generation Hot might have to anticipate.
Recently, journalist and author Mark Hertsgaard published the book Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth, which dares to speculate on what living on Earth will be like for the youngest generation. A veteran environmental reporter, Hertsgaard has been covering global warming since the term was coined back in 1988, writing for Vanity Fair, The Nation, and Time magazine. It was not until his daughter was born five years ago, however, that he could directly connect with the consequences of our energy-hungry, profit-driven society. Heartsgaard considers his daughter – and anyone born after 1988 – to be part of Generation Hot. After decades of studies and research, scientists around the globe agree that this generation must adapt to the results of centuries of industrialization and decades of political denial.
Recently, Hertsgaard received media attention due to a spontaneous interview with Republican Senator James Ihofe of Oklahoma, who is a climate change denier. During this interview, the Senator argues that the scientific data on climate change is inconsistent. A recording of the interview posted on YouTube also shows an energy lobbyist admitting that scientific proof is inconsequential in a political arena. Hertsgaard refers to these folks as “climate cranks,” and he uses any opportunity he can to highlight their ignorance. While these “cranks” provide no logic or rationale for their views, Hertsgaard cites international scientific organizations who agree that climate change is real, dangerous, and man-made. But the journalist continues to engage deniers in the hopes that any media attention will uncover their ignorance, and in turn, will motivate public figures and private citizens to plan for life in the midst of climate change. It is this willingness to envision a world radically different from our current situation that will ease the transition for Generation Hot to a warmer, less predictable planet.
Unfortunately, the “climate cranks” have distracted the American media and citizenry from the real work to be done. While the planet warms to a dangerous tipping point, they debate the value of the Environmental Protection Agency and the 30 year-old scientific foundations that climate change rests upon. Thanks to their distractions, we are at an unprecedented moment in human civilization in which we know that human activity has irreversibly altered the climate of the planet, causing widespread systemic ramifications. Desertification, melting ice caps and glaciers, rising sea levels, devastating storms – this is what Generation Hot has to look forward to. But that’s not where it ends.
While scientists have a grasp on the immediate consequences of global warming, there is speculation about how far into the future those consequences will reach. Presently, there is more discussion of compounding consequences, such as methane released from thawed Siberian permafrost and the effect warming oceans will have on the Gulf Stream, which drives our planet’s weather. On top of that, those warmer ocean waters absorb less carbon, thus possibly negating any carbon reduction we might achieve. Hot dares to explore these possibilities, and it must because the media and our politicians refuse to do so.
In writing his book, Hertsagaard draws attention to a looming global crisis that will be passed down to future generations, who must adapt to this strange new world that is approaching. The jury is still out on exactly when we will reach the final tipping point. It could be five, ten, or twenty years down the road. And while some of our political leaders might not be around to see how it all plays out, Hertsgaard’s daughter will. By confronting the issue head on, he is handing down a legacy of hope to her and all of Generation Hot.
Video Interview With Inhofe on Generation Hot:
For More on Mark Hertsgaard, click his book below: