"We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive." Albert Einstein.
I've been on a short break for the holidays. But I'm back now, just in time for the latest United Nations Human Development Report.
I was first introduced to the report in college and I enjoy reading it. Besides the list of best countries to live that usually grabs headlines, there is a lot of other interesting information.
Every year, the report has a theme. The theme this year, of course, is global climate control. Last year was water scarcity.
Basically, the report claims that if we (the world) don't reduce our carbon emissions soon, global warming will continue, causing weather-related catastrophes which in turn threaten developing countries and increase global poverty.
One comment that I thought was interesting went something like this. "Climate change is now a scientifically established fact." The impact, however, is more difficult to determine, the report said.
There are lots of people in the U.S., especially among the politically conservative, who still debate this "scientifically established fact."
They argue that CO2 in the air is not the result of petroleum-burning machines, but instead just part of the earth's normal geological cycle.
Others say that all of the planets in the solar system are experiencing a warming trend, not just Earth, which puts the blame on our Sun.
But to me, it makes no sense to argue this point. So what if rising CO2 levels are not man-made? If we reduce the amount of CO2 we put in the air, we also reduce the amount of petroleum and other resources that we consume. And that is a good thing no matter how you slice it.
The resource issue will become far more important in our lifetime than rising CO2 levels.
We as a nation produce far more CO2 per capita than most other countries. This is become we consume far more resources than any other country. This has to change.
The only way to change this is by changing the way we think.
We cannot continue to consume at our current level. The State of New York, with its 23 million people, has a carbon footprint larger than the 50 least developed countries, whose populations total 766 million.
So this means that people in New York consume 33 times more.
And even though China is about to overtake the U.S. as the largest producer of greenhouse gases, on a per capita basis, The U.S. still produces five times what China does.
We need to get a handle on our carbon footprints and reduce this to a more equitable share of the world's resources.
This will require, as Einstein said, a new manner of thinking.
Well here we are again. I admire your concern about the environment and resource consumption. But, once a problem has been established a solution needs to be thought of and tested. It is like beating a dead horse or even preaching to the choir. I did a little study of my own, 99% of the people I talked to have no concern for the resource issues that are going to plague our future.
ReplyDeleteWhat can "we" do to help the movement to better our clean air policy?
How can we get the uneducated on the move for a cleaner planet?
How can we progress this agenda with out killing the economy?
These and several other questions need addressed. Not just preaching the problem over and over again.
The time for action is now, the time for talk is over. I believe that clean water is going to be a bigger issue than clean air but they both go hand in hand.
I have a few ideas that will help such as but not limited to, super fuel efficient cars. Higher air pollution standards and better waste management.
That friend that stood me up over the holidays, well that was more of a joke than anything else.
Shit happens, I know that all to well.
Peace out Bro!
Don't you see me down here praying
ReplyDeleteall along that day
A lot of people don't like to drive, they see it as more of an inconvenience than anything else. So why not help these people out?
I seen in Popular Science Magazine one time an article about Self Contained Communities. People lived worked and played in these small communities.
OO ya OO ya OO ya
I run to the river it was boiling
I run to the sea it was boiling
so I run to the lord and say please help lord
Lord Lord hear me praying
Lord Lord here me praying
This would create an area that would eliminate super commuters. The need for resources would be drastically cut and it would help keep people healthy. Every where you go you could walk, ride a bike or use clean mass transits. Air quality would be better and people could participate in keeping their town safe and clean.
I like this idea for several reasons. One, no need for a huge amount of traffic, 80% self sustained (grow own crops),one trucking line could provide delivery of out sourced goods.
It's a win win deal.
I was jamming to Nina Simon and Moby while typing.
An after thought....
ReplyDeleteJust think with todays ability to network through cell phones and the internet, isolation would not be a big issue.
With a self sustained community you could keep automobile traffic to a bare minimum, like to vacation or travel for the holidays.
Less blacktop leads to cooler city temperatures (blacktop is like a huge solar panel) and less need for pollution and waste from having to repair over used highways.
Now here is an action plan, a small start but a start none the less (a small billion).
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071128/ts_afp/environmentuntreesclimate
From Yahoo
More than a billion trees planted in 2007
More than one billion trees were planted around the world in 2007, with Ethiopia and Mexico leading in the drive to combat climate change through new lush forest projects, a UN report said Wednesday.
Indonesia, which will next month host the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is expected to plant almost 80 million trees in one day alone in the run up to the Bali climate meeting.
Experts says that trees help absorb carbon contained in the heat-trapping gases blamed for climate change, which are largely generated by human activity and are one of the most perilous environmental challenges in the modern world.