"The System" is a Superorganism, & it craves GROWTH at any cost

  "The System" is a Superorganism which started about 10,000 yrs ago with the advent of the raising of annual grains which could be stored.  Ag surplus made division of labor possible, and that yielded hierarchy and inequality.  No conspiracy, just social evolution.  The System kept growing and expanding until eventually it was a runaway machine...with no one at the helm.  Exactly what we have today.  And it just keeps expanding.  It ignores biophysical limits, which means it's bound to collapse.  The only thing in question is "when".

Constant "Growth" requires ever more fossil ENERGY.  The problem is:  "easy energy" (cheap in cost and easily extractable from the ecosphere) - for all practical purposes - is gone.  Never mind (not really) the environmental damage caused by fossil energy; soon the "Energy Return on Investment" (EROI) will discourage investors.  Plus, compounding the problem, manufacturing renewable energy at the required scale requires:  (1) massive amounts of new mining and refining of dozens of metals and other minerals, many of which also are no longer "easy"; and (2) a huge expansion of power transmission lines, the "energy grid".  Both (1) & (2) require significant amounts of time and investment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=undp6sgCIX4

Growth requires more energy, and more of that enables our society to become more complex, and then more complexity requires even more energy.  Establishment thinkers believe such a situation can continue without restraint.  Infinite Growth.  They appear to think Technology and increasing efficiency will allow such to continue.  The Laws of Nature (especially in Physics and Ecology) say otherwise.  We must convert from high-energy use to low-energy use if we are to survive and thrive.

BOTTOM LINE---  Growth of "The System" needs to be not only reduced, but also eventually eliminated.  We humans have used more energy in the last thirty years than in the prior 150 years, and demand for energy still is increasing.  Such a scenario simply is not sustainable.

RELATED NOTE---  Growth also can be one of several causes of war:  https://steadystate.org/the-crisis-in-the-middle-east-is-a-crisis-of-growth/?blm_aid=122634 

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Censorship on the political Right and the political Left equals INTOLERANCE on both sides

 Some on the Right ban books (really? - in this day & age?!), and those books are not breaking the Law.  They don't contain libel, or promote something illegal such as child pornography or insurrection.  Writing about gender issues or systemic racism is not against the Law.  Neither is writing about socialism.  All this is not rocket science; it's simply common sense, right?

Some on the Left engage in cancel culture and beyond-the-pale political correctness.  They try to shame people and/or cause speaking events to be cancelled.  The targets of their "holier-than-thou" onslaught have not broken any laws.  Instead, they have views different from those on the Left.  Now, obviously, if a speaker is advocating insurrection, or some other illegal action, then of course the event should be shut down.  Threatening anyone with bodily harm (even if it's not related to insurrection) is a form of assault, and is against the Law.  Having different views is not.

Here's a clip for all the holier-than-thou True Believers on the Right and the Left---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDTi2eMW26U

WARNING:  for people who, for whatever reason, are psychologically fragile when it comes to coarse language (so-called "cussing"), be aware that such is contained in this less-than-eight-minute clip.

I imagine the practitioners of intolerance think they have really good reasons for their actions, or even believe it's not intolerance at all.  But here's the thing:  if the target of your action is not breaking the Law, then your activity regarding the person(s) demonstrates your intolerance of their freedom.  For some odd reason, you believe they should act as you act, think as you think, believe as you believe.  Even if they aren't breaking the Law, you can't tolerate whatever they're doing because their view of something doesn't fit in with yours.  So, come hell or high water, you're going to see their book banned, or their speech cancelled, or the like.  Apparently, you're the self-appointed guardian of society.

I realize some of this banning of books, for example, revolves around the concept of "protecting children" in school.  As a former teacher, I agree some books may not be appropriate for children of a certain age.  That doesn't mean those books must be banned for all children of all ages.  It also doesn't mean historical TRUTH should kept from children.  Pretending racism doesn't exist, or gender issues are not real, or democratic socialism is evil, etc. are all examples of little else but IGNORANCE.  Indoctrinating children into such beliefs, and/or preventing them from learning the truth is wrong, and harmful to their social development.

