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What Will It Be? Money or Planetary Death?
No one can tell me we give a damn about future generations because we obviously do not.
If you heard the conversation on Science Friday today about the need to "geoengineer" our lame selves out of planetary death, you could pretty much tell that we just don't give a damn about anybody but ourselves.
The conversation was like something from science fiction only it was for real. Apparently it will become imperative that we "do something" to prevent catastrophic planetary climate change but of course none of us around right now, at least 40 and up, will REALLY need to worry about it so screw all you 30-somethings and less not to mention all those babies not born yet as we relentlessly pulse towards 7 billion (earth's carrying capacity is 1 billion--Houston, we have a problem). I mean, who cares for those of us on the way OUT?
The conversation was with Dr. Rob Jackson who was representing the Ecological Society of America. I was bucking for the guy. Go Rob go!! Say we are the pathetic narcissistic species we are! Go ahead! You are an ecologist! A scientist. You can get away with it dude! Say it! But alas, no. This guy sounded like the token climate change "expert" from the American Enterprise Institute talking in all seriousness about re-engineering the planet without giving as much as a glimmer of the magnitude of what he was saying. (Note too the utter lack of courage from anyone in leadership positions today aside from Sarah Palin who shows tremendous courage in wanting to lead us off a cliff). Does anyone understand the magnitude of what he was saying? That THE PLANET IS DYING? DOES ANYBODY GET THAT but see my first sentence then go watch T.V.
The astounding thing is everyone says we have to DO something!!!! (And I loved it when India told Hillary to shove it up her ass. She was imploring India to take more steps to control climate change. India's leaders asked her what sacrifices Americans have been asked to made for climate change and guess what folks? The answer is ZERO. We have not been asked to sacrifice one damn thing).
So we have to "DO" something!!!! Gosh, and what might that be? Gosh. Hmmmm.....2000+ research articles....uhmm...gosh...I don't know. HOW ABOUT IF WE STOP DRIVING? BURNING COAL? WE COULD DO THIS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, TOMORROW? PHASE IT IN OVER A FEW MONTHS? CHANGE OUR SOCIETY ENOUGH TO SAVE OUR OWN PLANET? But I talk such silliness...
The other absurdity was when Jackson said that taking measures to save our planet would be expensive. NO!!! REALLY???? YOU'RE KIDDING? YOU MEAN SAVING AN ENTIRE PLANET FROM A BUNCH OF SELF-ABSORBED BEINGS WHO REFUSE TO MAKE ANY SACRIFICES AT ALL SO INSTEAD WE WILL JUST "RE-ENGINEER" THE ENTIRE F-ING PLANET WILL BE EXPENSIVE? GOSH. REALLY? I see. So instead of not driving anymore and not burning coal, two things we could do pretty easily do and quickly albeit with major adjustments, we will just RE-ENGINEER THE ENTIRE PLANET INSTEAD. Gosh and then there is the idea floating around that it's time for us to start colonizing the moon. Instead of just stopping with the driving and coal, we'll re-engineer the whole planet and move to the moon!!! SUPER!!
Sure. And god forbid we put money BELOW planetary death. I mean we invented money as a species and we could always DEINVENT IT but no, we'll have money right up to the point where our little eyeballs go out in one spectacular conflagration. Hold on to your cash folks when we finally burn up!!
In summary, and a calmly as I can possibly manage, we could phase out driving, at least on fossil fuels, and shut down coal plants immediately. We could create incentives to develop a solar car and slap those panels on our roofs (something the huge power companies DO NOT want us to do or those huge "green" transmission line projects may go by the wayside). We could be very happy with working closer or in our homes and/or getting 20 mph in our solar cars. We could also phase out currency or money since it appears we love it so much, we are ready to sacrifice our own planet and the future of our children for it. We invented it. We can de-invent it.
But we are not completely evolved as a species and the reptilian brain is still in charge. We are really in reality, a very sick species.
A researcher I know recently suggested Sarah Palin might be suffering from neurotoxicity from eating so much fish, as in mercury contamination. This could explain her profound and disturbing wackiness. But now I wonder if we are not all walking around with our brains laden with contaminants affecting our behavior? I mean, I kind of hope this is it otherwise there is no excuse.
