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Facts are stubborn things; and whatever our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
—John Adams
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If there's an ebb and flow to human events, then history's pages seem to be turning a little more quickly these days.
The pace of events often tests our ability to process what’s happening and to "make sense of it all." That challenge is frequently made worse by political actors who, empowered by the insatiable hunger of the 24-hour news cycle and social media tools with global reach, work to bend news narratives to serve their own interests.
It often feels as though we’re simply treading water in a sea of misinformation and disinformation, but accurate numbers, objective accounts, precise images, etc., can pierce through the fog like a lighthouse well-lit. Some of these actualities not only stand for themselves, but they hint at broader truths that can help us better understand these times and the steps we should take to shape our future.
As Founding Father John Adams said two and a half centuries ago, "facts are stubborn things." Our task is to identify and elevate those stubborn things.
Here are three...
- Looking ahead over the next 40 years, if rising energy consumption in Africa produces the same level of CO2 emissions per person as India does currently, then even if the U.S., China, India, Russia, Germany, and Japan all reduce their emissions over that time period by 20 percent, that reduction won’t be enough to offset Africa’s increase.
- Brazil has detected more than 90 different COVID-19 variants in its battle against the pandemic, including a particularly aggressive variant that has now been detected in over 20 U.S. states and three dozen countries. Unlike the American experience to date, nearly half of those currently hospitalized in Brazil are young people.
- Approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans each year, most of it from land-based sources, and much of that through municipalities in the developing world.
This is the first in a series of regular blog posts from the Wilson Center's President, Director, and CEO, Ambassador Mark Green.
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