U. S. Government's Lip Service to Climate Mitigation, and Planet Wreckers Report REDUX

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/1/headlines/biden_to_eschew_cop28_as_us_opens_another_oil_and_gas_leasing_auction

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the Biden Administration's actions re a new round of oil and gas leasing auctions could potentially "erase" any climate gains in the Inflation Reduction Act.  The USA is now the world's largest oil producer, and in 2022 66% of our oil came from the fracking of shale.  Often called shale oil, it's also referred to as "tight oil".  As you may know, drilling for it often has resulted in big problems (all of which usually are denied by the industry).

At the global level, we now have twenty countries (including the USA) planning to expand oil production for twenty-six more years. 

https://priceofoil.org/2023/09/12/planet-wreckers-how-20-countries-oil-and-gas-extraction-plans-risk-locking-in-climate-chaos/

In addition, COP 28 (which started today) is being run by the CEO of one of the largest oil producers in the world.  Do you think there's any conflict of interest in such a scenario?  Seems likely, eh?

As pointed out previously on this Blog, we do need to use fossil fuels in the immediate future in order to construct and distribute massive numbers of Green energy gizmos and new electrical power lines.  I don't know for how long, but surely not twenty-six more years.

Is it not yet clear that the Establishment is on the wrong path?  And not yet clear that voters keep electing politicians to high office who favor consumerism over ecological principles?  If this whole business weren't so tragic, it would be laughable.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

"Unseen Costs of Net Zero", Simon Michaux

To be clear:  YES, we do need to GO GREEN.  The Establishment and much of Main Street, however, apparently are not aware of exactly what it will take to do so.  They also seem to be unaware of the scale needed for such a transformation, and of the entire mining-minerals-metals situation.

The current thinking of most people who support a transition to Green energy appears to be as follows.  Here's what we'll do:

a)  get off petroleum and all its products;

b)  build a large number of Green energy gizmos;

c)  electrify all transport vehicles (personal and commercial);

d)  scale up nuclear energy, if necessary;

e)  recycle and reuse materials;

f)   increase energy efficiency;

g)  use carbon offsets and cap & trade to balance things out; and

h)  with all the above in place, we can continue the pursuit of infinite economic and population growth on our finite planet.

Sounds great, eh?!

But there's a massive problem (which The Establishment doesn't want to acknowledge), and here it is---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGvTbB38bwA&list=WL&index=68

Infinite growth is not necessary for humans to thrive, and for the sake of all life on Earth, it must cease.  Do a Search for "CASSE top 10 policies for a steady state economy".  Read anything by Herman Daly.  Neoliberal/neoclassical economics is not sacrosanct.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

A.I. is Ecology Blind, and the Coming Cell Phone "Winter"

 The A.I. portion of the title above is a line from the short video below by the ecologist, Dr. Nate Hagens---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY29LjWYHIo&list=WL&index=69&t=17s

Ecology essentially is the study of ecosystems.  The complexity of ecosystems is greater than that of anything ever constructed by humans.  Anything.

To address the many aspects of ecosystems requires the sentient minds of humans.  The so-called Artificial Intelligence of today does not possess sentience, and according to some industry experts, probably won't for another sixty to seventy years, if ever.

"Sentience" means a living being (or a machine) is aware of itself as a separate being.  The A.I. industry isn't anywhere near having a machine with that characteristic.  The problems with quantum computing seem to suggest A.I. never will be near it.

The physicist, Sabine Hossenfelder, explains the problems here:

[Some will appreciate her dry humor, some won't.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBLVtCYHVO8

I imagine "A.I." has many useful applications, but such does not necessarily mean it has any use at all in, for example, navigating society through the Climate Crisis, or the Sixth Mass Extinction, or the Soil Crisis, or the Groundwater Aquifer Problem, or the Food Crisis, etc.  Listen to the living ecologists, rather than the sometimes faulty algorithms of High Tech.

Dr. Hossenfelder talks about the coming "Quantum Winter" (due to lack of financial investment).  Within ten years, it's probable there also will be a general High Tech "Winter".  Such will not be due to a lack of investment, but rather a shortage of required minerals and materials.  [See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0pt3ioQuNc&list=WL&index=70&t=11s  previously posted on this venue as "Minerals and Materials Blindness".  It's a must-see.]

