I'll bet a lot of people have forgotten this aspect of carbon dioxide

Including even elementary school students, by now we all know that CO2 is a "greenhouse gas".  There's another reason to be concerned about excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58I6YQzBrPo

Sabine is a physicist with 1.48 million subscribers to her YouTube Channel.  She covers many interesting topics, and I appreciate her dry sense of humor.  This recent piece on CO2, Elon Musk, and Trump is quite good, and less than eight minutes long.

Even Musk, who is not up to snuff on most ecological principles, cannot deny this characteristic of CO2.  In fact, he supports concern about it.  Given many of his other views on ecological matters, that's a bit amazing.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Democrats and the Meta-Crisis

Senator Warnock (Dem from Georgia) gave a great speech at the Dem National Convention in Chicago.  Parts of it touched me deeply.  Nevertheless, I've seen nothing anywhere which convinces me that mainstream Democrats (Biden, Obama, Harris, Schumer, Walz, Pelosi, etc.) fully understand the ongoing Meta-Crisis or how to address it.  The very few Dems who do (still not fully, but way above the mainstreamers) are not mainstream, and have been marginalized to the hilt (Sanders, Warren, AOC, Omar, Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, etc.).  And time is running out.

Do the Democrats understand the Crisis (in general) better than the Republicans?  Yes, apparently so.  Despite that, their grasp of the Crisis falls short of what's needed to navigate through it.  Such is the case mostly because of what appears to be a lack of Systems thinking on their part.  They tend to put each of the various aspects of our predicament into a separate "silo" (so to speak).  Deeply connected parts of the Crisis thus become separated when "solutions" are considered.  [An example is in the next paragraph.]  Most likely, the result will be a series of incomplete (or failed) responses.

Currently, the "Big Kahuna" being dealt with (barely) is Climate Change, a symptom of Ecological Overshoot.  For the most part, it has been placed in its own "silo".  Biodiversity Loss, also a symptom of Eco-Overshoot, is in another silo and is being given short shrift.  Its connection to climate disruption, soil degradation, preventing the spread of disease (pandemics) and more doesn't appear to be under consideration.  There's a lack of holistic thinking and synthesis in such a "silo-ing" approach.  Biodiversity Loss is every bit as important as Climate Change when it comes to responding to the human predicament.

The Green Party fully understands the Meta-Crisis, all aspects of it - sociological, ecological, economic, and ethical.  Those candidates should be elected, but won't be... mostly because Americans (in general) are ecologically illiterate.  [That statement is not an insult; it's an observation.  I'm illiterate about lots of things:  medical surgery, business management, particle physics, auto mechanics, etc.; there's no reason to be insulted about that:]  Plus, there's the unrelenting propaganda from most Republicans, Oligarchs, and Plutocrats.  

C'est la vie

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Brief review of some of the idiocy being promulgated primarily by various politicians

Politics is basically a flawed profession.  Why?  It often enables too much corruption, lying, and deceit.  It plays to the dark side of individuals who seek power above all else.  Finally, it too often utilizes propaganda which benefits Oligarchs/Plutocrats at the expense of Main Street.  While it's true we (all around the world) do have some politicians who are honest and ethical, unfortunately it seems they are far and few between, or perhaps reticent to speak out against the characteristics described above.

By any measure of common sense, I would think the scenarios below - brought about by various "Leaders" - are idiotic---

A Few Examples

1.  The current Israeli Leadership still is bombing/attacking structures in Gaza where CHILDREN are being sheltered, thus killing or maiming some of those innocent children.  Israel apparently believes such action is justified because Hamas people supposedly are in the same schools, houses, refugee shelters, etc.  These war crimes are being aided by munitions from the USA.

2.  The Biden Administration and probably most Republicans seem to believe Israel is NOT committing war crimes.  I believe most of the world (including me) disagrees.  The reasons for such disagreement should be blatantly obvious.  Yes, Hamas also commits war crimes; however, that's not an ethical justification for doing the same.  There is no justification whatsoever for war crimes.

3.  ALL governments which produce and maintain (or host) nuclear weapons are dangerous idiots.  Past posts on this blog have explained why.  Here's only one of them:

Public Awareness of ‘Nuclear Winter’ is Too Low Given Current Risks

Here's another:

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents REDUX

4.  Due to adherence to the secular "religion" of neoliberalism (the Market will handle any problems), most humans on Earth now have PFAS (the "forever chemicals"), micro- and nano-plastics, and other toxic substances in their blood.  PFAS, in particular, have been linked to various health problems (including cancer) and the altering of reproductive hormones, as well as other hormones.  This all has been reported in scientific studies published in professional journals.