It turns out we are probably a species that really really needs to and indeed deserves to go extinct. Give the earth and all the innocent creatures on it-- a freaking permanent break.
Maybe see you on the moon in a few years.
If you heard the conversation on Science Friday today about the need to "geoengineer" our lame selves out of planetary death, you could pretty much tell that we just don't give a damn about anybody but ourselves.
The conversation was like something from science fiction only it was for real. Apparently it will become imperative that we "do something" to prevent catastrophic planetary climate change but of course none of us around right now, at least 40 and up, will REALLY need to worry about it so screw all you 30-somethings and less not to mention all those babies not born yet as we relentlessly pulse towards 7 billion (earth's carrying capacity is 1 billion--Houston, we have a problem). I mean, who cares for those of us on the way OUT?
The conversation was with Dr. Rob Jackson who was representing the Ecological Society of America. I was bucking for the guy. Go Rob go!! Say we are the pathetic narcissistic species we are! Go ahead! You are an ecologist! A scientist. You can get away with it dude! Say it! But alas, no. This guy sounded like the token climate change "expert" from the American Enterprise Institute talking in all seriousness about re-engineering the planet without giving as much as a glimmer of the magnitude of what he was saying. (Note too the utter lack of courage from anyone in leadership positions today aside from Sarah Palin who shows tremendous courage in wanting to lead us off a cliff). Does anyone understand the magnitude of what he was saying? That THE PLANET IS DYING? DOES ANYBODY GET THAT but see my first sentence then go watch T.V.
The astounding thing is everyone says we have to DO something!!!! (And I loved it when India told Hillary to shove it up her ass. She was imploring India to take more steps to control climate change. India's leaders asked her what sacrifices Americans have been asked to made for climate change and guess what folks? The answer is ZERO. We have not been asked to sacrifice one damn thing).
So we have to "DO" something!!!! Gosh, and what might that be? Gosh. Hmmmm.....2000+ research articles....uhmm...gosh...I don't know. HOW ABOUT IF WE STOP DRIVING? BURNING COAL? WE COULD DO THIS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, TOMORROW? PHASE IT IN OVER A FEW MONTHS? CHANGE OUR SOCIETY ENOUGH TO SAVE OUR OWN PLANET? But I talk such silliness...
The other absurdity was when Jackson said that taking measures to save our planet would be expensive. NO!!! REALLY???? YOU'RE KIDDING? YOU MEAN SAVING AN ENTIRE PLANET FROM A BUNCH OF SELF-ABSORBED BEINGS WHO REFUSE TO MAKE ANY SACRIFICES AT ALL SO INSTEAD WE WILL JUST "RE-ENGINEER" THE ENTIRE F-ING PLANET WILL BE EXPENSIVE? GOSH. REALLY? I see. So instead of not driving anymore and not burning coal, two things we could do pretty easily do and quickly albeit with major adjustments, we will just RE-ENGINEER THE ENTIRE PLANET INSTEAD. Gosh and then there is the idea floating around that it's time for us to start colonizing the moon. Instead of just stopping with the driving and coal, we'll re-engineer the whole planet and move to the moon!!! SUPER!!
Sure. And god forbid we put money BELOW planetary death. I mean we invented money as a species and we could always DEINVENT IT but no, we'll have money right up to the point where our little eyeballs go out in one spectacular conflagration. Hold on to your cash folks when we finally burn up!!
In summary, and a calmly as I can possibly manage, we could phase out driving, at least on fossil fuels, and shut down coal plants immediately. We could create incentives to develop a solar car and slap those panels on our roofs (something the huge power companies DO NOT want us to do or those huge "green" transmission line projects may go by the wayside). We could be very happy with working closer or in our homes and/or getting 20 mph in our solar cars. We could also phase out currency or money since it appears we love it so much, we are ready to sacrifice our own planet and the future of our children for it. We invented it. We can de-invent it.
But we are not completely evolved as a species and the reptilian brain is still in charge. We are really in reality, a very sick species.
