Danger from global warming is a 'known' - Yuma Sun

Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense for the previous administration, is famous for saying: “There are known knowns. There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But, there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.”

This unintentionally comical statement was given in a different context, yet in terms of understanding human affairs in general, it is indispensable. The ramifications of our limits to understanding ricochet throughout history up to this day and minute.

Of Rumsfeld's “observations,” the first of the three is perhaps the most sad, because we so often forsake that real knowledge by displacing it with obsessive speculation on the second and third.

To our great detriment, we are ignoring practical solutions to very dangerous problems, in the name of human obstinacy.

One would like to think that our leaders would not indulge such behavior, because they are fearless and wise.

One would like to think that our leaders are teachers, encouraging the best public use of “known knowns,” and even more importantly, good students, bringing in the most useful knowledge to benefit the community of their constituents.

This is a moral issue with a responsibility to get the job done, setting aside self-enrichment, political career longevity and ideology.

Jumping off of a high cliff without a parachute will end badly. This is a “known known.”

Blanketing the planet in insulating CO2 will end badly. This is also a “known known.”

This city and this state and this country must have leaders who educate themselves and their constituents, or we can all look forward to a very bad ending.

For useful primers, search “James Hansen” of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and partially Koch brothers funded ex-skeptic “Richard Muller” at Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature project.

How bad will it have to get? NASA's Dr. Hansen tells us that we are likely at the tipping point of no return ... now.

Where are our leaders?

Steve Phlegar

Yuma