Google made a stunning announcement yesterday. They are sponsoring a contest called 10 to the 100th power. They are asking for ideas on how to make the world a better place -- and they have committed $10 million to implement the top five ideas. Incredible!!
On the other hand, Joe Romm posted an article on the latest CO2 figures. We are now emitting at a record rate in spite of the economic turn-down, thanks primarily to increased activity in India and China. Our carbon sinks are becoming ever more saturated and absorbing less. We have accelerated to adding 2.2 parts per million per year to the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 -- we have gone from 380 to 383 just in the past year or two. We are far exceeding the IPCC's worst case scenarios for emissions.
On the political/economic scene, the U. S. government is about to institute the biggest bail-out ever to keep our financial systems from going under, Obama has regained the lead in the Presidential race, and McCain has side-stepped the first debate because he is 'needed in Washington' to deal with the economic crisis facing America.
I'm beginning to think that extraterrestrial intervention may be the only thing that can save us at this point. The next couple of months may well determine our future one way or the other.
These are indeed the best of times and the worst of times.
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