The 11th Hour is a film about climate change. Well known experts assert their perspective, on climate change, and what humans have done to contribute to global warming. Thom Hartman, author of Threshold, states, “The biosphere is sick”. Humans have created a non-stable home due to deforestation, erosion,increase in greenhouse gases, and burning of fossil fuels. Another reason why its non-stable is because the Earth is no longer capable of regulating its temperature, as well as carrying the capacity of humans it has now. While watching the film, one of the scientist stated that some people find it difficult to believe that humans are apart of nature. He stated that because most people are “culturally blind” and are built to think that they are the superior life form.
Humans are very complex creatures; however, nature is very complex as well. Humans interact with nature by consuming food (plants and animals) as well as actually living on Earth. If there are no longer plants, animals, and water on Earth, then there is no human population. It is reported that 95% of our natural forest is gone, as well as 90% of big fish in the sea. Its truly fascinating, how big numbers such as 95, and 90, are ignored by people who are actually committing the consumption. Animals that were abundant such as the common fish Tuna, for example, is now on the verge of going extinct. It is said by the next few decades, these animals would no longer be available.
Another issue is the increase of temperature as a whole. It is recorded that humans are almost at the ‘tipping point’, which is the fine line between having a stable climate to a dramatic unstable one. We are now approaching this “unstable tipping point” that can result in the evaporation of the ocean. If we keep this trend of increasing the temperature, humans will no longer be able to exist and the Earth would be dried out much like Venus.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Revenge of Gaia
In this text, The Revenge of Gaia, James Lovelock, the author, asserts that the earth is weakening due to the over population of humans and global warming. He states, “when the Earth was young and strong, it resisted adverse change and the failure of its own temperature regulation; now it may be elderly and less resilient” (Lovelock 3). Lovelock is stating that in the past, the Earth was able maintain its regulation and temperature but since humans contributed to the increase of carbon dioxide due to deforestation the burning of fossil fuels and methane, and deforestation, it is now impossible for the Earth to commit such a task. Humans contributing to the increase of greenhouse gases has allowed for the melting of glaciers, which now allows for the Earth to absorb more sunlight, ultimately, increasing the Earths temperature.
An approach to this possible solution is to create a ‘sustainable development’, however, climate change is so far out of out reach that it is impossible to ‘sustain’ it.
“The error they share is the belief that further development is possible and that the Earth will continue, more or less now, for at least the first half of this century. Two hundred years ago, when change was slow or non-existent, we might have had the time to establish sustainable development, or even have continued for a while with business as usual, but now is much too late; the damage has already been done” (Lovelock 4).
Lovelock is stating that now the idea of a “sustaining development” is no longer possible, it could have been when climate changes wasn’t sever as it is now, and population wasn't so heavily dense.
On page 12, Lovelock posed a drastic alternative, which was the use of nuclear energy. “ I entreat my friends among the greens to reconsider their naïve belief in sustainable development and renewable energy, and that this and saving energy are all that needs to be done. Most of all, they must drop their wrongheaded objection to nuclear energy” (Lovelock 12). With this being said, this demonstrates that Lovelock supports the use of nuclear energy, which in fact can be extremely dangerous. “Civilization is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear energy now, or suffer the pain soon to be inflicted by our outraged planet” (Lovelock 14). We had seen the results from the use of nuclear energy, i.e. Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. So, why should our alternative be worst then climate change itself?
Loveock, James. The Revenge of Gaia. Basic Books, 2006. 208. Print.
An approach to this possible solution is to create a ‘sustainable development’, however, climate change is so far out of out reach that it is impossible to ‘sustain’ it.
“The error they share is the belief that further development is possible and that the Earth will continue, more or less now, for at least the first half of this century. Two hundred years ago, when change was slow or non-existent, we might have had the time to establish sustainable development, or even have continued for a while with business as usual, but now is much too late; the damage has already been done” (Lovelock 4).
Lovelock is stating that now the idea of a “sustaining development” is no longer possible, it could have been when climate changes wasn’t sever as it is now, and population wasn't so heavily dense.
