Our mistake was in underestimation.

Disease-carrying insects move north.

As the Earth warms, insects that carry disease are spreading into new areas, bringing the West Nile virus to Canada and malaria to high valleys.

Dr. Paul Epstein, who teaches at Harvard Medical School and once worked in Africa, said the shift is coming faster than physicians anticipated.

'Things we projected to occur in 2080 are happening in 2006,' he told The Washington Post. 'What we didn`t get is how fast and how big it is, and the degree to which the biological systems would respond. Our mistake was in underestimation.'

More...

I find that quote very disturbing.

BTW, something occurs to me...

If we are seeing the beginning of catastrophic change on the planet, it didn't take very long for us to get there... Either our industrialized technology had a far greater impact than we realized, or natural processes were already well under way long ago.

For some reason, I find the latter more realistic.

Any thoughts?



[edit on 5-5-2006 by loam]

I think your first point is the correct one, rather than the latter.
I once heard a riddle, and it certainly applies here.
There is a lake, and there is a deadly algae which grows on the surface. The algae doubles in size every day. On day 50 the entire lake is covered, and the lake "dies". On what day was the lake only half covered.

Think about it for a moment.......