Instead of the next whiz-bang iPhone, most of those minerals (which are becoming more difficult and costly to extract from the geosphere) will be used for something much more important - electricity.  Then perhaps, finally, people will realize:  no, I don't really need a new cell phone every year or two; but I do need electricity.  [It takes 500 pounds of raw materials to make ONE cell phone.  Over one billion are manufactured every year.]  As they usually do, priorities will shift.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Dr. Vandana Shiva: Tech Destruction of Agriculture & Natural Ecosystems vs. Agroecology

 Here's a genuine defender of Earth---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAjk-oiEeo (8 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwxOxQ1AOEg (28 minutes)

The second video is more wide-ranging, and includes topics such as:   "the Poison Cartel", why "310,000 [East] Indian farmers committed suicide", the egregious problems caused by Monsanto (continuing by Bayer, who bought Monsanto) and BILL GATES and OBAMA, the "war on cash", the IT industry, Davos, GMO plants, seed and water democracy, the Rights of Nature, "Oneness vs. the 1%", and more.

The first video is titled, "The Violence of the [Agricultural] Green Revolution" (whoever posted it gave it a different title on YouTube, so don't think you're at the wrong link when you first get there).  Over the years, we've mostly heard from the Establishment only the plus side of the "Green Revolution" of the 1960's and 1970's.  Nary a word (usually) about how that scenario ruined soil, plants, biodiversity, the nitrogen cycle, farming, water conservation, and more.  This short video corrects that situation.

Both videos discuss the tragedy/bane of industrial agriculture, aka, factory farming.  Such a practice negatively affects much more than farmland.  It impacts all ecosystems, Earth in general, human health, climate, biodiversity, and our social fabric.

Vandana Shiva has three academic Degrees:  the first was in Quantum Physics; the other two were in the Philosophy of Science.  More importantly, she has worked for about 40+ years in the field of ecology, and is recognized as a top-notch agroecologist.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Minerals and Materials Blindness"

Here's another case of speaking Truth to Power:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0pt3ioQuNc&list=WL&index=70&t=11s

Prof. Nate Hagens and Prof. Simon Michaux address the human predicament re energy, the economy, fossils, renewables, recycling, minerals, materials required, and the present & future.  It's highly informative and down-to-earth...and a must-see interview.

The following points are obvious to ecologists:

yes, we must get off fossil energy;  yes, we must transition to renewable energy; but Green infinite economic growth is an oxymoron.  Conclusion:  we must start to reduce economic throughput ASAP.  In other words, we must embrace degrowth if we are to survive and thrive.  Economic development does NOT require constant economic growth.  Many books and articles have been published which explain how such is done.

To put it another way, we must move from high energy use to low energy use.  A paradigm shift.  Because all the foregoing is politically unpopular, we are being told by the Powers-That-Be:  we can eat our cake and have it too, if we just "Go Green".  If you believe that, then please watch the piece at the link above.

If you can't (or won't) watch the entire interview, at least start it at about 45 minutes in and continue to about the 60 minute mark.  Just those fifteen minutes will show you why infinite economic growth must be abandoned.  And again, yes, we must "Go Green"; but it's folly to believe we then can still pursue infinite economic growth without catastrophic consequences to all life on Earth, including us.  Hagens and Michaux explain why with great specificity.  It's a dynamite discourse.  Most politicians would  hate it (if they ever bothered to see it).

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well 

Speaking Truth to Power: Dr. Peter Kalmus

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rJHlFME480

Spend 3.33 minutes and watch Dr. Kalmus speak Truth to Power.  What the Powers-That-Be are doing is "insanity".  [Perhaps it should be characterized as on the brink of insanity, or outrageously ignorant.  Whatever the case, it's extremely harmful to all life on Earth.]

In the USA, the Democrats are almost as bad as the Republicans.  The Dems talk-the-talk better than the Repubs, but rarely do they ever walk-the-walk.  Maybe when the Food Crisis gets worse (probably within ten years) they'll be forced to do so in high gear.

When Dems say they "follow the Science", they mean medical science, not ecology or climatology.  Too bad for us.  When everything continues to get worse, hopefully that will change.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Holism & Reductionism REDUX

This is being reposted because understanding it is crucial to dealing with our current socio-eco-econ-ethical Crisis.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_kbt7h1YRw&list=WL&index=63

There's plenty of evidence indicating both public and private Powers-That-Be are, for the most part, relying strictly on the reductionist method of analysis when working on our current, worldwide problems.  It appears little thought is given to the holistic approach.  If such really is true, then efforts to mitigate or eliminate those problems most likely will fall short.

All the primary aspects of our Crisis are interconnected, and THE main problem is ecological overshoot.  Ocean acidification, excessive natural resource depletion, pollution of water, air, and land, soil degradation, food insecurity, famine, decreasing fresh water availability, drought, climate change, social unrest, and more are all caused by humans engaging in eco-overshoot.  This all means the problem is extremely complex, and that means addressing it must include a holistic synthesis.  "Systems thinking" is required.

Details are in the short video at the link above.

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Not only my opinion, Be Well