THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES AND THE BIOSPHERE

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THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES AND THE BIOSPHERE

• John Cairns, Jr.
• University Distinguished Professor of
  Environmental Biology Emeritus
• Department of Biological Sciences
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
  University
• Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, U.S.A.
• January 2011

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Dionysius (II) was a fourth century B.C. tyrant
of Syracuse, a city in Magna Graecia, the Greek
area of southern Italy. To all appearances
Dionysius was very rich and comfortable, with all
the luxuries money could buy, tasteful clothing
and jewelry, and delectable food. He even had
court flatterers (adsentatores) to inflate his
ego. One of the ingratiators was the court
sycophant, Damocles. Damocles used to make
comments to the king about his wealth and
luxurious life. One day when Damocles
complimented the tyrant on his abundance and
power, Dionysius turned to Damocles and said, If
you think Im so lucky, how would you like to try
out my life? Damocles readily agreed, and so
Dionysius ordered everything to be prepared for
Damocles to experience what life as Dionysius was
like. Damocles was enjoying himself immensely .
. . until he noticed a sharp sword hovering over
his head, that was suspended from the ceiling by
a horse hair. This, the tyrant explained to
Damocles, was what life as ruler was really
like. Damocles, alarmed, quickly revised his
idea of what made up the good life, and asked to
be excused. He then eagerly returned to his
poor, but safer life(http//ancienthistory.about.
com/od/ciceroworkslatin/f/DamoclesSword.htm).

• The Roman orator Cicero used this parable to
  describe a sense of foreboding, which could
  result in a defining moment in a persons life.

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THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES HANGING BY A THREAD OVER
HUMANKIND IS DAMAGE TO THE PRESENT BIOSPHERE,
WHICH IS BOTH A LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM AND THE
SOURCE OF RESOURCES THAT FUEL THE HUMAN ECONOMY.

• Although I have been an environmental biologist
  since 1948, I had no sense of foreboding until
  1988 when I co-chaired the conference On Global
  Warming Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Global
  Warming.
• Since 1988, my sense of foreboding about the
  deleterious consequences of climate change and
  biospheric damage for humankind has increased
  markedly.
• I have no foreboding about the future of life on
  Earth, at least until the sun begins to die.

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LIFE ON EARTH BEGAN APPROXIMATELY 3.5 BILLION
YEARS AGO. SINCE THEN, FIVE GREAT EXTINCTIONS OF
SPECIES HAS OCCURRED. FROM THE SURVIVING
SPECIES, EVOLUTION HAS RESTORED BIODIVERSITY OVER
SUBSTANIAL SPANS OF TIME.

• After each extinction, the new array of species
  has always been markedly different from past
  arrays.
• The sixth biosphere (the present one) is now
  experiencing a marked reduction in species caused
  by human-related activities.
• Since species are the basic components of
  biospheres, neither structure nor function of the
  next biosphere can be predicted.

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BY NURTURING THE PRESENT BIOSPHERE, ITS LIFE
COULD PROBABLY BE PROLONGED.

• Prolonging the present biosphere is in
  humankinds enlightened self interest since this
  biosphere has enabled Homo sapiens to evolve and,
  at times, flourish.
• Since the present biosphere is the only one that
  humans have experienced, they tend to forget that
  other biospheres not favorable to human survival
  have existed.
• Once a tipping point has been passed, changes are
  irreversible.
• If humankind wishes to maintain the present,
  favorable conditions, it should change practices
  that alter the biosphere NOW!

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THE SIGNS OF MARKEDLY INCREASED RISK TO HUMANS
AND THE BIOSPHERE ABOUND, BUT THEY DIFFER
CONSIDERABLY FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER, AND PEOPLE
TEND TO JUDGE GLOBAL CHANGE BY LOCAL EVENTS
(e.g., unseasonable snowfall in an area means
global warming is a hoax).

• The earth continues to get warmer, yet its
  feeling a lot colder outside. Over the past few
  weeks, subzero temperatures in Poland claimed 66
  lives snow arrived in Seattle well before the
  winter solstice, . . . All of this cold was met
  with perfect comic timing by the release of World
  Meteorological Organization report showing that
  2010 will probably be among the three warmest
  years on record, and 2001 through 2010 the
  warmest decade on record. . . . the overall
  warming of the atmosphere is actually creating
  cold-weather extremes.1

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CLIMATE CHANGES ARE JEOPARDIZING FOOD SUPPLIES
IN A VARIETY OF WAYS INCLUDING IRRIGATION WATER
SHORTAGES, CHANGED RAINFALL PATTERNS, DISEASE,
ETC.

