№ 575: Grow, Grow, Grow Your Bloat (an indifferent view)

Your Tuesday Briefing

The environment vs. population growth

In smaller U.S. cities and rural areas, demographic decline is a painful reality. Hungary is worried about a declining population. So is Japan. Even China.

It’s an economic truism: Growing populations drive economies.

But in this era of climate change, is it wiser to have fewer people to house, feed and provide power for?

A street in Tokyo.  Toru Hanai/Reuters

Globally, a smaller population would “make a difference, certainly,” said Joseph Chamie, a former U.N. population official. “Fewer people means fewer items consumed, and fewer resources used, so your carbon footprint would be less.”

But limiting population growth, he said, can’t solve the environmental problems caused by mass production and consumption.

And companies whose business models rely on constant growth have little incentive to change. More customers and more consumption mean more profits.

“We can try to maintain the quality of the environment,” Mr. Chamie said. “But we have to change our mind-set regarding how the economy moves.”

IN POINT OF FACT, April 16

Capitalism. 
It says it depends

on population expansion that never ends.

That people can breed without restriction

is Capitalism's most favored fiction.
I am not saying that's a pipe dream.
To me it seems more Ponzi scheme.

“There's always more land, there's always more oil,

there's always more fish, who cares if we spoil

a river or three or all seven seas

plus every ocean . .who needs all these trees?

Or any animals that we can't eat?

Except pets we think are sweet.

Or prestigious. 

Or, on occasion sexily dangerous.

“We'll manage somehow as we have until now.

Unless we don't. In which case we won't.

This is our planet we can take it for granite.

We don't need advice how to handle our gneiss.

If the gods be annoyed, they'll send asteroids

to settle their scores like with dinosaurs.

(They killed the herds. Excepting the birds.)

With so many alive, some will survive.

Unless they don't. In that case they won't.”

№ 549: Home Improvement

Why We Stink at Tackling Climate Change

Global threats result from human culture outrunning human biology.

Our biologically evolved selves are quite good at perceiving events that are prompt and threatening; those that are slow-moving, although equally threatening, not so much. A fire in a building and people run outside. A slow moving fire in the Earth’s thermal budget and people hardly notice. For nearly all of our evolutionary past, it was not adaptive to detect such slow-motion changes, and so our ability to do so is limited.

The Risks, Rewards and Possible Ramifications of Geoengineering Earth’s Climate

Injecting aerosols into the stratosphere could help cool the planet, but scientists have yet to study exactly how such solar geoengineering would work

Researchers have proposed brightening clouds, making sea spray more reflective, or even launching a giant mirror into space to reflect extra sunlight. The most promising and affordable of these methods is stratospheric aerosol injection, which involves spewing tiny particles into the upper atmosphere. Those particles would reflect sunlight away from the Earth, effectively dimming the sun and, in theory, cooling the planet.

That's how things go, we evolve in slow-mo

and we never have the foggiest no-

tion of what to expect from downstream effects

that flow from (misguided) “improvement” projects.

It's not that complex, we're vexed by biology.

We see no need to utter apologies

for mistakes that were made. (Which were inevitable.)

Just wait, next time, we'll be incredible.

(I would speculate — strictly between us —

this aerosol thing is what happened to Venus
where life evolved before here on Earth.
Just my opinion, for whatev' that's worth.
But all of this stuff is taking a toll.
Perhaps we'd be safer burning more coal.)

№ 545: After Protagoras

Are We Really the Smartest Kid on the Cosmic Block?

It’s unlikely, and if we keep thinking otherwise, we might be missing some important clues about the existence of extraterrestrial life

. . . this attitude may be one sign that our intelligence isn’t very impressive—that the human race as a whole suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect, in which those with mediocre abilities insist that they’re unusually talented or smart.

This attitude: man is the measure of things —

government, climate change, Buffalo wings —

smacks of what the Greeks meant by hubris.

The result, I expect, will not be salubrious.

Our very best scientifical thinking

clearly shows we haven't an inkling

of reality, space, time and matter

which we can't relate to pitter patter

baby steps of each little feat

we mistakenly think makes us elite.

№ 467: Sustainability Overruled!

Foreign Policy: Why Growth Can’t Be Green (Bypass subscription stuff to read article)

New evidence suggests that green growth isn’t the panacea everyone has been hoping for. In fact, it isn’t even possible.

BUT. . .if we really try,
surely we can
come up with something.
We are God's plan!

If God's people can't,
perhaps scientists
can make sure the species
will somehow persist.

After all,
we are the point.
Why God (or Nature)
created this joint.

It couldn't be,
in any event,
that Nature thinks us
irrelevant.

Are we not blessed?
(Or, at worst, Earth's curse?)
Are we NOT the reason
for the Universe?!

You don't mean however much
some of us rant,
we won't save the planet
because we can't?

DAMN!

№ 442: The Problem

With all our “differences”
our difference IS
NOT in skin tone embedded —
it's not geographic or ethnic.
It is not religious — and this is critical —
despite what you think, it isn't political. 
It's not genetic and it isn't sexual.
(And it's for dead certain, it ain't intellectual.)
It's not favorite comics or economics,
it isn't the language we speak,
the songs we sing,
the flag we salute,
our favorite pursuit, 
if we pollute,
who's more hirsute.
None of these is really to blame.
Withal these “differences”,
we're all the same.

We can't get along
because I'm-right-you're-wrong
is always the name of the game.
THAT is THE problem!
(It's a GDF! shame.)

All the way back
to Pandora's jar,
our problem, as always,
is, sadly, WE ARE.

№ 437: Dominion (PRESTO!: a GOP/Christian/Libertarian Mephistophelean manifesto)

We are God's carnivores!

God made us free

to eat anything
we decree, 

in any way, 
dumber than we.

We human beings —

God's chosen, US! —

are allowed to eat everything.

What's to discuss?

Interpolating

God's clear intent,

we can DO ANYTHING!

(Except during Lent.

When, for example,

in place of hair shirts

we show we're holy

by skipping desserts.)

It also follows,

as night does day,

the best amongst us

have final say

on WHO gets to live

WHO needs to die

WHO does NOT get

a sliver of pie.

If you are a slave
and I am free
it's what God wants
for eternity.

It's all in accord

with Almighty's plan.

You know, “Almighty”?

Roosian-born Ayn?

Though Jesus is still

our afterlife darlin',

for here and now livin',

we prefer Rand and Darwin.

BONUS FOR US CARNIVORES


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