Throughout our history there
have been times when people felt despondent and helpless about their immediate
future: The civil war; first and second world wars; times of plague and
pandemic sicknesses.
But now, in our unique age,
we have the ability to predict future calamities not immediately identifiable with
mankind’s bungling.
Another trait of mankind is
the ability to ignore circumstances that do not affect our immediate
condition. Such is global warming.
The saying goes that
ignorance is no excuse: but I disagree.
The partnership that exist
between business and government and the influence of money wielded by big
business and the idea that religion trumps science results in laws, public records and even opinions skewed to the
interest of business and religion over facts and reason.
Mankind’s contribution to
global warming has never before been and issue, or even on our radar, until the
last twenty-five years – and there is a concrete reason.
Our world population did not
reach one billion until some time between 1915 and 1920 – around 1970 our world
population exceeded three billion. Today
our population has exceeded seven billion people: both China and India
The pollution caused by this
burgeoning population and the industrialization of third world countries cannot
be denied as the obvious responsibility for climate change in the form of
global warming over such a short timeline.
We can ignore this problem as
green house gasses increase and scientist warn that the earth is beginning to
destabilizes that delicate balance that allows life on our planet; but we do it
at our own peril – for the hand that reaches out of the mire to grab us will be
worse than anything imagined by the inventive mind of man.
the Ol'Buzzard
I fear we will use up all the resources we need to make it on this planet. Our only alternative will be to move. Hope we figure out how to do that in time. Humans do not think long term very well. What's in front of our face is what's on our mind.
ReplyDeleteMoving seven billion people could be a problem: who gets to decide who goes and who stays?
DeleteO,B
Population control is probably the number one issue we should all be looking at, but I doubt that it will happen since people seem to think life is all about having children. Religion again.
ReplyDeleteAll of our problems stem from over population. The consumption of natural resources will eventually bring about shortages in food and water.
DeleteO'B
Tragically, population control is choice we won't have to make. Our inability to be pragmatic and think ahead will make the choice for us. The solutions for all of our energy needs are already in our grasp, but as Mr. Buzzard points out, to implement in a real time fashion would upset the apple carts of the energy industry. It happens and is happening on a small level. We unleashed the dragon of nuclear power in a concentrated research effort known as the Manhattan project. If the same kind of push to develop passive energy was made today, we would have the future, but where as with nuclear power, there is an entire sector of the economy making billions from creating and marketing this nightmare, selling the dream of passive energy doesn't have much long term or immediate massive profit potential. The keyword here is IMMEDIATE! Who cares about the future when you can build your luxury bunker today. The koch boys already have theirs, when you gonne get yours?
ReplyDeleteI agree: we won't have to make choices of population control. Our folly will eventually catch up with us - whether the human race survives is the question.
DeleteO'B
I think there are a couple of reason why passive energy like solar isn't attractive to capital. One, once it is purchased and installed, there's no call-back. Those solar panels last for years with little or no maintenance. And the maintenance that's needed can usually be done by the homeowner (clean the panels). Also once the system is set up the homeowner no longer is paying someone else (a utility) for the energy produced by the panels.
ReplyDeleteWhat they need to do is push the fact that solar panels create jobs to make them and install them. Once the cost comes down you will see a lot more people getting solar panels. It's like with other new things like HDTV, when first introduced the price was high, after more TVs were sold the price came down and now lots of people are buying them.
Here in Maine companies are installing wind farms and the colleges on the coast are experimenting with tidal power - but there are public outcries against each - People are concerned about windmills ruining the pristine view...I think they are beautiful.
DeleteO'B
Once you start looking at just solar installations already in place all over the planet, you realize that we already have the solutions. The Gulf Emirate States are already making the transition and making money off of it. Have you even heard of the world's bigest solar installation in Abendgoa, Spain financed by Abu Dhabi? It concentrates the energy even available on a very cloudy day and heats underground reservoirs of water, which provide constant energy both day and night. It provides free power to a large grid of towns in the region. There is so much happening. The fish tail ladders developed by The University of Michigan...they are passive ladder like sequence devices with mechanical parts that were inspired by fish tails. Each tail generates electricity just from the current of the water. It doesn't take much water speed to get action from the tails. There's a test system in the Detroit River now, but you never hear about this stuff. The Tata Motor company has been working with a French engineer for a few years to bring a car that uses compressed air into production. The prototypes have broken all kinds of records. The future is here, corporate fascism just doesn't want to let you know about it.
ReplyDeleteBTW, if you want to find out more about the compressed air car technology, google MIDI Air Cars....
ReplyDelete