• The population is growing exponentially but the
  food supply is declining ? for example, a
  devastating fungus, a wheat rust, is spreading
  out of Africa, a grave threat to the food plant
  that covers more of the planets surface than any
  other.2
• About 1,000 tons of water is needed to produce 1
  ton of grain. Water shortages are a major
  problems, especially as ground water aquifers are
  depleted.
• In third-world countries, food does not always
  reach consumers because of lack of transport,
  refrigeration, or preservation.
• In the United States, food (corn) is turned into
  subsidized fuel (ethanol), which increases the
  price of corn for poor people.

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IF BANKS ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL, WHY ISNT THE
BIOSPHERE CONSIDERED TOO BIG TO FAIL?

• The human economy is a subset of the Biosphere,
  which provides the resources that fuel it.
• Banks can block financial transactions of
  whistle blowers,3 but failure of the Biosphere
  can drive Homo sapiens to extinction. Which is
  the larger threat?
• The Biosphere has whistle blowers ? Earths
  scientists who often pay dearly for their
  disclosure of harm ? who alert the public to
  actions that harm biospheric health.
• The financial system has many well funded
  lobbyists and think tanks ? the Biosphere has
  few, poorly funded ones.

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MANY METAPHORS ILLUSTRATE WAYS THAT THE
BLAMELESS MESSENGER IS PUNISHED FOR BRINGING BAD
NEWS.

• Scientists use the objective, scientific method
  to gather evidence ? evidence that offends
  non-scientists is bad news, regardless of the
  quality.
• The scientific method, the peer-review process,
  and the opportunity to challenge published
  evidence/analysis are superb quality control
  measures.
• The fact is that the critics ? who are few in
  number but aggressive in their attacks ? are
  deploying tactics that they have honed for more
  than 25 years . . . to stop action on climate
  change, with special interests like Exxon Mobil
  footing the bill . . .4

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THE PRESENT SITUATION IS NOT HOPELESS AND
HUMANKIND NEEDS HOPE! THE FIRST STEP IS TO
RESTORE EARTHS ENERGY BALANCE SO THAT IT
RADIATES AS MUCH TO SPACE AS IT ABSORBS FROM THE
SUN.5

• Carbon dioxide should be reduced by 35 to 40 ppm
  to increase Earths heat radiation to space.
• Eventually this reduction might return the pH of
  Earths oceans from mildly acidic to mildly
  alkaline.
• Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions are not
  likely to be reduced because of present political
  or economic beliefs.
• The good news is that the United States is in a
  good position in terms of scientific status and
  productivity. The bad news is that US teenagers
  rank 29th in science worldwide.6 Perhaps the
  cuts in US educational funding are not a good
  idea since both citizens and students must
  understand the importance of Earths energy
  balance.

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THE BIOSPHERE IS IN PERIL, WHICH DOES NOT BODE
WELL FOR HOMO SAPIENS.

• Life on Earth is probably not in danger, but the
  continued existence of humankind may be. Many of
  the activities of humankind damage the Biosphere.
  If some organisms survive the present great
  extinction, evolution will restore biodiversity.
• However, Homo sapiens is taking needless risks by
  assuming all biospheres will be as nurturing as
  the present one.
• Humans must be willing to alter their lifestyles
  and their economy to preserve the present
  Biosphere.

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Acknowledgments. I am indebted to Darla Donald
for transcribing the handwritten draft and for
editorial assistance in preparation of the Power
Point presentation.

• References
• 1Cohen, J. 2010. Bundle up, its global warming.
  New York Times 25Dec http//www.nytimes.com/2010/1
  2/26/opinion/26cohen.html.
• 2Hanley, C. J. 2010. The problem with wheat
  resurgent disease, climate change threaten one of
  the worlds most important crops. Associated
  Press 26Dec http//carbon-based-ghg.blogspot.com/2
  010/12/resurgent-disease-climate-change.html.
• 3Editorial. 2010. Banks and Wikileaks. New York
  Times 26Dec http//www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/opin
  ion/26sun3.html.
• 4Sachs, J. 2010. The phony attack on climate
  science. Economists View 19Feb
  http//economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2
  010/02/the-phony-attack-on-climate-science.html.
• 5Hansen, J. 2009. Storms of My Grandchildren.
  Bloomsbury, New York, p. 63.
• 6Paulson, A. 2007. New report ranks U.S. teens
  29th in science worldwide. Christian Science
  Monitor 5Dec http//www.csmonitor.com/2007/1205/p0
  2s01-usgn.html.