On page 12, Lovelock posed a drastic alternative, which was the use of nuclear energy. “ I entreat my friends among the greens to reconsider their naïve belief in sustainable development and renewable energy, and that this and saving energy are all that needs to be done. Most of all, they must drop their wrongheaded objection to nuclear energy” (Lovelock 12). With this being said, this demonstrates that Lovelock supports the use of nuclear energy, which in fact can be extremely dangerous. “Civilization is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear energy now, or suffer the pain soon to be inflicted by our outraged planet” (Lovelock 14). We had seen the results from the use of nuclear energy, i.e. Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. So, why should our alternative be worst then climate change itself?
Loveock, James. The Revenge of Gaia. Basic Books, 2006. 208. Print.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Environment
The Environment
Threshold
Hartmann cautions his readers of what is happening to our environment and how humans are driving themselves to their own form of suicide. The Earth is similar to the human body, it is very complex and if you lose an organ, most likely, you will lose an important ability. The author compares the vanishing of organisms to losing parts of human organs. “The salmon goes, a kidney is gone. Whales vanish, a lung is gone. Because-like the organs of our body – each fish [even though whales are mammals] is part of the larger whole of the ocean, its loss reduces the living viability of the ocean.” (Hartmann 24). Marine life is essential to humans and is at sake of diminishing due to overfishing and global warming.
“In science, Dr. Worm and eleven other scientists from Canada, the United States, Panama, and Sweden reported on all the sixty-four large marine ecosystems worldwide, which collectively have produced 83 percent of global fisheries yields over the past fifty years. They found fisheries all over the world in or on the verge of collapse” (Hartmann 25).
Hartmann is saying that many species of fish are going extinct because fishing companies are over fishing, and also because the waters are getting warmer.
We are able to detect that the water is getting warmer due to looking for how much watts is absorbed from the sun, and comparing that to the radiation that was lost into outer space. Theses numbers are supposed to be in balance with one another, but what we came to discover is that Earth was absorbing more energy than it was in the 1880’s. This is a problem because if there is a warming in temperature then ice glaciers are going to melt [which they done so] and raise sea levels. This allows for more sun to be absorbed in the Earth, because the glaciers ice are supposed to reflect the sun back.
Hartmann poses a solution, which is to “reverse these numbers- [or] turn them negative- long enough to go back down below 350 ppm, [if not] the human race (and most other mammals) may crash into a dead end wall” (Hartmann 33). PPM (parts per million), represents the carbon dioxide level which, for the first time, is increasing. If the carbon dioxide levels gets out of control, it will reach a “tipping point” in climate change that would result in disaster.
What I found extremely interesting is how the author of this novel suggests that to reduce to 385 ppm, where as Kerry Emanuel, the author of What We Know About Climate Change suggest we stop at 450ppm. I am unaware which suggestion is most likely correct, but the levels of carbon dioxide should not be increasing so drastically like it is now.
Hartmann, T. (2009). Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture. [Unknown]: Viking Adult
Threshold
Hartmann cautions his readers of what is happening to our environment and how humans are driving themselves to their own form of suicide. The Earth is similar to the human body, it is very complex and if you lose an organ, most likely, you will lose an important ability. The author compares the vanishing of organisms to losing parts of human organs. “The salmon goes, a kidney is gone. Whales vanish, a lung is gone. Because-like the organs of our body – each fish [even though whales are mammals] is part of the larger whole of the ocean, its loss reduces the living viability of the ocean.” (Hartmann 24). Marine life is essential to humans and is at sake of diminishing due to overfishing and global warming.
“In science, Dr. Worm and eleven other scientists from Canada, the United States, Panama, and Sweden reported on all the sixty-four large marine ecosystems worldwide, which collectively have produced 83 percent of global fisheries yields over the past fifty years. They found fisheries all over the world in or on the verge of collapse” (Hartmann 25).
Hartmann is saying that many species of fish are going extinct because fishing companies are over fishing, and also because the waters are getting warmer.
We are able to detect that the water is getting warmer due to looking for how much watts is absorbed from the sun, and comparing that to the radiation that was lost into outer space. Theses numbers are supposed to be in balance with one another, but what we came to discover is that Earth was absorbing more energy than it was in the 1880’s. This is a problem because if there is a warming in temperature then ice glaciers are going to melt [which they done so] and raise sea levels. This allows for more sun to be absorbed in the Earth, because the glaciers ice are supposed to reflect the sun back.
