I woke up this morning…
[ cue blues riff ]
Rain. Grey clouds outside.
“Good,” thought I, “it’s nice to see wintry weather in England for a change, instead of these perpetual California blue clear skies.”
Then I went to watch ‘The Age of Stupid‘ once again. It mentions (in connection with ‘C&C’, a term that, by now, ought to be ubiquitous — and yet I’m buggered if I can recall what it actually stands for*) that our global emissions need to peak before 2015 (“in seven years’ time” when that clip was filmed, 2008) to avoid reaching the internationally ‘agreed’ (sic) absolute upper limit of 2°C global warming above pre-industrial times.
Yes: not a typo. Things have moved on since The Age of Stupid was put together. We’re now talking about the very next time we next ‘celebrate’ (sic) ‘happy (sic) new year’.
Then I switched back to ‘normal’ (sic) programming. Flipped past Pri’Minister’s Question Time in Parliament (as usual: what point listening to a bunch of egotistical self-congratulatory growthmaniac airheads?) — then flicked back to it, Just In Case they were actually saying something important. Needless to say, they weren’t. They were going on and on interminably about jobs and growth and ‘the recovery’ amid lots of raucous ‘hear, hear’s like a flock of nesting seagulls.
Then I looked out the window again. Ah! Blue sky, back again. The only ‘cloud’ in sight: a contrail from a high-flying passenger plane, full of hopeful people who believe that they’re going somewhere.
In an earlier life (say, fifteen years ago) I would have felt good, this morning.
* Is there any point in continuing to care? ‘Democracy’ suggests not: the will of the people is perfectly clear.
[edit 22Jan2014]
Since there are far many more ways to interpret the abbreviation ‘C&C’ than there are to interpret, say, ‘IPCC’; just on the off-chance you’re wondering, Dear Reader, the ‘C&C’ I’m waffling on about above is ‘contraction and convergence‘.
[/edit]
Wibble 
Is there any point? Now, there’s a question. I shall ruminate. (can’t touch you for it, or couldn’t the last I checked) x
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I think the point lies with the individual. If you sit back and say there is no point continuing to care – you are just the same as the herd, yes? Is that who you want to be and what you want to do? What we have today is the sum of the choices of the individuals and each individual adds their weight – and responsibility – to that outcome.
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Exactly my own thoughts.
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I agree with ccgwebmaster too.
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The problem I have with the ‘herd’ analogy is that those who stray away from the herd tend to get eaten by predators. And I’m reminded of my post ‘Time to get the flock out of here,’ which talks about the finance sector being at the mercy of a mindless herd.
If the lemmings are heading for a cliff, what hope is there for the few sharper-eyed individuals as they fight the current?
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Don’t the predators stalk the herd, hunting around and within it? They look for those the herd is willing to discard. Given that predators actively seek out and pursue the herd as their best and easiest meal prospect I’d argue that if you go far enough away from the herd you could actually be safer…? Especially if the herd isn’t willing to defend you, but rather will sacrifice you.
As for the lemmings, I think the answer is simple – more hope than for those not fighting the current. Even a little tiny hope is infinitely more than none. The question then becomes if an infinitely greater hope is worth the (admittedly arduous and difficult) task of fighting the current?
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