My Mom Had An Interesting Comment Yesterday On The W-ar vs. Environment

[Dinger]

And it made me think. She said she thinks the environment is a more compelling issue because once it's gone, it's gone, whereas war can be stopped, and peace can replace war. Basically, damage to the environment is permanent, wars, though their devastation is permanent, are temporary. I'd be interested in what DUers have to say about this.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Mothers often are very, very wise

and your is. She is absolutely correct.

[donsu]

2. true

the ice is melting

the Gulf Stream is slowing way down - they are not sure what will happens when it stops.

it will stop.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. I would say that the damage to the environment is sometimes not

permanent. Look at the area around Mt. St. Helen's and how it 'came back'. However, the loss of animal and insect species will be difficult to undo. Life will probably continue even in the worst of environmental damage, but what kind of life it is, no one can tell.

[silverweb]

4. Your mom's a very smart lady.

As a mom, I concur completely.

:thumbsup:

[Squatch]

5. "...damage to the environment is permanent..."

I don't believe it's so absolute. Afterall, 65 mya, a huge meteor hit the Yucatan, eventually leading to the extinction of dinosaurs.

That event, though devastating at that time led to the availablity of new ecological niches and the eventual development of our current environment which we enjoy today.

The earth has been through far worse environmental calamities as the current one being brought to bear by humans. So, no, environmental damage, though it carries implications on how we live our lives, represents a temporary imbalance that will be negated through normal, natural processes.

[jojo54]

6. Trust her judgement.

...from another mom.

[candice]

7. True, but Halliburton makes money off wars and oil.

There's a new book by Alan Wesiman called "The World without Us," which is based on real science. Its premise is that if man disappeared tomorrow, what would happen on earth? The first chapter (all that I've read, and it is a compelling read) discusses how Manhattan will flood, starting with the subways. There will be rivers down Broadway and Lexington Ave. The last bit of uncut first growth forest in the Eastern U.S., which is part of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden is already destroyed beyond belief because of acid rain and exotic pests. The lead and heavy metals will be here long after us, and the climate change is irreversible already.

So is that $20,000 or whatever obscene tax deduction for buying an SUV still on the books? I know of people who are self employed and buy one for their wife because the deal is too good to pass up! It isn't really an asset in suburbia in terms of parking.

We need to examine the entire basis of our consumer-driven culture. Of what good are endless consumer goods that have to be shipped halfway across the world if we don't have a predictable climate? Our storage units, second-hand stores, closets, and landfills are overflowing. We don't have things that matter, such as an opportunity for everyone to see a doctor when they need to.

[The2ndWheel]

8. They're both organized efforts to destroy diversity

War must happen for peace to follow. If there is too much diversity, too much conflict can result. That is why for any government to exist, a war had to have proceeded it, in order to establish peace.

Now, our war on the environment works much the same way. The environment is far too diverse. If we want economic stability, we have to increase our control over the environment, so that it fits our ever increasing needs.

That's why neither will ever stop(at least until there is no diversity left), and that's why they're both pretty much two sides of the same coin.

[bdamomma]

9. your mom is right.

[shraby]

10. Another thought...wars are hard on the environment.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. This is why I think Mother Nature will take care of things

while we keep buzzing around doing nothing. Sadly, what She may do may include a mass die-off of humankind.

[zbdent]

12. On one point, Rush Limbaugh did say something true ...

I forget the exact quote and the context, but he said that the Earth will recover from whatever the Humans do to it.

That is true ... remember, the Earth recovered from the conditions which allowed the dinosaurs to roam the planet ... it's just a matter of whether or not the humans would be able to survive that long ...