Hartmann poses a solution, which is to “reverse these numbers- [or] turn them negative- long enough to go back down below 350 ppm, [if not] the human race (and most other mammals) may crash into a dead end wall” (Hartmann 33). PPM (parts per million), represents the carbon dioxide level which, for the first time, is increasing. If the carbon dioxide levels gets out of control, it will reach a “tipping point” in climate change that would result in disaster.
What I found extremely interesting is how the author of this novel suggests that to reduce to 385 ppm, where as Kerry Emanuel, the author of What We Know About Climate Change suggest we stop at 450ppm. I am unaware which suggestion is most likely correct, but the levels of carbon dioxide should not be increasing so drastically like it is now.
Hartmann, T. (2009). Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture. [Unknown]: Viking Adult
Climate Change
The book What We Know About Climate Change covers the topic of global warming, and how humans help contribute to the increase of carbon gases. Kerry Emanuel, the author, predicts what is going to happen in the future, such as increase hurricanes and flooding as well as soon to be deserts. Emanuel calls for immediate action; however, even if action were taking place right now, there still would be an increase in temperature. Emanuel starts off his book with the Earth’s history :
”The timing of the ice ages, then, is the combined result of the earth’s orbit and its basic geology. But this combination does not explain the slow pace of the earth’s descent into the cold phases of the cycle or the abrupt recovery to interglacial warmth evident in the ice-core records”(Emanuel 9).
In simpler terms, the earth goes into Ice age cycles, which is something that normally takes place within a certain amount of time. I found this extremely interesting/important because just a few shifts in degrees caused the end of the last ice age, and now, just a few shifts in degrees can cause the end of the human race.
Emanuel, K. (2007) What We Know About Climate Change. Cambridge, Mass: Boston Review Books.
”The timing of the ice ages, then, is the combined result of the earth’s orbit and its basic geology. But this combination does not explain the slow pace of the earth’s descent into the cold phases of the cycle or the abrupt recovery to interglacial warmth evident in the ice-core records”(Emanuel 9).
In simpler terms, the earth goes into Ice age cycles, which is something that normally takes place within a certain amount of time. I found this extremely interesting/important because just a few shifts in degrees caused the end of the last ice age, and now, just a few shifts in degrees can cause the end of the human race.
Emanuel, K. (2007) What We Know About Climate Change. Cambridge, Mass: Boston Review Books.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
A Hole in the World
A Hole in the World by Naomi Klein is an article in The Nation covering the topic of BP and Deep water Horizon. Deep water Horizon is an event in the Mexican Gulf course where an oil spill leakage occurred in April 2010, and is still taking place. The BP companies are fully responsible for this offshore drilling, but what makes this situation so incredulous is how insignificant they find this event. They claim that they could “restore [the gulf] and make it whole”. But the real issue is how will they be able to do such a thing? Is reversing the oil processes even possible? Solutions have spurred such as Geo-engineering, which is the creation of oil consuming microbes. However, if that species is introduced to the marine world, then that could upset the balance of marine life, as well as be harmful to other animals that could possible consume these microbes. Drilling offshore has become a positive idea due to the Republican campaign. It appears that they do warn their audience about the dangers, but in a concealing way such as: “little risks”, and “Oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills’. It is this method of a facade that allows people to be okay with the destruction of the environment.
Reading about Deep water Horizon and understanding that this event took place and is still taking place is overwhelming. It appears that more destruction is going to occur until it is severe enough for the people to start asking questions and demanding change. Although some people do request this “change”, it is not significant enough to actually be noted buy the government and big corporations.
What I find interesting is how Big corporations such as Wal-Mart do not run on what they think is best for the people but what people are asking for them to provide. It appears that the humans are doing all of the damage and are too busy ignoring the consequences, worrying about their personal needs first.
Klein, Naomi. "A Hole in the World " Nation 12 July 2010, Print.
Reading about Deep water Horizon and understanding that this event took place and is still taking place is overwhelming. It appears that more destruction is going to occur until it is severe enough for the people to start asking questions and demanding change. Although some people do request this “change”, it is not significant enough to actually be noted buy the government and big corporations.
What I find interesting is how Big corporations such as Wal-Mart do not run on what they think is best for the people but what people are asking for them to provide. It appears that the humans are doing all of the damage and are too busy ignoring the consequences, worrying about their personal needs first.
