tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post7017463314170927354..comments2023-11-03T11:37:04.473+00:00Comments on nothing new under the sun: Ecological and resource crises facing industrial civilisationbyron smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-36344712355303266622012-01-31T20:20:08.696+00:002012-01-31T20:20:08.696+00:00This seems to be a new site about ground-level ozo...<a href="http://www.deadtrees-dyingforests.com/" rel="nofollow">This</a> seems to be a new site about ground-level ozone by the same author as the link two posts above. The first page gives a good summary of the issue.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-6836866997502528592011-09-08T23:32:06.841+01:002011-09-08T23:32:06.841+01:00The Conversation: Phosphorus and food.The Conversation: <a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/securing-phosphorus-food-for-thought-and-food-for-the-future-756" rel="nofollow">Phosphorus and food</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-21998748952989128772011-08-04T03:40:14.039+01:002011-08-04T03:40:14.039+01:00Tropospheric ozone pollution and tree mortality. T...<a href="http://witsendnj.blogspot.com/p/basic-premise.html" rel="nofollow">Tropospheric ozone pollution and tree mortality</a>. This is a new one for me; not yet sure how "crank" it might be.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-2001721548541925122011-05-16T12:02:43.244+01:002011-05-16T12:02:43.244+01:00Global resource use could triple to 140 billion to...<a href="http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2011/05/global-resource-consumption-to-triple.html" rel="nofollow">Global resource use could triple to 140 billion tonnes p.a. by 2050</a> according to UNEP. We are currently at 59 billion tonnes, have been at 49 at 2000 and 6 at 1900.<br /><br />Where does it end?byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-83222486958855123542011-02-15T00:34:34.300+00:002011-02-15T00:34:34.300+00:00Hi Byron,
Scientific American has an article on h...Hi Byron,<br /><br /><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=farmers-in-sahel-beat-back-drought-and-climate-change-with-trees&page=4" rel="nofollow">Scientific American has an article</a> on how there is a new "Great Green Wall" growing across the Sahel as African farmers grow trees to help with their crops. It seems previous dictators declared that the peasants Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-46261452629859972582011-02-15T00:02:36.678+00:002011-02-15T00:02:36.678+00:00Desertification: According to a UN expert:
"S...Desertification: <a href="http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/drought-and-desertification-a-growing-threat-to-food-security-un-expert" rel="nofollow">According to a UN expert</a>:<br />"Since 1950, 1.9 billion hectares (4.7 billion acres) of land around the world has become degraded, a problem that has reduced harvests, contributed to changing rainfall patterns and increased the vulnerabilitybyron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-73478826542333011302011-02-08T12:57:40.823+00:002011-02-08T12:57:40.823+00:00Yes, deskilling is a corollary of societal complex...Yes, deskilling is a corollary of societal complexity, since it is the result of greater specialisation and thus interdependence. This is initially a good thing, in that it increases the stability of the system as a whole (e.g. it is a good thing that few people in most developed countries know how to use a gun, or how to conduct themselves in a fist fight), but it means that where there are (byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-14495131482228534582011-02-08T09:02:05.130+00:002011-02-08T09:02:05.130+00:00One way in which these threats increase in ferocit...One way in which these threats increase in ferocity is that humans have become deskilled in basic survival techniques. For instance, I know some people who do not know how to use public transport, since they only use their cars Many people no longer know how to cook (apart from making sammies and using a microwave), let alone find or grow their own food. If things really go bad such skills might Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10261914647414145454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-87377975224311342152011-01-03T14:29:39.043+00:002011-01-03T14:29:39.043+00:00Excellent summary of the various crises and their ...<a href="http://initforthegold.blogspot.com/2010/12/infinite-growth-and-crisis-cocktail.html" rel="nofollow">Excellent summary</a> of the various crises and their link to visions of particular kinds of economic growth.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-84157309348170403302010-10-13T16:55:22.441+01:002010-10-13T16:55:22.441+01:00Invasive species in the Great Lakes.<a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/article_b9ddf7a0-4603-531b-ad6f-d52737d7dad4.html" rel="nofollow">Invasive species in the Great Lakes</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-83714007730849186612010-09-29T03:01:11.081+01:002010-09-29T03:01:11.081+01:00Again, a very real problem! But when governments a...Again, a very real problem! But when governments and economists and big business are starting to see the sheer economic value of ecosystems, including wetlands, there is hope.<br /><br />This short audio clip actually has wetland preservation as an item. EG: They wanted to fill in the wetlands for agriculture, but realised that they were processing the town's waste and an artificial sewerage Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-11847203925526274372010-09-29T00:48:38.129+01:002010-09-29T00:48:38.129+01:00Almost half of all wetlands lost to agriculture.<a href="http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0927-hance_tcs_wetlands.html" rel="nofollow">Almost half of all wetlands lost to agriculture</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-9767287118775780312010-08-25T15:48:04.557+01:002010-08-25T15:48:04.557+01:00Helium depletion.<a href="http://www.physorg.com/news201853523.html" rel="nofollow">Helium depletion</a>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-21461930286645227172010-08-05T05:48:43.536+01:002010-08-05T05:48:43.536+01:00Hi David P,