A researcher I know recently suggested Sarah Palin might be suffering from neurotoxicity from eating so much fish, as in mercury contamination. This could explain her profound and disturbing wackiness. But now I wonder if we are not all walking around with our brains laden with contaminants affecting our behavior? I mean, I kind of hope this is it otherwise there is no excuse.
It turns out we are probably a species that really really needs to and indeed deserves to go extinct. Give the earth and all the innocent creatures on it-- a freaking permanent break.
Maybe see you on the moon in a few years.
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Agreed.
August 7, 2009 11:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Quite so. And they wonder why people are edgy and feeling antisocial?
August 7, 2009 11:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
There's hope though. Lots of cities are making changes on their own. Here's one city's climate change plan. And what's weird is that they are serious. There's already been a lot of improvement here: http://www.cabq.gov/cap/CAPREV09.pdf
August 8, 2009 2:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the link, Matyra. This is amazing.
August 8, 2009 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
That reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut saying, and I paraphrase, "Humans are like a virus on the planet and the Earth's immune system is kicking in."
Everything you said is spot on. Thank you for writing this.
August 8, 2009 8:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
The planet, in its existence as an iron-cored ball of rock orbiting the sun, will be just fine for eons after humans are old news.
The biosphere, maybe not so much.
Please have the good sense to get your terminology right first.
And then, what are we going to replace our entire transportation and energy infrastructures with in order to achieve your goals of everyone stopping everything they're doing within the next month and a half? How will people get food? How will the water arrive? How will the trash get collected?
What will people do? There's simply no possible way we can all become subsistence farmers.
And who are you advocating as the head of the line for the starvation that will result?
You first...
August 8, 2009 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well OG I do not know. But I do know this that we should be able to come up with some better sources of energy, transportation and ways of feeding our selves if we stop putting all our time, energy and money into wars, destruction, iPods, digital tv, video games and what not.
C
August 8, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
"It turns out we are probably a species that really really needs to and indeed deserves to go extinct."
I doubt that will happen, but a genocidal new dark age is probable if we adopt your environmentalist policy. Which seems fine with you. Too many grasping, hungry humans? Let's kill off 5 or 6 billion! No problem, that's the natural order of things. Gotta hand it to you, the Nazis never thought quite that big. What is the criteria you use to determine who lives and dies?
The carrying capacity of earth may be 1 billion with a low tech "civilization", but the reason man is different from the beasts is his unique ability to change the biosphere itself. Our destiny is to colonize the Moon, Mars and beyond, not to be a steady-state "smart ape" forever earth-bounded. And yes, after we master Fusion Energy, and later, Matter/Anti-Matter, we will find a perfect carrying capacity for our garden planet - probably in the range of 12-15 billion souls.
August 8, 2009 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is the type of thinking I like to see. Smart comment.
August 8, 2009 3:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I find it astonishing this anti-human rant has 48 rec's. There is a variant of environmentalist that hates humanity more than they love nature, and this person appears to be one. I consider myself a conservationist. I deplore stupid horizonal development, the waste of arable land and natural areas. But I also consider human life sacred and any ideology that condones the death of persons through active or passive means is just nazism in new garb. The death of billions is not inevitable. We can choose to uplift the world with a new, fair monetary system and global development. Or we can choose to stay the present course, in which case billions will surely die of disease, famine, war and pandemic.
August 8, 2009 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe this is dogtail's way of saying he takes exception to humans' overwhelmingly wanton disregard for the consequences of their actions.
There might also be a hint of hyperbole in the post.
August 8, 2009 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hyperbole at TPM? Never.
August 8, 2009 7:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
George Carlin - Saving the Planet
(it is the people that are going away)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw
August 8, 2009 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's the Drake equation, come home to roost dogtail.
I wrote some thoughts on the subject here, where I examined additional causes such as our dependence on meat rather than vegetables as a food source as well.
August 8, 2009 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget video games and porn
(I think I might have shared this one on your post earlier too- its an interesting read though)
August 8, 2009 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rob Jackson may have you upset with his willingness to trade our ecosystem for his planet engineering, but he is fringe, man, fringe. Calm down.
The way forward is as you say, but not on your schedule and not without some forethought.