As to cancelling speeches by means of disruption or other methods, that also is as wrong as wrong can be.  Boycotting a speech is okay, of course, but preventing others from even hearing views which don't agree with yours is an insult to freedom.  There are lots of opinions in the world, not only yours.  Allow people to hear all sides, not just your holier-than-thou view.

As I navigate through old age, I continue to wonder if members of our species ever are going to "live and let live".  I've wondered about such for decades.  Will cooperation among us ever exceed competition?  Must we all too often try and cram our particular beliefs down someone else's throat?  Some cooperation is going on in the world, but not anywhere near the scale required if we are to survive (and thrive beyond) the current socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis.  Intolerance certainly is not helping.  It often leads to hatred, and then violence.

In our evolutionary history, despite violence and the dark side of innate tribalism, we managed to thrive due to our intelligence and cooperative leanings.  Other species had more physical prowess and were more efficient predators, plus they were better adapted to survive the Ice Age; but we exhibited more group cooperation than most of the others.  That's required now more than ever before.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

According to you-know-who,

it's all a "Chinese hoax"---

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/repeat-photo-grinnell-glacier-1910-2007

Never mind the compulsive serial lying, the multiple indictments, the total lack of statesmanship, the whining, the constant divisive rhetoric, the lack of knowledge of almost everything, and more; simply for this item alone he never should be elected again...to any office...anywhere.

p.s.  As you probably know, what you see in the two photos has happened to glaciers all over the world, not just in Montana's Glacier National Park.  Show these photos to anyone you know who is denying that overall the planet Earth is warming.  Then ask them what they believe caused the Grinnell Glacier to lose 213 acres of ice from 1910 to 2007.  [Undoubtedly, it's even more acreage by now.]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Planetary Boundaries, Holocene Epoch, 1.5 Degrees Celsius, Carbon Pulse, Ecosphere, and Energy Transition

Johan Rockstrom is a brilliant PhD ecologist who, along with his colleagues, has spent fifteen years developing the concept of  "planetary boundaries".  There are nine of these boundaries, and they delineate the safe space on Earth which enables modern-day humans to live and thrive.  We have overshot six of those nine boundaries.

 https://www.youtube.com/watchv=k0aYeQrLEn0&list=WL&index=67

In the short video at the link above, Dr. Rockstrom shows what has transpired since we left the last Ice Age about 12,000 years ago.  That was the beginning of the current geologic time period, the Holocene Epoch.  All of recorded human history has been in the Holocene.  As a distinct species, we've been on Earth approximately 200,000 years; but until about 10,000 years ago, we were strictly hunter-gatherers.  That all changed with the advent of annual grain agriculture.  With the ability to store surplus grain, we could labor at tasks other than hunting and gathering food.  Eventually, division of labor led to the Industrial Revolution.

The next monumental change was the discovery and development of fossil energy.  The harnessing of the "carbon pulse" has led to great advancement, and great disaster.  Thus we have the predicament of today:  ecological overshoot by humans.

In the clip above, Rockstrom ties all the elements in my title of this post together in a clear and concise manner.  He masterfully explains what's going on re the Crisis, what needs to be done, and why the Powers-That-Be are on the wrong track when it comes to solutions.  This subject is complicated, and you may have to watch the video twice to fully grasp its significance.  Or, maybe only once.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The PLANET WRECKERS Report, by Oil Change International

 https://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2023/09/OCI-Planet-Wreckers-Report.pdf

AT LEAST read the "Executive Summary" on pages 4 & 5, and then have a look at "Figure 1" on the bottom half of page 5.  Those two items give pretty much all you need to know.  It's a short read.

[Suggestion:  increase the print size to 125% or 150%.  For those who may not know:  simply click on the "+" sign at the top of the pdf page.]

