State of Fear - The Politics of Global Climate Change

In his recent techno-thriller State of Fear, Michael Crichton "builds a fantasy world where global warming is not a real threat, but global warming scientists are". Crichton's novel contains footnotes and a bibliography, which he uses to present the information in the book as science rather than science fiction. Crichton is not a scientist or a climatologist, but State of Fear has been widely distributed and there are many who see the novel as more than mere fiction. Capitalists and industrialists are using the novel to advance their own agenda; Capitalist Magazine says the book is "long overdue".

Popular authors and celebrities such as Crichton have a social and moral responsibility when they publish a book. Crichton has acted irresponsibly. Certainly more Americans will read State of Fear than would read a scientific journal or other responsibly researched scientific article. Crichton's book may be the only exposure some Americans get to the issue of climate change and this is bad news, especially when some of these Americans are journalists or government officials. State of Fear is dangerous and harmful to the environmentalist movement. Crichton even goes so far as to compare global warming to eugenics, and this comparison is found in the authors note at the end of the novel, not in the actual text.

Despite what Michael Crichton would have us believe, climate change is a very real and very critical issue. Climate change refers to not just global warming, but cooling as well. According to Richard B. Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, "gradual warming could lead to a sudden cooling of many degrees." (Scientific American, Nov. 2004) Also, according to GlobalClimate.org, "English farmers have seen their growing season shrink by around two weeks since 1950, with a resultant overall loss in grain production estimated at up to 100,000 tons annually. During the same time, the average temperature around the equator has risen by a fraction of a degree a fraction that in some areas can mean drought and desolation."

Every day there is more and more evidence suggesting that global climate change is occurring and that humanity is to blame. According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), "expert concerns about global warming are growing steadily, as more and more evidence pours in supporting the conclusion that heat-trapping pollution -- from fossil fuels and other sources -- is warming the planet at an unprecedented rate. Theories put forward over a decade ago are playing out in changes to the Earth's climate as predicted, and climate models designed by NASA and others are more and more conclusive in their findings and accuracy. What's truly troubling is the willingness of many major U.S. media outlets to accept a sweeping dismissal from a novelist of scientists' conclusions drawn from decades of research."

The political implications of the global climate issue are enormous. According to Ross Gelbspan, "nothing is being done about [global warming] in the United States, but in other countries they're extremely aware of it. In the U.S. the issue is not being discussed because of the lock the oil and coal industry have on our Congress and especially on the Bush administration."

Though global warming is a real problem and must be addressed accordingly, dramatic climate change is certainly nothing new. In fact, the collapse of many ancient cultures has been blamed on naturally occurring climate shifts. Indeed, the global climate has never been exactly stable. The last Ice Age and the more recent Little Ice Age (ca. 1400 CE - 1900 CE) are perfect examples of natural climate shifts. However, the current warming trend has been shown to be a direct result of human activity.

Unfortunately, there exists a powerful disinformation campaign led by those invested in the coal, oil, and automobile industries. These wealthy capitalists and careless politicians are prepared to sacrifice the global climate for their own greed.

We need a change; we need a solution. We need a new approach to the issue. The solution must begin at the individual level. If everyone who recognizes the problem makes a few changes in their lives, then we are on the right track. This includes conservation and recycling, driving smaller, more efficient cars (which are becoming readily available) and encouraging others to follow the same path.

Beyond this, we must begin to attack the oil, coal, and automobile industries. We must encourage our policymakers to demand stricter emissions laws for cars. We must abandon fossil fuels altogether within the decade and immediately pursue alternative, renewable forms of energy. According to Ross Gelbspan, "[w]e need to cut our emissions by 70% in order to stabilize the climate."

Though it may seem so, it isn't hopeless; things are being done. There are several scattered examples of change. According to the NRDC, "[I]n December, Board members of California's two public pension funds requested a meeting with auto executives, asking them to make vehicles that emit less global warming pollution rather than sue the state for its global warming vehicle emissions reduction bill." Also from the National Resources Defense Council, "mainstream business magazines Fortune, Business Week, and The Economist have called for a sounder energy policy to address global warming and oil dependence and encourage American competitive development of technology." This is certainly a step in the right direction, but it is not enough.

There are still those who would have the world believe that climate change is a non-issue and should simply be ignored. Case in point: in 2004 the Bush administration ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to strike language about global warming from a report. The administration is stalling, calling for continued research and corporate volunteerism instead of taking meaningful steps toward a solution.

Ultimately, government officials answer to the people (at least in theory). Though our democracy is less than perfect, we must take advantage of what opportunities we have and alert policymakers to our concerns as citizens. The more people get behind the environmentalist movement the better. Educated individuals must remind their friends who have been exposed to disinformation about global warming, whether it be State of Fear or conservative media or another source, that global warming is a real threat to the world and to humanity. Any intelligent person should realize that decades of painstakingly recorded research cannot be discredited by an author of science fiction.

Those of us who recognize climate change as a critical issue must be vocal and persistent. We have a social and moral responsibility to do so.

-g- (written Spring 2005)