Does The Emperor Have Clothes?

Global Warming, 1st issue LOL. We are having some strange weather right now. I am not sure. Should I leave Hoodies on or not.

"Do these issues concern you?"

Not in the least.

"Do you believe that we are in the process of self-destruction?"

No.

"Have you altered your lifestyle in response?"

Absolutely not.

"Does the emperor have clothes?"

I have no idea what that means in this context.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Dan,

It is heart warming to know you are difficult. LOL

Dave

Joe I completely agree with you.

When I look at what we, the human race, have done to this planet and continue to do an a daily basis it terrifies me too. I used to wish my children will someday have children so I can be a grandmother...I no longer feel so strongly about that...and on many levels hope they do not bring new life into this world which we seem to be striving to leave to the cockroaches.

I would like to see hope for this biosphere in which we live...there is so much we can do to ensure we continue to have oxygen to breathe and water to drink...food to eat... but there are days when I look at it all as hopeless. Global society sees our most valuable resources as oil and gold...uranium...coal...and whatever else has monetary worth....all mined and extracted at the expense of our most valuable resources... the only two we can NOT live without...oxygen and H20. The two most vital elements are being destroyed at an alarming rate. And even more unfortunate is the fact that the rate of increase accelerates on a daily basis and will continue to increase unless the world as a whole cooperates.

A while back I was out doing some sort of site inspection and while I was talking to the property owner the subject of his septic system came up. From taking a visual it was determined it might be a good idea to run a dye test as a good portion of the leach field was excessively damp. I explained that when we flush the system with dye it will indicate if the source of standing water was from the system itself or if it was an underground spring invading the system. He then asked what my biggest concern would be and I told him that would be the dye coming out of the house faucets. The possibility that the septic could leach into his well never entered his brain. I could see the wheels turning...must have been thinking of all the junk that might have gone into that system. A classic case of the magic toilet. Just flush and it's gone.

I haven't even gotten started but yes these things do concern me. And I don't think that until the world sees that the emperor is bare butt naked will change come....I just hope it is not too late....but fear that it is.

@Dan your answers surprise me!

I'm not investing in any real estate in Florida or on the coast.

@Dan your answers surprise me!"

These are my thoughts exactly, expressed by a true master of the English language. No one has ever said it better. Strong thoughts, strong language.




Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Oh Dan as always he is funny! My perspective is slightly different more like this...

Val, that's beautiful. Loved it. I hear the identical message.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Yeah I just find it so sad that as a species we are so highly evolved and so darn stupid at the same time.

"Yeah I just find it so sad that as a species we are so highly evolved and so darn stupid at the same time."

I understand what you're saying. I consider mankind little more than a new, experimental species. We'll evolve only if we survive, and that's hardly certain.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

I'm trying to figure out where the best oceanfront property will be in the Poconos.

We will be reliant on Photovoltaics. The development rate of PV is second only to Moore's Law for transistor chips.

We are not there yet to where PV can do the job. Soon we will be.

Dave
http://bridburg.com

David we need to be reliant on it now and we should be which is so frustrating.

Valarie,

It is not ready for prime time. It is getting there.

Dave
http://bridburg.com

? The unclothed emperor doesn't really fit in to the topic, but okay, I'll bite. These concerns tend to come in waves, and I've lived long enough to have experienced a few. Does anyone remember "population zero" in the early 70s? That was soon forgotten. I guess we still have Earth Day. Every generation, it's something new to worry about. That said, however, I think concern for the planet has grown momentum. Two steps forward, one step back, that kind of thing. I try to be mindful of my contribution to betterment and reduction of waste. We are not going to hell in a handbasket, so stop worrying and enjoy your coffee. Preferably not in a keurig (whatever happened to wastefulness?).

