Blind spots for the RIGHT and the LEFT and science

[nadinbrzezinski]

folks we have blind spots on both sides

For the right this global warming thingy is an illusion, never mind the evidence. In fact, it is a plan by them darn lib'ruls to suppress the development of that god given economy, with all the carbon footprint we want. And damn it we should never be stopped because well, we are Muricans and we deserve it.

In some ways we have parallel thinking insofar as the worst effects of peak oil, mind you these are so far potential effects. But gee golly that sciency stuff will save our behinds and we will not have to face the worst of it, since we are an intelligent species. Oh never mind that ultimately humans are part of the ecological system we live in and someday humans, like 99% of species on this planet, will go extinct. No science will save us from that fate, unless, and that is a big if, we manage to colonize other planets... and ahem that works... and that is an astronomically large iff... and I write this as a science fiction writer, who assumes regularly that we actually did that... hell even broke the ultimate speed limit, and achieved Faster than Light travel.

Now when you combine the sciency stuff of global warming and the sciency stuff of peak oil it does not look good for the home team and this is our species. We may (worst case scenario mind you) actually push ourselves over the edge and into extinction... and that is a possibility, and no matter how much you personally prepare, if we go to that... lights out, game over... that's it. Oh and for those doubting this can happen, well we know from science that humans went through an evolutionary bottleneck due to climate change, early in our biological history as homo sapiens. We even think humans came close to going away with about a 10K humans becoming that evolutionary bottleneck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_bottleneck

There are less extreme effects, including an end of the age of oil with no work on replacing oil. Given how dependent is our civilization on oil, ranging from fertilizers for plants, to the case of the computer I am typing on, to the IV teflon coated thingy that goes into your arm, and the system that connects to the plastic filled IV bag... and I could go on... we need a replacement to hydrocarbons

Will science save us? That would be the best case scenario. Hey... we found replacements, et al.. we are saved!

And that will not be the result either... why? Best case pollyana events are usually not the end result, just as the worst case, Cassandra events are not the end result either. So the truth will be somewhere in between

And the in-between GIVEN CURRENT information, is not pretty

Global warming will lead to a global decrease in the carrying capacity of the planet, and wholesale environmental degradation, The end of the age of oil also will come with things like the end of the Green Revolution... and I fear the starvation of billions of human beings. That is how things stand RIGHT NOW... and making preparations on your own will help you get over the bump... but it does not look pretty, and your preparations guarantee nothing, at a personal level.

And it is time that folks stop the magical thinking, whether it is the right and global warming, or the left and peak oil. Both are happening, and the only way to alleviate the effects is to first admit, we have a problem... as in a very serious problem. If we don't. perhaps our fate is to join the other 99% of species that have inhabited this word... worst case... or just see the kind of social and economic dislocation that will inevitably come from the end of the age of oil including starvation at levels we humans have NEVER, ever seen... This is the reality of things... and science does not like magical thinking either.

And when you look at facts... it may make you uncomfortable... but that is the reality

But science will absolutely save us from our own foolishness is just one more form of magical thinking, at least in my own opinion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. kick, because it is important

[lutherj]

2. Kick and Rec - Looks like the perfect storm to me. The other coming

crisis is the depletion of fresh water. China and India and large parts of the American west are drawing down their aquifers. In some places more than 5 feet per year. Many major rivers no longer reach the sea because of over use, and global warming is causing the glaciers that feed them to melt. I have little doubt but that the population will be a fraction of what it is today by the end of this century.

By the way, I think that solutions need to be at the community level. Individuals acting alone have too little resources.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Agreed,but the first step is for people to step well outside their comfort zone

and leave magical thinking behind.

Oh and water, you betcha, we will have water wars soon

[lutherj]

5. I agree with you about the comfort zone. In order to addess the crisis

we're all going to way outside our comfort zones.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Sadly I see a lot of people even going, but, but but

even when presented with standard definitions

[some guy]

4. I've kind of given up on this.

Global warming is rooling down the pike, peak oil is also coming on fast, probably.

I try to minimize my carbon footprint, though being offline would shrink it a bit more...
I try to do the things I think might be useful, but if I think in terms of collapse, being prepared isn't necessarily going to do any good. Well, maybe my being prepared will help some roving, armed gang for a few more days. I'm not remote enough to be overlooked by such, if worse comes to worst.

:shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Some areas will survive because they were prepared

others, will not

I guess it truly depends on how aware locals are... but yes, at a local level we may need to give up

Hey, if I didn't have any family it might be the way to go