What happens in Greenland, does not stay in Greenland... by gimleteye

Our species does an excellent job at compartmentalizing.

For instance, we invented efficient ways to shield ourselves from Florida's harsh weather. But the ability to compartmentalize is the survival skill that could destroy our species.

I know developers and bankers, for instance, who think nothing of putting platted subdivisions in farmland and call themselves environmentalists. Just not at home. From their yachts in the Bahamas, they care deeply about the environment.

Now if you are wondering about the global consequences and stuck in front of your computer soaking up energy; do yourself a favor and download Google Earth if you haven't already.

Type in "Greenland" in the search bar and click return. It will take you right there. It is both far from Miami's endless summer and just around the corner.

Once you are staring at Greenland as though perched on a satellite, zoom down to the little yellow dots on the southwest edge.

Click on the one that says, "Swiss Camp". That's where some climate scientists have set up shop. Zoom closer, and you'll see blue lakes ponding on the ice sheet of Greenland. Hundreds of them.

That's what global warming looks like in Greenland.

I don't know what you think about global warming, but here is what I think about: the statistical improbability that we-- you and me-- stand atop a pyramid constructed from the memory of a million generations of hominids who lived before us, and that it falls to us, right now, to reverse carbon emissions or be among the last generations to speak from the comfort of civilization's accumulated benefits.

What happens in Greenland does not stay in Greenland. For more, read what NASA climate scientist James Hansen has to say.