In my last post I discussed a pending extinction event, and one of my valued readers (MoonDawg) asked me to elaborate on my analysis that led to this alarming conclusion. I tried to summarize my thinking in a few words, but later, I realized that I needed to make an iron-clad analysis that supports my view available to all of my readers. So, here it is, presented by many others besides myself. The only question in my mind is if I got the timeframe correct (2040). I don’t think it is far off the mark. So, here are some very short videos that support my conclusion. I will follow up soon with a post detailing my ideas for a fix. First of all, read this: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/5/e1400253
The oceans:
Worldwide deaths of coral reefs:
The impact of overfishing:
The Amazon Rainforest:
Greenland Ice melting:
Recent ice melting in Antarctica:
A Planetary Perspective:
The global water crisis:
Depletion of soils due to industrial agriculture:
Overpopulation crisis:
See full article: Risk to life on Earth
I hope Mr. Vladimir Putin reads this. It is my hope that he stops threatening the USA with nuclear warfare if he doesn’t get his way in Eastern Europe, and starts contributing to the survival of humanity by removing all of the nuclear waste, reactors, and decrepit nuclear submarines that Russia has been secretly dumping haphazardly in the Kara Sea, the Barrets Sea, and Northern Pacific. And Russia is not the only country that did this. It is a time bomb that will guarantee the demise of much remaining oceanic life as it migrates to the cooler waters in order to survive. The greatest impact of this trashing of the ocean will be on the Russians who depend on fishing there to feed the people of the country.
A little bit of good news for you:
http://www.livescience.com/48880-antarctica-sea-ice-thickness-mapped.html
[i]Antarctica’s ice paradox has yet another puzzling layer. Not only is the amount of sea ice increasing each year, but an underwater robot now shows the ice is also much thicker than was previously thought, a new study reports.[/i]
And..
http://www.destination-scuba.com/Coral-reef-recovery.html
[i]New Research appears to show that there is hope that Coral reef recovery, from damage resulting from climate changes, is more possible than previously understood. The University of Exeter has released a study, published in January 2010, where the evidence suggests reefs in Marine Protected Areas (MPA) can recover from the detrimental effect of a warming climate.[/i]
Hi virtualsky, thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate you thoughts on this post. I wish I had your positive outlook. Unfortunately, a few bright spots in the developing trend to human extinction does not mean that a solution is at hand. Far from it. It will take centuries and a much smaller footprint of mankind on the planet to achieve the homeostasis established by nature over millions of years. A far more radical solution is required, a comprehensive change in the way humanity lives and interacts with other lifeforms on the planet is necessary, and it must happen within the timeframe I suggested.
You’re most welcome. It was a few years ago when I was feeling quite overwhelmed as to what is happening in this world. But, thankfully, my (and my wife’s) heart was changed, our eyes were opened and we were lead to the life we are now living.
Ultimately, the only effective thing we can really do is control the life that we lead for ourselves. That is why we (my wife and I) are where we are today. Working for a corporation and giving much of our hard earned money over to a government, neither of them sharing our moralities, was something we didn’t want to do any more. Trying to change either of them at this point would be next to impossible, so the next best thing was to not support them or contribute to their efforts as little as possible.
So now we’re independent, living and working on our own homestead, living close to our Lord, raising our own food, building our own home with our own two hands (I’ve never built anything larger than a set of steps to a back door before this), on the road to self sufficiency. We feel that, if everyone lived a simpler life, doing more things for themselves, and approached life with more humility, the world would be a better place. But that’s just my opinion.
We need more forward thinks such as you and your wife, virtualsky. Here is a very, very important article that one of my good back-packing friends sent to me in response to this post. Everyone should read this:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/15/rate-of-environmental-degradation-puts-life-on-earth-at-risk-say-scientists
I’ll be sure to check out that article.
Thanks!
David.
virtualsky’s http://www.destination-scuba.com/Coral-reef-recovery.html link shows that if humans get out of the way, nature can come back, and a lot more quickly than anyone realizes. People have to learn to work with nature, as opposed to exploiting the hell out of it, then moving on like a plague of locusts. Will we? On the one hand, the last gasps of fossil fuel dinosaurs threaten to blow a lot of houses down. On the other, successive generations are being taught better ways, environmental consciousness, and new – cleaner – technologies. Time will tell.
PS: Hey, Ravo! Long time no talk! How’s things? 🙂
Hi ya, clean! How’s my favorite pal down under? I’m doing well in spite of the COPD. I hope your artwork & writing are headed in the direction you like. We have to redefine what ‘Nature’ really means. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT HUMANS ARE SUPERIOR TO ANY OTHER ORGANISM ON THE PLANET. We are merely along for the evolutionary ride. :p
The way I see it, it’s the ways of our ancestors that we’ve forgotten and have to relearn and not necessarily us having to learn better ways as our societies “progress”. Just about all of the skills I’ve learned, out here on the homestead, are skills that probably a lot of people used to have no more than fifty or so years ago. And these old skills that I’ve had to relearn have got to be the most environmentally friendly ways of doing things I’ve ever seen or done before.
After just a year of being out here, living a simpler life, I’m coming to the conclusion that “modern science” and technology is probably the most detrimental thing to ever happen to the earth, to the environment, and to the human soul. One of the main problems I now see with technology is that it makes it easier for human kind to satisfy its greedy intentions. For I no longer believe that the earth cannot support all of the people; what I believe is that the earth cannot support the greed that resides in our hearts.
I don’t think we need “cleaner” technologies – I think we need to return to older technologies.
Hi again, virtualski, I can understand the disgust you feel about science & technology. The problem is that like guns, these disciplines get misapplied or worse, are not vetted at all, and used willy-nilly by idiots and the lazy. In reality they are the only tools that will save us. I do believe that you are on the right path at present, and you will succeed if you view your property as a microcosm and treat it like a miniature ‘Spaceship’ Earth. The goal, of course, is to become self-sufficient. I’m sure you are aware of the Whole Earth Catalog. I surely value the copy I bought in the 1970s, as it still has ideas we can use today. Forget the communes, however. They tend to collect slackers and sex fiends! :p
Very true, Dave. Like most things, there are some people who are responsible with them and then there are those who pervert them into terrible weapons of immorality and destruction. Unfortunately, at present, those in power tend to fall into the second group. And these days, I’m skeptical of most organizations – everyone seems to have their hidden agendas or misguided objectives.
As for the best way be saved, well, I have a different opinion about that altogether. 😉
-David.
Thanks for the links and your good input on this issue. My brother’s foundation (Seacology) has legally protected thousand of oceanic reefs around the world through exchanging the construction of schools and hospital/medical clinics for the islanders. In this arrangement, the islanders are also the wardens that look for violators of the pacts, such as the popular commercial dynamite fishing that also destroys the coral reefs in the process.
Again, sorry for the delay in my response to your thoughtful remarks.:)