Climate Change Might Release Giant Virus From Permafrost, Threaten Humans

Now, this was quite interesting.

We all know that climate change, or global warming, seems to be showing signs of being real. And we all know that if it is real, we are likely going to face some big problems.

Of course, that is because scientists have been projecting these potential pitfalls for decades now.

But here's the thing: sometimes, other things can occur that are, at least at first, unforeseen. The unintended consequences of excess greed and irresponsible exploitation of our natural resources on a massive scale is, apparently, global warming (or climate change). This much we know, and it has been a battle to try and get corporations, governments, and yes, even people, to go along with being more environmentally responsible, even though at this point, we all seem to know that poisoning our land, food, water, and air actually does come with a cost.

Yet, that might not be all that we face, as bad as rising waters and decreased health and quality of life, to say nothing of the biggest threat facing us: overpopulation. It does not take a genius to add things up and see that the outlook for our future is bleak.

Incredibly, we may face some worse things than we thought, to boot!

If the ice in the arctic regions continue to melt, we may apparently face viruses that had been trapped under the ice for some 30,000 years!

Sounds far-fetched?

Here is an unsettling quote from an article that I recently encountered on this subject, and it is pretty bad news. Here, from Tia Ghose's article on LiveScience.com:

“The virus was found frozen in a deep layer of the Siberian permafrost, but after it thawed it became infectious once again. The French scientists say the contagion poses no danger to humans or animals, but other viruses could be unleashed as the ground becomes exposed.”

This thing just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?

Yet, why do I have that sinking feeling that this, like all other science, will be quickly dismissed as a huge hoax by the scientific community on the rest of us, with the not so subtle message for everyone to just keep doing what we were always doing before, and waste as many resources as possible. Drive your gas-guzzling SUV, buy more plastic water bottles, keep all of your lights on, and look the other way when you hear about oil spills or chemicals in our water.

It's worked for us so far, hasn't it?

Besides, what could possibly go wrong?

Of course, if you do want to pay attention to what's going on, this article will, in fact, give you the shivers. This is the stuff of a Hollywood script, only it just might be real!

Here is the article that got me on this particular subject:



"Giant Virus Resurrected from Permafrost After 30,000 Years" by Tia Ghose, Staff Writer for LiveScience.com, March, 2014:  

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26387276