Klein, Naomi. "A Hole in the World " Nation 12 July 2010, Print.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Party's Over : take you and your oil out !
The Party’s Over, a text by Richard Heinberg goes more into depth about the branching from energy to human society. Energy is the ability to do work, according to Heinberg, and is needed by all living things. Plants receive energy from the sun and the animals that feed on these plants obtain their energy by consuming the plants. Humans receive their energy by plants and animals, but also create energy using oil.
Oil has become America’s prize consumption, and due to the over indulgence in oil, our population has exponentially grown. “The momentum of population increase may lead the rabbits to overshoot their carrying capacity. The likelihood of overshoot is increased by the fact that the environment carry capacity for rabbits is not static” (Heinberg, 19). Heinberg is stating that because the rabbits over produce; the availability for food to support the population is scarce. Once there is no control of the population: competition and deaths will occur, due to the lack of resources. This example of a ‘community’ is a prime example of what is going to happen to the United States. The U.S. population has exponentially grown, and our oil-based energy is limited, and cannot support the entire nation for much longer. Once our only form of sufficient energy is gone, the life would be far worse than we would have if we never discovered oil. The use of oil has there formed a “Long Emergency”. Kunstler’s text highlights peak of oil, climate change, diseases and water scarcity. All of these factors tie together to form the Long Emergency, the title of his book. Long Emergency is a paradox because long contradicts emergency, but is used in a key sense to describe the oil crisis and how wars are formed based on that. It is a long emergency because for a long time oil supply has steadily decrease creating oil shocks in the 1970’s. “I predict that we are entering an era of titanic international military strife over resources” (Kunstler, 2). Kunstler’s assumption of war is correct because after the bombing of the Twin towers on September 11, 2001, U.S went to war on Iraq, mainly due to its oil supply, rather than Saudi Arabia, the country that is responsible for the destruction of the towers. “The decline of fossil fuels is certain to ignite chronic strife between nations contesting the remaining supplies. These recourse wars have already begun. There will be more of them. They are very likely to grind on and on for decades” (Kunstler, 3). Kunstler is stating that fossil fuel (oil) is the main cause for the wars, along with water, which he later discusses in his chapter. Since oil is comprised of almost everything, it is used to create the machines and vaccinations, and from vaccinations, diseases as well. Diseases that spread and mutate due to pesticides and antibiotics we invent, would become a contributing factor to depopulate the nation. Another real issue that is no longer a theory is Global warming. Since our earth is brutally damaged, climates are starting to change, altering ecosystems and biomes.
Heinberg, Richard. THE PARTY'S OVER. Canada: New Society Publishers, (April 1, 2003). Kunstler, James Howard. The Long Emergency. New York: Grove Press, (March 2, 2006).
Oil has become America’s prize consumption, and due to the over indulgence in oil, our population has exponentially grown. “The momentum of population increase may lead the rabbits to overshoot their carrying capacity. The likelihood of overshoot is increased by the fact that the environment carry capacity for rabbits is not static” (Heinberg, 19). Heinberg is stating that because the rabbits over produce; the availability for food to support the population is scarce. Once there is no control of the population: competition and deaths will occur, due to the lack of resources. This example of a ‘community’ is a prime example of what is going to happen to the United States. The U.S. population has exponentially grown, and our oil-based energy is limited, and cannot support the entire nation for much longer. Once our only form of sufficient energy is gone, the life would be far worse than we would have if we never discovered oil. The use of oil has there formed a “Long Emergency”. Kunstler’s text highlights peak of oil, climate change, diseases and water scarcity. All of these factors tie together to form the Long Emergency, the title of his book. Long Emergency is a paradox because long contradicts emergency, but is used in a key sense to describe the oil crisis and how wars are formed based on that. It is a long emergency because for a long time oil supply has steadily decrease creating oil shocks in the 1970’s. “I predict that we are entering an era of titanic international military strife over resources” (Kunstler, 2). Kunstler’s assumption of war is correct because after the bombing of the Twin towers on September 11, 2001, U.S went to war on Iraq, mainly due to its oil supply, rather than Saudi Arabia, the country that is responsible for the destruction of the towers. “The decline of fossil fuels is certain to ignite chronic strife between nations contesting the remaining supplies. These recourse wars have already begun. There will be more of them. They are very likely to grind on and on for decades” (Kunstler, 3). Kunstler is stating that fossil fuel (oil) is the main cause for the wars, along with water, which he later discusses in his chapter. Since oil is comprised of almost everything, it is used to create the machines and vaccinations, and from vaccinations, diseases as well. Diseases that spread and mutate due to pesticides and antibiotics we invent, would become a contributing factor to depopulate the nation. Another real issue that is no longer a theory is Global warming. Since our earth is brutally damaged, climates are starting to change, altering ecosystems and biomes.
