ABSTRACT
In a very concrete sense the greenhouse effect makes us see the very essence of the metaphor “Spaceship Earth”: The parallel could go like this:
The heating system of “Spaceship Earth” is not what it was. This is due to many factors, such as age, but mainly because we, the crew, have been messing around. The cover and shield of the ship has been damaged, with the consequence that the ship’s life-supporting system has began malfunctioning in such a way that the crew will get living conditions that are hotter, more unstable, in some sections too dry, in some sections too moist. In some parts of the ship the conditions, mostly situated at the fore of the ship, where the offi cers in command are, may improve, but amidships and astern, where most of the crew is placed, the conditions will mainly deteriorate, with a great risk that the most densely populated parts of the ship will have to be abandoned due to serious water damage.
