Scream in abject fear! Run around in circles! Store up food that lasts for 25 years! We only have ten years to save the planet! From the story:
The world has just ten years to bring greenhouse gas emissions under control before the damage they cause become irreversible, the Met Office has warned.
Well, we’ve heard that story before. In fact, we’ve only had ten years to save the planet, well, for years. For example, here is a warning of ten years left—issued in 2006. Here’s another ten year warning from 2006. Shouldn’t that mean we have 6, maybe 7 years left? Oh, and here’s one from 2005. From the story:
Global warming is reaching the point-of-no-return, with widespread drought, crop failure and water shortages the likely result, according to a new international report highlighted in the British press on Monday. The countdown to climate-change catastrophe is spelt out by a task force of senior politicians, business leaders and academics. In 10 years or less, they predict, the catastrophic point-of-no-return may be reached,
Oh dear! And here’s a story that says we have until only 2014, that’s only 5 years. Egad! But that epitome of calm and reason, NASA’s James Hansen, says we only have 4 years!!!!!—and that was in January of 09, so we really only have 3! AL Gore agreed with the ten years left hypothesis—back in 2006. And here’s a report from 2007, giving us until 2015. But wait, we may have more time. Global warming will stop naturally for ten years—before starting again! Whew.
And the moral of the story: There is always a crisis—about ten years away—requiring us to give up our freedoms.
