Heaven And Hell

Currently watching once again, one episode per evening, the TV series which, without a shadow of a doubt, has had the greatest impact upon my life; Carl Sagan's Cosmos. Tonight's episode, Heaven And Hell, explored how our closest celestial neighbour, Venus, serves as a stark warning of what can happen if a planet's greenhouse effect is allowed to run out of control. We could quickly turn the Heaven which is Earth into the Hell which is Venus.

In 1980, almost forty years ago, Carl Sagan gave repeated stark warnings about how global temperatures could quickly soar, causing polar ice to melt, sea levels to rise, forests to burn, rivers to run dry and climate refugees to precipitate tumultuous social upheaval.

If some remnant of Sagan's consciousness survived the death of his corporeal frame, and if he is somehow able to view mankind's current activity, I wonder what he must make of our stewardship of the Earth? Somehow, I do not think he would be very impressed.

Heaven And Hell