Heinberg, Richard. THE PARTY'S OVER. Canada: New Society Publishers, (April 1, 2003). Kunstler, James Howard. The Long Emergency. New York: Grove Press, (March 2, 2006).
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Long Emergency/Collapse
Kunstler’s text highlights peak of oil, climate change, diseases and water scarcity. All of these factors tie together to form the Long Emergency, the title of his book. Long Emergency is a paradox because long contradicts emergency, but is used in a key sense to describe the oil crisis and how wars are formed based on that. It is a long emergency because for a long time oil supply has steadily decrease creating oil shocks in the 1970’s. “I predict that we are entering an era of titanic international military strife over resources” (Kunstler, 2). Kunstler’s assumption of war is correct because after the bombing of the Twin towers on September 11, 2001, U.S went to war on Iraq, mainly due to its oil supply, rather than Saudi Arabia, the country that is responsible for the destruction of the towers. “The decline of fossil fuels is certain to ignite chronic strife between nations contesting the remaining supplies. These recourse wars have already begun. There will be more of them. They are very likely to grind on and on for decades” (Kunstler, 3). Kunstler is stating that fossil fuel (oil) is the main cause for the wars, along with water, which he later discusses in his chapter. Since oil is comprised of almost everything, it is used to create the machines and vaccinations, and from vaccinations, diseases as well. Diseases that spread and mutate due to pesticides and antibiotics we invent, would become a contributing factor to depopulate the nation. Another real issue that is no longer a theory is Global warming. Since our earth is brutally damaged, climates are starting to change, altering ecosystems and biomes. Climate change is one point that caused the destruction of the Mayan civilization.
The chapter “Maya” from Jared Diamond’s book Collapse illustrates how the Mayans collapse based on four of our own points. Diamond states “They did damage their environment, especially by deforestation and erosion. Climate changes (droughts) did contribute to the Mayan collapse, probably repeatedly. Hostilities among the Maya themselves did play a large role. Finally political/cultural factors, especially the competition among kings and nobles that led to a chronic emphasis on war and erecting monuments rather than on solving underlying problems, also contributed” (Diamond, 159). These four points are similar to the issues that are taking place in the United States. Climate changes are taking place, and due to Deep water Horizon so, is the alternation of the water ecosystems. Deforestation is very common, and is essential in order to give Americans their “wants” such as shopping malls, and bigger complexes. Riots occurred due to oil shocks in the 1970’s, and since the world is running so low on oil, things are just about to get worst.
Kunstler , James Howard . The Long Emergency . New York : Grove Press , (March 2, 2006) .
Diamond , Jared . Collapse. New York : Viking Adult; 1 edition , (December 29, 2004).
The chapter “Maya” from Jared Diamond’s book Collapse illustrates how the Mayans collapse based on four of our own points. Diamond states “They did damage their environment, especially by deforestation and erosion. Climate changes (droughts) did contribute to the Mayan collapse, probably repeatedly. Hostilities among the Maya themselves did play a large role. Finally political/cultural factors, especially the competition among kings and nobles that led to a chronic emphasis on war and erecting monuments rather than on solving underlying problems, also contributed” (Diamond, 159). These four points are similar to the issues that are taking place in the United States. Climate changes are taking place, and due to Deep water Horizon so, is the alternation of the water ecosystems. Deforestation is very common, and is essential in order to give Americans their “wants” such as shopping malls, and bigger complexes. Riots occurred due to oil shocks in the 1970’s, and since the world is running so low on oil, things are just about to get worst.
Kunstler , James Howard . The Long Emergency . New York : Grove Press , (March 2, 2006) .
Diamond , Jared . Collapse. New York : Viking Adult; 1 edition , (December 29, 2004).
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