tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696027902520496320.post5575500552529970249..comments2014-05-02T21:27:21.319-05:00Comments on Of Castles and Cucumbers: Good Readsgaias daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625781455690205927noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696027902520496320.post-22773418707845579972009-07-01T18:30:12.492-05:002009-07-01T18:30:12.492-05:00know what you mean, every time I am on the compute...know what you mean, every time I am on the computer I get "Are you looking at Tasmania again?" Often I am.<br /><br />TonyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696027902520496320.post-11141461042694492352009-07-01T06:04:22.960-05:002009-07-01T06:04:22.960-05:00continued:
We have two main camps here in America...continued:<br /><br />We have two main camps here in America that both oppose the degree of sacrifice that is called for. The first are, for the want of a better term, the skeptics. Skeptics run the gamut from those who think ‘warmers’ are misinformed and overreacting to those who are certain that climate change is a hoax being perpetrated by evil conspirators bent on worldwide domination. The skeptics are convinced that any action toward reducing emissions is a waste of resources, a diversion of energy, and a subversion of personal freedom. For them, the idea of voluntary sacrifice is ludicrous. They see it as unnecessary, unpleasant, and a step toward economic suicide. Even worse would be government interference in freedom of choice or in the sacrosanct wheelings and dealings of the free market. Should the government move decisively in that direction, I fear we would risk civil unrest, if not out and out revolution. And they have the guns to do it. <br /><br />But the other camp, the greenies, are not calling for sacrifice, either. If you listen to Al Gore, President Obama, Joseph Romm, Thomas Friedman or one of the other ‘renewable energy’ proponents, you will hear how transitioning to green energy will help ‘grow the economy’ and make us more competitive in the world market. I know from whence they come. I used to be one of them. They tell us we don’t have to sacrifice our way of life, we just have to put up enough windmills and build enough solar arrays to plug in our soon-to-be-ubiquitous electric cars. We don’t have to slow our consumerism or retreat from globalization, we just need to convert to cradle-to-cradle manufacturing techniques. We don’t have to change our lifestyles, we just have to change our laws. <br /><br />Windmills are good. Solar energy is good – especially when it is used directly for passive heating, cooking, water purification, etc. Geo-thermal, hydro-electric, energy conservation and efficiency are all great. We should do as much as we can. But unless we drastically change the way we live in this world, it will be too little and too late. Something is better than nothing, but something doesn’t mean enough. <br /><br />So I continue looking for higher ground and hoping for a hurricane.<br /><br />Regards, Lgaias daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625781455690205927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696027902520496320.post-87967471053623678742009-07-01T06:04:00.736-05:002009-07-01T06:04:00.736-05:00Tony, we hit over a hundred degrees several days t...Tony, we hit over a hundred degrees several days this month -- record breaking highs for the month of June. And only a sprinkling of rain. I'm trying to grow a few vegetables out back and they are constantly thirsty despite the layers of mulch. I know that where we live is unsustainable in the long run, but DH thinks my fears are silly. <br /><br />Which is why I spend so much time on the internet -- fantasizing over real estate on higher, cooler, wetter ground (someplace with real dirt as opposed to white sand!) and hanging out with people, like yourself, who are able to read the writing on the wall.<br /><br />I'm reminded of so many times in history when the 'unimaginable' occurred – the Great Depression in America, the rise of Hitler and fascism in Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and even the current economic crisis on Wall Street. Historians look back and ask ‘why didn’t we see it coming?’ The truth is that there are always individuals who do see it coming but who are dismissed as ‘doomsayers.’ Ironically, the larger the looming disaster, the more people cling to the notion that ‘it can’t happen here.’ So now we have the biggest disaster ever on our doorstep and we are obsessing instead over the death of a rock star (I do hope Australian news has better things to report than Michael Jackson’s demise!)<br /><br />It is also true that if we are to reduce CO2 emissions adequately (as proposed by Hadley Met Centre, James Hansen, etc), we are going to have to make sacrifices; just changing our light bulbs and turning down our thermostats won’t get us there. The only way to reduce emissions far enough is to change our lifestyles – either voluntarily or through government intervention. I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but this is something the American majority is not ready to accept and probably never will be.gaias daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625781455690205927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696027902520496320.post-29175514696428128242009-06-30T18:46:18.452-05:002009-06-30T18:46:18.452-05:00GD, you can't grow crops underwater and I can&...GD, you can't grow crops underwater and I can't grow crops without water.<br /><br />My State is using desal, ground water (Aquifers) dams and more desalination. Midwinter and the dams are at 33% capacity, groundwater levels are falling. Winter water restrictions are being introduced (total sprinkler ban)<br /><br />It seems to be a wet winter but is realy well below average and is not penetrating consistantly into our farmlands.<br /><br />Regards TonyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com