All the above is part of Ecological Overshoot, the main cause of our current Meta-Crisis.  Too many politicians everywhere seem to NOT be paying enough attention to this complex issue.  Those who are appear to be focused on only one of the symptoms of Overshoot:  Climate Change.  Other interconnected symptoms - biodiversity loss, soil degradation, toxic pollution, water availability problems, shrinking forests, overharvesting of fish, etc. - receive scant concern.

So, What Can Be Done?

A common sense response to the above-described human predicament would be to vote politicians out-of-office who promote the idiocy.  Exercise some due diligence and vote into office those people who at least favor the elimination of Eco-Overshoot.

Given the power of Edward Bernays style Propaganda and how dogmatic most voters seem to be, the above response doesn't appear to be likely.  But here's the thing:  NO ONE can predict the future with 100% accuracy every time.  In other words, we should not quit promoting common sense just because the implementation of it seems unlikely.  History shows that many proposed scenarios which were deemed to be "hopeless" eventually took root and came to fruition.  Such is especially true in the political arena.  Without "hope" for a better future, we're just marking time.

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Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

Humans, education, A.I., technology, Nature, the loss of youth, and our meta-crisis

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFVoearUvP8

Dr. Zachary (Zak) Stein is interviewed on the Nate Hagens YouTube channel.  Dr. Stein is Harvard-educated in the fields of human development, educational neuroscience, and the philosophy of education.  His current work is in the area of mitigation of the meta-crisis.  The discussion is deep and wide-ranging, so put on your thinking cap and be as open-minded as possible.

Relative to the Crisis we're in (and in other ways), our educational system has failed us.  Stein explains how to fix it.  He also delves into how the current path of A.I. is going to make education even worse, and dangerously so.

If you can't watch the entire interview, then at least catch these two short segments:  from 1:20:25 to 1:36:01; and from 1:39:36 to 1:41:20.  Or, better yet, watch the whole thing in stages. It will wake you up to the depth of the Human Predicament, and how to mitigate it.  Too bad almost all our national politicians apparently are oblivious to all this.

It's embarrassing that the USA shortly will offer up Joe Biden and D. J. Trump as the (supposedly) best main candidates for the Presidency of the USA.  It's also shameful, and a testament to the power of propaganda, plutocrats, and the oligarchy.  So many people are much better choices.  Here are only a few:  more or less on "The Right"---anyone [is superior to Trump], including Mitt Romney and Rand Paul; more or less on "The Left"---Elizabeth Warren, Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders, and Cornel West [all are superior to Biden].

Our educational system also is to blame.  Too many people seem to be trained only for being a "Yes" employee, a work drone.  No open-mindedness, no critical thinking, no holistic thinking, little concern for ethics, and little foresight beyond job and family.  Add to all that, little interest in philosophy, history, and the biophysical basis of our existence - NATURE.  Such a scenario is a recipe for disaster.  If it is to survive and thrive, Civilization needs a lot more than only technocrats and Yes people.

Zak Stein is a comprehensive thinker with vision and a radical, but necessary, framework for building an educational network which enhances and enables human society to be its best.  His suggestions for navigating through the ongoing human predicament are an inspiring must-see.  Don't miss it.  [I recommend you turn on the captions.]

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Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

With a striking cover, the eBook version has been launched

The eBook format of my second book (which is about Sustainability for humans and Earth) is now on Amazon.  Here's the link---

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVZZW9GC/ref=monarch_sidesheet  [Scroll down to see the striking cover.]  If you don't have a Kindle gizmo, it can be read with Amazon's free App.  Please at least read the book's Description at the link (previously posted on this blog).  If not interested in the major topics, perhaps you might know of someone who would be.  Thanks. 

In about three days or so, the eBook should be on about ten or so other book venues, such as Apple Books, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, bibliotheca, and tolino.

Top-notch research scientists explain our predicament and what's required to transition to and thrive in a sustainable environment.  [So far, the Establishment's efforts in that arena are inadequate.  Too many linear, short-term thinkers.]  I'm just the messenger.

We have crucial choices to make, and they must be made ASAP.  The Future is Now.  Be informed, and please choose objectively and wisely.  Someday our children and grandchildren will thank you.

Everyone Be Well