any word yet on whether this really is...Hi David P,<br />any word yet on whether this really is the 6th great extinction event on planet earth?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-11187103107827451392010-07-20T12:49:19.986+01:002010-07-20T12:49:19.986+01:00Really 2nd overall online? Actually, looking at th...Really 2nd overall online? Actually, looking at the wiki, I note it is 2nd largest <i>English-language</i> online newspaper. Perhaps you need to watch <a href="http://nothing-new-under-the-sun.blogspot.com/2010/07/world-is-getting-smaller-or-is-it.html" rel="nofollow">this video</a>. :-)<br /><br />Drawcards? Hmmm, I'm no media expert, but speaking personally, the ecological coverage (while byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-17494985461011643002010-07-20T12:21:11.670+01:002010-07-20T12:21:11.670+01:00Brilliant! I love the Guardian. Did you know The G...Brilliant! I love the Guardian. Did you know <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_guardian" rel="nofollow">The Guardian wiki</a> explains that while the Guardian print version might come in a few places behind other British papers, the online version is the 2nd most popular paper on the planet!<br /><br />What do you think the draw cards are? ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-33226280906452394942010-07-20T12:01:19.599+01:002010-07-20T12:01:19.599+01:00Peak phosphate in the Guardian.<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/14/oil-food" rel="nofollow">Peak phosphate</a> in the <i>Guardian</i>.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-56395452774609726172010-07-14T13:13:24.448+01:002010-07-14T13:13:24.448+01:00This TED talk on population is a classic. It's...This TED talk on population is a classic. It's so good I'm adding it to my population summary page.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTznEIZRkLgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-52377080441748636222010-07-13T13:55:02.064+01:002010-07-13T13:55:02.064+01:00I've written about 350 before and joined the c...I've written about <a href="http://nothing-new-under-the-sun.blogspot.com/search/label/350.org" rel="nofollow">350 before</a> and joined the campaign. It may well be correct, though the IPCC is not incorrect to have published 450, as the 350 concept only really took off in research published after the deadline for AR4 and still represents a minority view. It is all about risk management.<br /byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-6803584285344185812010-07-13T13:39:15.542+01:002010-07-13T13:39:15.542+01:00Ha ha, sounds like a good old doomer / tub thumper...Ha ha, sounds like a good old doomer / tub thumper confronting the new and improved me. ;-)<br /><br />On decommissioning... from Barry's blog link above.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Observers of the political turmoil now underway in Ontario over the media reports that AECL bid $26 billion to build two new ACR1000 reactors (2,220 MW) are in good company trying to make sense of these figures.<brAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-41099324781478372612010-07-13T13:32:49.996+01:002010-07-13T13:32:49.996+01:00I'm totally with you on the loss of genetic di...I'm totally with you on the loss of genetic diversity and "depth". Extinctions are sexy. Falling populations? Call us when they're extinct.<br /><br />Thanks for BNC. I'll have to have a look. I also just came across <a href="http://www.marcrobertscartoons.com/index.php?globalid=1479" rel="nofollow">this</a> and thought of you. :-)byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-8009699279415135662010-07-13T13:13:20.892+01:002010-07-13T13:13:20.892+01:00Oh, I forgot to mention why I disagree with the IP...Oh, I forgot to mention why I disagree with the IPCC. It's mainly because it is still running off the 450ppm figures when there was a distinct shift a few years back towards 350ppm. James Hansen put a case that the climate world has been verifying around the globe: that we are already way past 'safe' levels at 385ppm. They used to say we had a decade to act. Now the "Climate CodeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-50429410503618581472010-07-13T12:54:23.727+01:002010-07-13T12:54:23.727+01:00I agree on being careful about the right whale sto...I agree on being careful about the right whale story. But my concern is how sneaky various local extinctions are. I'm not sure how genetically separate these right whales are from the others? The important thing with species is not just numbers, but genetic diversity and 'depth' within the species.<br /><br />Now, how much does a nuke cost? How much does a car cost? Are we talking Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-228295898646244312010-07-13T11:15:47.284+01:002010-07-13T11:15:47.284+01:00Dave - That is indeed sad news about the right wha...Dave - That is indeed sad news about the right whales. However, it is important to not overstate the case. The article points out that there are three species of right whale, and the one in question, the North Pacific right whale, has two population centres that don't seem to mix. It is the smaller of these two centres that is likely to become extinct due to low numbers and various threats. byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-9923829739781259362010-07-13T02:23:45.498+01:002010-07-13T02:23:45.498+01:00Oops... I've already had an IFR rant on this t...Oops... I've already had an IFR rant on this thread. Not meaning to troll! I lost track of whether or not I'd shared that with Dave P.<br /><br />Cheers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com