The bizarre behavior of the human race would make an outside observer wince. "85% of the world population lives in the driest half of the planet. 783 million people do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation. 6 to 8 million people die annually from the consequences of disasters and water-related disease" (source: http://www.unwater.org/water-cooperation-2013/water-cooperation/facts-and-figures/en/)

The other 4.5 billion worry about wrinkles, celebrities and other absurdities. Humanity is totally screwed up on a global scale and we better hope that no extra terrestrials stumble across us until we get sorted out.

The earth will survive one way or another. Humanity will wane at some point, and if it's not here in 50 years it's really not for me to worry about. I will be no more than dust...

Unfortunately I have to agree with Dan and the guy in his video: We don´t destroy the planet. We are going to destroy ourselfs. We don´t have to protect or save earth. After the last human is gone, the planet will recover from us pretty quick.

Mr. Carlin has strong opinions, but misrepresents the facts. But then, as a scientist I don't look to comedians for information on the biosphere.

Yes, most species have gone extinct in the history of the earth. But the rate of extinction is much higher now and can be traced directly to habitat loss caused by humans. He doesn't even have the numbers right (see below). So, it's not arrogance or self-importance to think that we can impact life on the planet in significant ways. It's fact.

He also raises straw man arguments. The phrase "save the planet" is a slogan. I know plenty of environmentalists and biologists. Not one of them literally thinks the planet itself will cease to exist because of our actions.

And of course he totally ignores legitimate moral questions raised not just by loony environmentalists but by serious philosophers. Questions like the morality of wasting dwindling resources. Or engaging in actions that lead directly to the loss of another species for no better reason than our own greed and desire for ever more material goods. Or leaving the world in worse condition for future generations in terms of clean air, clean water, available fresh water, natural beauty, good croplands, forests, etc.

It's so easy to be fatalistic - the planet will survive, there will be a new normal, what we do in the grand scheme of the universe doesn't matter. What a great rationalization to just go ahead and do whatever we feel like. Heck, let's use every last redwood to build decks. They're all going to be extinct eventually anyway. Damn future generations - full speed ahead!

As the bumper sticker says "Earth FIRST! We'll destroy the other planets later."

Note, I don't think we are literally destroying Earth. But we are altering it in ways that destroy the ability of numerous other species to survive on it. And we're the ones with the moral sense.

Let future generations pay. We'll live it up while the living's good.

I also don't know how Mr. Carlin can see inside the hearts and minds of environmentalists to make the blanket statement that "they" don't really care about the earth and are only concerned about themselves. There are likely to be magnificently beautiful and habitable places on Earth for the remainder of the lives of environmentalists. It's the time frame beyond their lifetimes and the effect on others that is in question.


He needs to get the facts right.
"Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day [1]. It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century [2]." Center for Biological Diversity, published sources therein

Just to clarify the emperor analogy, and how it applies to this topic...

Assuming you're familiar with the story, the idea is that nobody dared to speak the truth, except for one individual.
It's much easier to just keep doing what the crowd is doing, even when you know it's wrong.

When I ask, "Does the emperor have clothes?" I'm asking if you're that individual...

Joe Burgess
J.B. Imagery

I'm not overly concerned but, I hate being wasteful, so I try to monitor my usage of resources on a day-to-day basis.

Its going to get ugly as climate change effects the world's food and fresh water supply and as more an more of our resources get used in cleaning up after extreme weather events that become more and more common.

I vote for progressives. Drive a plug-in hybrid. Combine my trips. Use renewable fuel as much as I can to heat my home. Recycle. Compost. Garden. I've been eating less meat.

If you believe in evolution.

Where everything is constantly evolving.

Doesn't it follow, that every" right thing" we do today will by necessity be" wrong" tomorrow ?

Just asking

Hyoye,

I think you need to buy one of my prints, Global Warming. I think it would look great in your home.

Shameless plug.

Dave

I try to conserve and not waste wherever I can. I believe we have a responsibility to steward the planet we live off of.

