Earth Equity News

Cancer and Climate Change. OpEd by Peter Sellers, NYTimes, 1/16/16. “I’m a climate scientist who has just been told I have Stage 4 pancreatic cancer… I was forced to decide how to spend my remaining time. Was continuing to think about climate change worth the bother?... I concluded that all I really wanted to do was spend more time with the people I know and love, and get back to my office as quickly as possible. I work for NASA, managing a large group of expert scientists doing research on the whole Earth system (I should mention that the views in this article are my own, not NASA’s). This involves studies of climate and weather using space-based observations and powerful computer models. These models describe how the planet works, and what can happen as we pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The work is complex, exacting, highly relevant and fascinating… History is replete with examples of us humans getting out of tight spots. The winners tended to be realistic, pragmatic and flexible; the losers were often in denial of the threat… And so, I’m going to work tomorrow.”