Memoirs of a goat-herder, part I:
Being a goat-herder is really nice, the best part being that life is simple. You get up early, do some chores and go outside. What I particularly like is the sun warming my skin. But, obviously, this is not good. According to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres we have a ‘climate crisis’, and “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived”. Not really the best news to start your day with.
It was still early morning and the weather was kind of chilly, but the predictions of the esteemed Antonio Guterres about the ‘crisis’ that was brewing made me think about hiding under a tree in order to avoid the deadly sun rays.
Thankfully, after my initial psychological terror, logic prevailed; I simply turned-on my phone. In a few seconds I came up to this, which thankfully states the complete opposite, that even extremely high temperatures are not as dangerous. Actually, they are even less dangerous than extremely low temperatures.
So, feeling a lot more confident that I will be able to survive one more day on this scorching (sorry, ‘boiling’) planet of ours, I went on with my chores. The sun climbed higher over the horizon and helped me feel a lot better.
But not for long. I made the mistake to have a look at what was happening around our lovely planet. I could have simply gazed on my goats, the meadow, the rolling hills. But no, I foolishly looked at my phone and learned from the Guardian that UK scientists are about to launch geoengineering experiments to dim the sun.
‘Geoengineering’? Great, they will certainly solve all our heat-related problems. Apparently, this is not something new, at least according to the BBC, describing a ‘rogue’ nation. Well, 2 years later, the UK is going to do exactly the same. The Guardian article even describes the three methods that could be used. It seems this idea is not new, at least according to Forbes. To make thing worse, the whole thing, which is supposed to cost just 50 million pounds, is actually funded by 800 million pounds (see here about the company that is supposed to make all this happen, the company that will “pursue the scientific and technological discoveries that have the potential to profoundly change our world for the better”).
So, until now I read about ‘global boiling’ which is supposedly dangerous, but certainly less dangerous than cold. Also, the UK is planning to lower the temperature, while at the same time not giving the pensioners a yearly winter fuel allowance.
And what about the plants? I believe everyone knows their needs, we’ve been taught about this in school. They need the sunshine to grow. They also need it to produce oxygen (for us, not them). And they do so by eliminating the dreadful CO2 which is supposedly going to kill us very soon. Has anyone considered the ramifications of this strategy?
I am also wondering about the new Green era of solar panels used to create electricity while not polluting. The dimming of the sun will probably cause the panels to produce less electricity, isn’t it so? And how about the full-electric cars? How am I going to charge my precious car when there will be less electricity generated? Maybe I should forgo using it at all, all in the name of climate change of course.
Does any of this make sense?
I feel jealous of the goats. They do not have smart phones and, consequently, don’t have to ponder such dilemmas. I guess I’d better follow their lead and get on with my chores.
AI image of goats grazing in a field generated by Grok.