A notable problem is that most of the polluting population doesn't have the luxury of conservation. (China, India, specifically) However the United states is one of the world's top offenders, and we in the US are in a relatively affluent country where most of us have more options before lunch than the other 90% of the world has all year. We're a nation of rebels and innovators who don't like to be told what to do - that's important to recognize as something that will have to be carefully navigated. Good luck taking away Mr. Neighbor's monster truck, or suggesting to him that he keep his house at 78 in the summer, or that he water his lawn less, or that he should be careful with weapons.

You can never force someone into right action - force inspires opposing force in most animals, humans included. This is why when water restrictions are put in place people over-water their yards out of spite and pay the fine. This is why people smoke in the hospital after lung cancer diagnoses. Over generalizing here, but humans, as a whole, would rather have their individual way than ensure the way for an unknowable future. We're an instant gratification species. We weren't always, I don't think, but we are now. Our tribe got too big.

So, if you believe this is a problem, you do what you can. Live the life you think is right, and work in your community and beyond to support others who feel the same way and try to persuade by example and result. The burden of change lies with individuals.

Dave, That is another issue, if you want to be that child who speaks up.
Greed! LOL That is a great work of art! I agree

Maybe less talk about green and conservation and more talk about thrift is in order. Our grandparents and great grandparents were right about some things or they couldn't have survived.

Why can't we have more modular design so we can swap out outmoded components rather than ditch the whole device? Why not wear clothing that is properly reinforced where elaborate embroidery, button holes, or pockets require it? And if we're really serious about the environment, why exempt one of the worst polluters from the same requirements we would apply to our own countries or continue to award contracts to those who have a record of dumping bio wastes in the rivers of those without political clout to oppose it? Frankly all this seems more about "not in my back yard" and "how can I get more money out of this" than about caring about resources. If we really cared, then we wouldn't be using energy to process perfectly edible food for a fuel that is guaranteed to put more engines in the landfills sooner. Our ancestors would be shaking their heads for sure.

Roger when I think of evolution I think of what naturally occurs. Evolving over eons. Humans threw a monkey wrench into what would have been natural occurrences...changing the lives of other species... It DID follow that what we considered the "right" thing to do ended up "wrong" ....

Hyoye,

Thanks for the compliment. I will have to live with that alone. LOL

Dave

Frankly I dont think the alternatives PV, batteries, fuel cells etc are ready as in effective, efficient, cheap etc.....

From in the ground to powering up your light bulb or in this case your monitors, 92% of all the fossil fuels' energy is wasted
in the process, not the end result your light bulbs etc being lit up. 92% down the drain. So if you shut off a light
in an empty room it matters.

This also shows you how low the bar is for PV. PV right now in most locals can not completely replace an electric line, but
that day is coming.

Dave

Clearly makes sense to me that Moore's Law was stated and promised to industry, I am very hopeful that solar energy will be more common to the consumer market in short time.
The complication is that the oil industry doesn't allow it for this reason "Greed " is a big issue.

Tesla just released its home battery,
http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall

Sydne, I love all things Tesla and Elon Musk, founder of Space Exploration Technologies.

"Earth FIRST! We'll destroy the other planets later."

There's truth in that humor. We need to get back to solving interplanetary travel ASAP. Sooner or later, we MUST expand life beyond Earth.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

Theodore Roosevelt
To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed.

Dan, Elon Musk is one of the greatest men of this generation. He works tirelessly for the betterment of mankind.

Last year, in a move that defies typical entrepreneurship, Tesla released all their patents to public domain. Anyone can now access, recreate and improve upon their ground-breaking technologies.
This idea flies in the face of all traditional concepts regarding capitalism, innovation and competition.

It seems the world of technology is starting to recognize the benefits of mutual access and open source collaboration as opposed to hoarding the information and plunder for personal benefit.
I hope that society in general soon learns to follow suit...

