Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 11:46am PT
|
I second Blahblah's above post.
I also once again congratulate the professor on that one small step at Livermore. Maybe with the army of scientists, engineers, and technicians the CAGW funding stream could buy we could have realistic, non polluting, non blighting replacement power soon.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 12:04pm PT
|
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 12:24pm PT
|
Ron, I'm pretty sure that was no mistake. But I digress.
I was hoping Ed would chime in on the fusion experiment just announced.
That should save the tortoises, shouldn't it?
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 12:33pm PT
|
No, Ron, this one actually worked. But it does appear highly unlikely it
will bear fruit any time soon. But it only took 46 years to go from the
Wright Flyer to Chuck Yeager's X-1 and technology advances at a much faster
rate these days. I bet there is a working fusion reactor in 20 years.
|
|
BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 08:16pm PT
|
Everything around you comes from some sort of extractive industry. All of your metals, including the pennies in your pocket, the metal in your car, your bicycle, everything.
The energy powering your computer probably comes from coal, although there are some "clean" things such as hydro, but they involve damming beautiful river canyons.
When talking about energy, you must admit this. I have yet to meet a person who lives totally off of the grid, in a total sense. Even a pocket knife involves metals and energy to make and ship.
Sure, mines are ugly, but nobody takes a picture of a city and calls it horrible, when in fact, our increasing population and economy are directly tied to our use of energy and metals.
This issue isn't about how ugly mountain top mining is, or why or why not we need the Keystone Pipeling or Fracking.
The best thing you can do for the environment is to cut your balls off.
That is why I think that we are screwed. We are still a very tribal species, and we will never be able to change our habits without a total 180 from some new energy technology. Sure, we can decrease our emissions, but pretty much nobody will eliminate ALL of their direct or indirect emissions.
This thread is dead. All we have is some loonies posting pilfered charts from right wing websites, and a couple of people with a little intelligence beating their heads against a wall by arguing with them. It will never end.
For instance, people are all worried about the keystone pipeline leaking into the Ogallala Aquifer. This is a silly argument. A land pipeline spill is going to be contained to a small area. At the same time, farmers are sucking the aquifer dry and polluting it by their use of fertilizers. I live a few miles north of an area where the groundwater is undrinkable by pregnant women due to nitrate pollution. The nitrates are from fertilizer on the crops.
Right now I am out on a drilling rig in western Kansas. An oil well takes up a tiny area. All around us there are center-pivot irrigation operations. You know, the pretty green circles you see when flying over the plains states.
A large amount of pollution comes from lawn treatments and farming. You will never see an environmentalist bitching about farming, but farming takes virgin prairie and converts it to a one-species (often genetically altered) non natural operation. There is very little tallgrass or short grass prairie left that hasn't felt the nibbles of cows or the carving of the plow.
Humans make a big impact on this planet now. Is that sustainable?
No.
If you understand the nature of the exponential function then you will understand that any growth is non sustainable. It is a mathematical proof.
I have no solution to offer. I assume that mother nature will take its course.
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 08:23pm PT
|
We will pay the price of not heeding Malthus, or Nostradamus.
|
|
wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 08:23pm PT
|
"I have no solutions to offer."
Well understood BASE.
But how's about Working towards some.
Why that is chastised is beyond me.
|
|
wilbeer
Mountain climber
honeoye falls,ny.greeneck alleghenys
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 09:38pm PT
|
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 09:40pm PT
|
"The best thing you can do for the environment is to cut your balls off". Well said Base. Actually ,I think there are municipalities on the right and left coasts that require their insurers to provide such "Lola" benefits already. Now if the progressives worldwide would just have enough courage to volunteer themselves for mass post partum abortions we could get a handle on this percieved sustainability problem. This thread is dead, skepticism has rightfully prevailed.
|
|
BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 10:02pm PT
|
What the hell are you talking about, Rick?
Seriously. Does anyone here understand the nature of an annual growth percentage?
OK. This lecture is math. It has nothing to do with politics, but what it means has EVERYTHING to do with the human race.
Everyone should watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=umFnrvcS6AQ
|
|
Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 11:03pm PT
|
All your years of personally demeaning anyone here that disagreed with you
It's The Irony Chef Show.
|
|
Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 11:19pm PT
|
you don't get it
Got it.
|
|
rick sumner
Trad climber
reno, nevada/ wasilla alaska
|
|
|
Feb 14, 2014 - 11:19pm PT
|
Well Base, I've read a number of projections of the population stabilizing at nine billion in the latter part of this century. The trick will be for the rest of scientific world to perform at the level of the geo sciences. Meaning ,despite naysayers like Ehrlich ,you guys have provided all the raw materials needed for this modern world. If there is a good thing to come out of hyper environmentalism perhaps it would be a change of general consciousness away from conspicuous consumption towards the virtues of conservation and doing more with less. Now if the physics boys and engineers would get their heads out their apocalyptic asses and provide the real "clean energies of tomorrow" in less than geological timescales it might just give us enough time to venture off planet for the resoutce procurement needed for long term sustainment of the species.
|
|
Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
|
|
|
Feb 15, 2014 - 12:59am PT
|
must suck to always be at war with the world.
|
|
Bob Harrington
climber
Bishop, California
|
|
|
Feb 15, 2014 - 01:09am PT
|
Amazing weather. 78 F was the high today in Bishop. Previous record high for February 14 was 74 set in 1971 (65 years of record). My neighbor's plum tree bloomed.
|
|
raymond phule
climber
|
|
|
Feb 15, 2014 - 12:17pm PT
|
Here, I did a search re. climate geo-engineering/chemtrails....
What is the connection with the possibility to use geo-engineering and the most stupid of all conspiracy theories that claim that all commercial airplanes and all airlines are involved in a conspiracy that sprays chemicals into the air?
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!