The USA is "Planet-Wrecker-in Chief", followed by Canada and Russia.  What we're talking about here are plans for NEW oil and natural gas fields from 2023 to 2050.  They are not yet in production, and represent an expansion of fossil energy production.  In addition to the three countries cited above, seventeen others also will be expanding oil and gas production.

I see no evidence anywhere that most politicians are objecting to these expansion plans.  I suspect they never will unless there's a massive outcry from Main Street.  What would it take?  Ten million emails to political representatives?  Honestly, I don't know.

Some nonprofit organization would have to launch such a campaign, and relatively soon.  I do know what's highly likely (according to thousands of research scientists) if the expansion plans come to fruition:  we'll experience effects of climate chaos orders of magnitude worse than those  of today.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

USA to expand FOSSIL energy production for about 26 more years, to 2050

Nineteen other countries are doing the same.  That's according to a Report titled, Planet Wreckers.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/12/us-behind-more-than-a-third-of-global-oil-and-gas-expansion-plans-report-finds

Perhaps this is why major countries have been dragging their feet at all the climate conferences (COPs), eh?  These same countries appear to believe they can stop said production expansion around 2050 or so because they think we'll be at NET ZERO carbon emissions by then.  Really?  Interesting logic.  Net Zero while expanding fossil energy is a complete fantasy.

In a recent previous post here, I've stated in order to generate renewable energy gizmos and infrastructure, we will have to use fossil fuels for the immediate future.  But not for 26 more years.  That's way beyond "immediate future".

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here are the cruxes of our current situation

If the many expert PhD ecologists (whose work I've been following for five-plus years) are correct about what's coming fairly soon, then aggregate humanity is in for some extremely troubling times.

People have to be aware of a problem before they undertake mitigation of it.  I sincerely doubt that (as only a few examples) most American adults are aware of the following:

1.  large scale investment in renewable energy is declining when it should be increasing; and,

2.  fossil fuels are necessary (for now & the immediate future, at least) to build renewable energy gizmos and infrastructure; and,

3.  going Green and still pursuing infinite economic growth is an oxymoron; and,

4.  because of the amounts of refined metals (copper, boron, iron, nickel, manganese, chromium, zinc, silver, molybdenum, and about 50-60 others) and rare earth elements necessary for production of renewable energy, and the time required to mine & refine those minerals, it's extremely likely there's no way we can avoid major catastrophes (worse than those recently) within the next 10 or so years...even if we NOW would go full steam ahead with production of renewables...& we're not even doing that.

[Note:  over 90 of the 118 chemical elements on the Periodic Table are metals.  High Tech gizmos require 30-70 of them in each manufactured unit.]

POINT BEING:  I'm convinced that an overwhelming majority of Americans - including a majority of those on the political Left - are not aware of (or don't believe) most of the content in 1-4 above.  Thus, they don't believe MAJOR catastrophes (worse than those of today) are coming relatively soon, no matter what we do or don't do.  More importantly, I'm convinced a majority believe we can go back to "normal" (excessive consumerism, overconsumption, living high on the hog) if we just Go Green.  They seem to believe: things will be fine if we just use renewable energy and recycle & re-use materials; industrial farming can continue to expand; commercial & industrial land development can continue to expand; fresh water availability is not a problem; soil degradation is not a problem; etc.  I'm also convinced a majority of people believe we have until 2040 or 2050 to "solve the problem", and so, no worries - the Powers-That-Be are handling it.  Sorry, none of that is true.

But all the above doesn't mean there's no hope.  Science apparently can't do it, but those coming catastrophes finally will wake up people to the fact that we as aggregate humans must undergo a paradigm shift in lifestyle, ethics, & worldview.  Only then will people, in earnest, adopt the choices found in Chapter 11 of my 1st book (or wherever else they find them)...and hundreds more found all over the internet - methods to heal the ecosphere, live sustainably as a species, and pass on a healthy habitat to future generations.  That can happen, but first we'll be going through incredibly troubling times.  There's no way to avoid them.  Prepare your mind.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well