THOUGH it may not be a problem allowed the same amount of worry-time as the threat of federalization or terrorism, global warming is one of the most dangerous things facing society today.
While we are inhabitants of the commonwealth, we are first inhabitants of the earth, and with that status comes a great responsibility: to preserve what we have been given and maintain the beauty thereof for our children. This responsibility cannot be shoved off in times of conflict, but rather, in order to resolve conflict, perhaps that is where we should look first.
A recent report from the United Nations has stated that it is more than 90 percent certain that human pollution of our globe catalyzed global warming. This pollution (primarily from the burning of fossil fuels in coal-burning factories and other monstrosities) has changed the composition of the thin layer of atmosphere surrounding the earth, trapping solar heat and raising temperatures.
While higher temperatures may seem like a theoretical difficulty, the sobering truth is that their effects are more expansive than we would care to believe. As the globe warms, the glaciers that 40 percent of the world’s population depend upon for drinking water melt. As the glaciers melt, so does Greenland’s ice shelf and the Arctic ice. The sea level could rise about 20 feet to accommodate the sudden influx of water. Such a dramatic rise in the oceans would flood huge areas of the Netherlands and Bangladesh, as well as the cities of Calcutta, Beijing, Shanghai, and Manhattan; not to mention many, many Pacific islands. The extreme amount of refugees that will result from such disasters will be more than enough to overwhelm already unstable countries, plunging them, as well as their stable neighbors, into imminent warfare and chaos. The United Nations has already compiled a list of 61 countries that are at more than considerable risk of just that. Many scientists agree that this is already happening, particularly given the fact that the genocide in Darfur was greatly exacerbated by the terrible drought the region is experiencing. One key cause of the Arab-Israeli conflicts is water supply, given the fact that the Golan Heights control key springs and rivers, with vital aquifers lying under the West Bank. Must we allow such tragedies to continue under our watch?
While global warming is an easily disheartening dilemma, it is not an impossible one. Change is feasible, if we only strive for it. Such change can and must start on an individual level. So what can you do?
Buy a hybrid car, if you are able. If not, walk or ride a bike whenever possible. Plant trees. Lots of them. Vote for leaders who will preserve the world we live in — it’s the only one we have. Spread knowledge: write to newspapers and magazines about the problems we are facing.
An English proverb says that “We never know the worth of the water ‘til the well is dry.” Let’s not make a habit of testing that theory.

CAROLINE LOCHABAY
Capital Hill, Saipan