GAS-L: Mother Earth?? Then we practice matricide.

[Peter Singfield <snkm@btl.net>]

At 01:38 PM 1/24/2001 +0100, Weststeijn A <A.Weststeijn@epz.nl> wrote:

>The timeframes for CO2 mitigation and for getting an alternate energy system
>up and going co-incide. That's important.
>The principle difference between introducing renewables and nuclear
>fission/fusion world wide, is that renewables can be introduced as a widely
>distributed energy resource at multiple levels of technology (for different
>regions at different stages), while nuclear fission/fusion certainly can
>not. That's an important aspect of renewable energy systems: their
>adaptibility to local needs.  
>


I believe you hit the nail right on the head there. The USA was supposed to
solve its electrical supply problems with nuclear power. But this became
unpopular in the public mind. Many today suspect this was stimulated by a
clever campaign by companies directly involved in fossil fuel supply.

There is no question that the formula of large centralized nuclear power
plants for the concentrated power demand areas and biomass for the
decentralized areas would put an end to carbon emissions.

But we have two problems with this. One is that most of the scientific
minded people believe that CO2 emissions are not the problem -- and I
personally feel no amount of evidence will change their attitudes. 

The second is related to the first -- being as all these nay-sayers are out
there -- no initiative can be found among the masses to demand this change.

Scientifically, there is no question we could convert to nuclear power in
short order. And no question that we can't apply biomass power plants.

Sadly it is the "will" that is lacking. So -- not this turn of the wheel.

The human race has proven to be extremely difficult to drive into total
extinction. It simply takes thousands of years to recover from these
planetary purges. We are a chronic condition.

The next turn of the wheel will start with greatly depleted fossil fuels
and this will result in other methods for power generation when that
requirement time returns.

In the big picture -- this is nothing but a minor set-back.

Still -- it could have been avoided if we had preceded with nuclear power
development as lined out in the early 1960's. 

We did not -- now the piper must be paid. It makes no difference just how
many people of authority or intelligence deny all of this. 

The plain fact is though there indeed may be many reasons for global
warming on the scale we are presently witnessing -- the one clear "change"
is being ignored as a viable possibility. This kind of blindness leads
always to a great "ending". Whether it will be this specific incidence --
or another.

We are out of control simply due to our own greed for "comfort" -- ignoring
all repercussions. 

Hang on -- it is an interesting ride this next ten years.

Not every generation of man gets to witness the birthing of an ice age. 

Besides -- is it not time that this "disease" (over population of humans)
be put in remission to allow the patient (Earth and the rest of life forms)
a chance to recover?

A disease that always kills its hosts soon becomes truly extinct.

A "good" disease eventually develops into an ultimately beneficial part of
the host -- as did E-coli (the benign -- not the recently created version
due to abuse of antibiotics that has again mutated to a pathogenic level --
another fine example of man's ability to interfere with nature to his own
detriment) over a great period of time with the human digestive system --
no longer parasitical but rather in a symbiotic relationship. Without
E-coli in our intestines we can no longer survive. As a "complicated" life
form we have conquered and assimilated many "simple" life forms to become
part of this one.

The human life form is a relatively very new player in the ecosphere of
planet earth. Hopefully we will evolve to become symbiotic, rather than
stay pathogenic, to the planet that "hosts" us. At present we definitely
exhibit only pathogenic tendencies towards our host.

This time round -- we have gone to far in messing up the planet. Nature is
forced to apply a cure -- based mostly on a purging. Good species as well
as bad will get purged. Some to extinction. 

We must learn to understand that our host is really a "complicated" life
form and must be respected and treated as such. Our goal as an emerging
species should be regarding how to assimilate into a symbiotic relationship
with our host -- this planet Earth.

But certainly -- not this turn of the wheel. It is to late! The modern
human -- the dominant part of this species of man at present -- is far to
addicted to personal "comfort" to change its ways at this late time.

Peter / Belize
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