Joe Burgess
J.B. Imagery

Dan,

Re...." We need to get back to solving interplanetary travel ASAP. Sooner or later, we MUST expand life beyond Earth. "

I, totally agree ......The best way to save this earth is to go out beyond and look back

It is not what we don't know, it is what we know is a danger to us. It is the money.
let's assume that we have this brilliant idea about solving the problems on the planet earth, but the greed will destroy the idea.
I hope we can do the right thing, but the 1% of the population will put a stop to this process in disguise.
Great we have this innovative idea and all enthusiastic about things, but Petroleum industry will not allow it. You know who those are.
When supreme court made a decision in the citizen's united case, these are the price you pay. That is enough for that talk.

Roger,

That looks like one of my cut and pastes. Just kidding.

Beautiful blue marble.

Dave

Hyoye,

When it comes to PV in sunny places, the utility companies are outlawing attaching them to their grid.

Not just greed, but evil.

Dave

Don't mean to be pessimistic. certainly not dystopian society. we have hopes and dreams and many good things.
I saw Yellow-rumped warbler, Yellow warbler, Magnolia warbler today at birdwatching. The Earth is still beautiful.
I might just settle with listening to Dvorak's New world symphony.

So knowing that the planet will survive long after it shakes humans off "like fleas", does that make it acceptable to agitate it to the point that it does?

Joe Burgess
J.B. Imagery

I try to concern myself only about the things which I can control, (and that's tough enough!). Preoccupying myself with worry over things I cannot do anything about just robs me of my own life. All you can do is what you can do, worrying about anything more is just a waste of time.

I too value our natural places, the value of our ecologic systems, and the importance of wild undeveloped spaces, and the importance of conserving natural resources, not squandering the future inheritance of our descendants on materialistic and selfish living.

On the other hand, I abhor systems that devalue human life and freedom, and are willing to sacrifice life and opportunity to make questionable impact on our future environment. Be careful not to fall into this category in your thinking. Zero Population Growth is one such goal. Taken seriously, this would be one the worst imaginable draconian objectives. Choosing not to have a large family is fine. Forcing this choice on others is not. This is just one small example among thousands of radical, inhumane thinking which passes unchallenged in the assumptions of many. Everything costs something. Many proposals to fix environmental problems imply problems that may be worse than the problems they try to correct. Who should we save the environment for? I suggest we should save it, first and foremost, for future generations of human beings.

Another example: Wind farms. Wind farms are dangerous, expensive, and harmful to migratory birds. Indeed, used in massive scale, they could adversely affect climate. Likewise, tidal power generators would generally be disruptive to ocean ecosystems. We need more engineers and capitalists to tackle these problems, and fewer politicians and philosophers to foist ill-conceived dreams on a gullible public without concern for unintended consequences.

Re: Wind Farms

I have many friends that believe that wind farms are the answer.

I ask them if they would be willing to have that constant....UMPH, UMPH, UMPH....in their backyard


Making our current roadways a power source IS the answer

Man is a polluter no doubt about that. But man has always thought he was significant to effect the planet as many claim is a little grandiose IMO.

One volcano can pollute and change weather patterns for years. Continents are drifting and as they do so currents of the oceans shift. This has happened for millions of years and will continue.

So to ask if I worry about man made global/climate change nope. I worry about people in power telling all of us to cut back as they continue living their lives with no changes and the thousands who listen to them and say it is true.

Science once thought the world was flat, it once thought travel in outer space was impossible, it bases current theory on a little over a century of record keeping just statistics which can be spun to tell a tale, remember the ice age scare in the 70's, nuff said.

Here's a quote I keep taped to the first page of my prayer book:
"Our ideals, laws and customs should be based on the proposition that each generation in turn becomes the custodian, rather than the absolute owner of our resources---and each generation has the obligation to pass this inheritance on to the future."
___Alden Whitman

There's no question man makes an impact and we should all do our part to avoid waste, I believe man is a steward as Marlene's quote indicates. However I'm leery of much of the "environmental" legislation since it's all too often politically motivated, or is misguided and under evaluated for long term effects and so often does more harm than good.