August 8, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I share some of dogtail's concerns, but not his predictions. There is general agreement within the climatology literature that unmitigated global warming will result in massive species extinctions, but humans will not be among them. Based on projections from past data and ongoing trends, it is likely that hundreds of millions of people, and very possibly billions, will face death, disease, drought, starvation, and mass impoverishment, but the species will survive. Many of the quantitative details can be found in IPCC AR4, WG1 and WG2 reports.
Clearly, we need prompt and vigorous climate mitigation, but equally clearly, it can only be achieved as an ongoing process rather than a quantum jump. It is likely that we will have developed a combination of wind and solar technology cost effective enough to replace almost all fossil fuels used for electricity generation by 2050, but while that is happening, the most immediate improvements will be found in conservation and increased energy efficiency.
On the other side of the equation, we can't wait for fossil fuels to exhaust themselves. For a reasonable hope of maintaining overall industrial age global temperature rises below 2 C, the threshhold for "dangerous anthropogenic interference" with the climate system, global CO2 emissions must be limited well below what future fossil fuel reserves would allow. It probably entails future emissions not to to total less than half a trillion tons of CO2, so that an estimated trillion ton limit will not be exceeded based on what we have already poured into the atmosphere. Two articles in the April 30 issue of Nature address these issues. Reference to one is at
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7242/abs/nature08019.html
Geoengineering is viewed by its originators and other experts as a last ditch, desperation measure should greenhouse gas mitigation efforts fail to come close to targets. It poses so many potential threats of its own, and is so temporary in its effects, that almost no-one sees it as a substitute for CO2 control, but only as a temporizing measure to allow CO2 mitigation to catch up with targets. Geoengineering would also worsen rather than ameliorate the dangers of ocean acidification, which would continue if CO2 rose significantly, even if temperature were controlled.
August 8, 2009 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Above, I intended to refer to one trillion tons of carbon rather than CO2. That quantity would equal about 3.7 trillion tons of CO2.
August 8, 2009 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right after I read all the responses to this post, I stood up in my office to contemplate how to reply to those who are arrogant enough to defend the human species in all its glorious narcissism and it is human narcissim that is killing the planet. (12 billion?)
Not that I have to justify science but I made the conscious decision not to have children not for the sake of humanity which is selfish enough not to need any help from me, but for the sake of the planet.
But I know the truth hurts.
As I was staring out the window at two deer, I felt something under my foot. It was a baby lizard I was crushing under my weight. I pulled my foot off of it but it was dead. I crushed it.
Never before have I had an lizard in the office and never before have I killed one in this way.
So how to respond to those of you who are all for the endless consumption of this tired planet by human beings and are not yet humbled by the magnitude of our power and arrogance? (12 billion?)
Go for your 12 billion. While the global population of amphibians goes extinct. While thousands of acres of tropical forest die every year and thousand of species face extinction and the glaciers melt..."It's natures way of telling us something's wrong." My God. How much more proof do you want? How long do you think this will go on without affecting YOU and the human species? Arrogance knows no bounds.
And your sad response is to populate this stressed planet even more? How much longer are ANY of us going to be on this planet? 20-30 years?
And we talk like we will live forever and we are so important. You are ever SO important, I realize.
You want your 12 billion? You elevate the human species above all other species at great peril to your OWN species. No population of beings can exponentially increase (look this up in the dictionary if you don't know what it means and some of you apparently do not and you might want to acquaint yourself with some guy named Malthus, while you are at it) without checks and costs to other species. Do you you know the meaning of the word FINITE? But more importantly, why do we have the RIGHT to kill other species and at 12 billion, we will. Such arrogance. It is this arrogance that I find astounding. Just astounding.
But this is also evidence of the reptilian or primitive brain--the idea that we are superior. We can keep populating. We can elevate our own importance. All signs of an evolutionary glitch of catastrophic proportions.
This is our time to GET IT. TO be HUMBLED. To STEP BACK.
In our tiny lifespans, we are oh, so important as species that took millions of years to evolve go extinct in the time of our tiny lifespans.
I dedicate this post to the baby lizard I crushed with my foot. Forgive us for we KNOW what we do and we still don't give a shit. We're number one.
After all Mr. Lizard, we are number one.
August 9, 2009 1:44 AM | Reply | Permalink