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What We Are Waiting For: Evolving Humanity, Evolving Planet
By David Alexander of PlanetThoughts.org
If you look at it closely, the world is in a giant holding pattern. An analogy that occurs to me is that we are a 747 airplane, packed with passengers and running out of fuel, but waiting for just the right landing opportunity. Is it possible we will wait too long and run out of fuel (literally and figuratively)? The science overwhelmingly points to a variety of serious and growing problems, current and in the not-distant future. These include current lack of clean water, lack of farmland, lack of food, and near disappearance of a number of fish species. On the horizon is a conflict over energy, which has already played out several times between Russia, Ukraine, and European nations. It was one cause, it seems clear, of the war in Iraq. With China and India continuing to increase demand for coal, oil, and gas faster than the world recession shrinks demand, how long will supply keep up with demand unless prices increase dramatically? The mid to long-term issue of global warming and climate change is more icing on this "cake". So, where are the urgent measures? Has the US government closed the auto plants, as it did when the US entered World War Two, and has the government ordered emergency production of wind turbines and perhaps solar panels to capture free heat and light energy? No, we talk about gradual change over a period of 20, 30, 40 years. We are gambling with the future of the planet for thousands of years, for what? The best science indicates severe risk of tipping points being exceeded unless we make rapid change in the next few years to bring the CO2 levels back to 350ppm, but the current changes fall far short of that goal. CO2 in the atmosphere continues to increase. What are we waiting for, and why? Without claiming to be original with this thought, my observation is that evolution has prepared people (and other animals) to have a primary response only to immediate, visible threats. That is built into our primitive brain and nervous system; this is not meant to insult that part of the brain and nervous system, as they are essential for moving the hand away from a burning flame, or running fast when a bear is in pursuit (better to climb a tree, by the way). There is a different part of the brain that processes complex inputs, such as scientific data, and arrives at decisions. That part of the brain is less fully evolved and is less in control for nearly everyone. It seems only a small minority of people have that part of the brain developed (through genetics as well as education) AND are well-enough informed, that they see risk-reduction for environmental factors as requiring major, World War Two-like efforts, to change as soon as possible our use of fossil fuels, our continued growth in population, and the inefficiencies in function of the world's societies. Use of plastics and disposables, the list of unacceptable practices is fairly long, although some changes are more urgent than others. What then can be done to help change come along? One helpful action is to provide generous, complete, and accurate information to others about all the environmental issues of the day, and about what the science is telling us. This will allow those with the capacity to do so (and everyone has SOME degree of capacity), to respond and change their patterns to try and help. Another helpful action is to change one's own behaviors. Hopefully that happens as a matter of course if one cares about this whole topic. I am including changes that may be "inconvenient", such as riding a bicycle instead of driving for shorter trips, and using mass transit when possible for longer trips. It includes using less plastic, buying less, recycling, freecycling (freecycle.org), sharing, conserving energy wisely, and more. I have found that I feel better about my life as I implement these pieces. I know my limits of the moment, but I find that most changes do not end up feeling like a burden, but as a pleasure and an opportunity to live as a more responsible person. Maybe if this aspect was more widely understood, we could discuss and take action on environmental and cultural priorities with a much broader mandate, and achieve what is really needed. |
 
North Polar ice is getting younger and thinner each year
Photovoltaic technology continues to improve
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Fair enough as far as it goes, but too reasssuring. The key is in the sentence 'I have found that I feel better about my life as I implement these pieces' which is nothing to do with the planet and all about the individual. While I agree with everything that's said, I'm far more pessimistic, and nothing here answers the overriding question: How can the planet sustain the present huge human population without collapse? I believe the ecosystem will eventually wipe us out, or at the least reduce human numbers hugely to a small fraction of the present billions. If any survive the cull, it will be those hunter gatherers who still know how to live in nature. The rest will perish, and that includes me.
I noticed, days immediately after 911, how clear the skies were here in Georgia. I suppose the shock of disbelief captured the attention of millions, watching looping media information and or searching and networking on the Internet for various reasons. The point is, there was an immediate hault in emmisions from all sorts of petroleum powered vehicles, planes, cars, trucks, ... The sky reminded me of the way it use to look back in the early 70s. I could clearly see clouds forming art-like images and enjoyed the peaceful sound of nature; because noise pollution had also drastically diminished. I could hear the breeze flow through trees and the leaves appeared more vibrant with healthy wax-like sparkle.
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