Our 4-year long drought in California is really having repercussions now and it's really an eye opener for many people. We have neighbors reporting water wasters... i.e. if you are watering your lawn on the wrong day , or in some places, watering your lawn at all. People are getting incentives now for converting their lawns to decorative gravel or just native plantings (no grass at all). Even manufactured turf is becoming more popular. I live in the City and don't have a lawn. I try to save water by not letting it run while brushing my teeth, only doing full loads of laundry, and limiting showers to about 8 mins. Even when we do get adequate rain (if we ever do!) it's still going to take years to recover and get the reservoirs back up to normal levels. The struggle is very real for the farmers and grape growers in Napa. The impact is really hitting home.

Joy,
we are always in a state of drought and most people I know are very water conscious. I see that Tucson is much more responsible than Phoenix is....we discourage swimming pools and green grass that requires a lot fo watering....

Marlene, Arizona is mostly desert, am I correct? If you've ever flown into LA, the squares, ovals, and circles of all the aqua blue swimming pools is really a sight to see. I don't know what the SoCal folks are gonna do if there's a ban on filling your swimming pool. The prices on fruits and nuts at the farmers markets have really increased. I think being able to buy a nice bottle of CA wine or have walnuts or even tomatoes is going to become a luxury very soon. In any case, you're right...conservation should always be practiced whether there's a current emergency or not.

"..People are getting incentives now for converting their lawns to decorative gravel..."

Joy,

I arrived in San Diego in 1972, compliments of Uncle Sam, and it's the first time I saw yards with gravel in them instead of actual grass. Being from Kentucky, where we have an abundance of greenery, that struck me as strange at that time. Conserving water is not new to anyone who has served aboard ship, where you make your fresh (potable) water from seawater. When the "Evaps" break, and you can't make water, you conserve even further.

How about 40 years of learning to conserve water: (GTMO)

http://www.dsjournal.com/greenatgtmo.html

Greg, I keep seeing newscasts about converting seawater and even waste water into drinking water. And these incentives for having a gravel lawn are in the thousands of dollars. You can't drink money and California has plenty of that :) Restaurants no longer automatically serve you water...you have to ask for it.

RE: Drought in California

Watering lawns, swimming pools, and a glass of water at a restaurant are mere drops in the bucket.

The main culprit is Agriculture with it's insatiable appetite for water...and the waste of much of the water to satisfy that appetite

Reports are China has more limited water supplies than the US. So China is going to start to import more and more
food from the US. The exact ratio is probably different from crop to crop, but a rough idea is 1000 tons of water
for one ton of grain.

In reality China will be importing our water. Killing many birds with one stone.

Get ready for food prices to rise longer term.

Next feeding corn to cows, I now understand that cows do not in nature eat corn. This has been
the reason antibiotics are given to cows. The whole set up is unnatural.

Dave

"The prices on fruits and nuts at the farmers markets have really increased."

The price of food in the grocery store is not really effected by the price of water.

$1 worth of strawberries in the stores cost the farmers 5 cents to grow. Of the 5 cents, not even a penny is the cost of water. The big cost is the labor to plant, maintain and harvest the fruit.

This was right out of the Santa Barbara County Department of Agriculture report of just a few weeks back. Santa Barbara Country is in the third largest strawberry growing region in the state.

When they use the water shortage as ploy to raise prices, that is all it is, a ploy.


Now figure in the factor that it has been proven by several university, including Berkeley and Stanford that they can grow crops in huge old WW II blimp hangers in San Francisco using less fertilizer, less water, less labor, less pesticides and less then anything else, we are not even close to seeing food shortage.

All that said, ag is still the largest user of water in California. They are also one of if not the largest growers of wine grapes and strawberries in the country. These two crops use a tremendous amount of water. They are literately pumping water out of the ground and shipping it out of the state and country in the way of fruit and wine.

Until they limit that, you can turn all the lawns, empty all the swimming pools and stop flushing all the toilets, and still no put much of dent in the water shortage.