Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

Cliff View Park, Alto Pass, Illinois

  Artwork from Ken Avidor

  Artwork by Ken Avidor

  Philpott Lake, Virginia, as seen from the Visitor Center of Philpott Dam

  Lover's Leap Overlook, Virginia

  A turkey vulture flying over Yatesville Lake in Kentucky

  The chairlift at Natural Tunnel State Park, Virginia

  Viking Mountain Overlook, Tennessee

  Lake Powhatan Swimming Beach, North Carolina

  Trail at Bell Smith Springs in Southern Illinois

Happy Winter/Summer Solstice!! As anyone reading my articles often already knows, ecological overshoot is the master predicament causing many different symptom predicaments . I constantly see many people blaming emissions or greed or capitalism or governments or oil companies or fossil fuels (and on and on...) for causing climate change (or their favorite symptom predicament). Playing the blame game gets us nowhere though , and unfortunately, it is also far more complicated than that. Reducing emissions is a great idea (NOT a solution as noted below in the new paper from James Hansen), but it cannot be accomplished without reducing ecological overshoot because ecological overshoot is precisely what is CAUSING emissions. Ecological overshoot is caused by technology use , which means that it is being caused by our behavior . In order to reduce emissions, there is no other choice than to reduce technology use. This requires changing our behaviors. Most emissions historically have been p

Taken at the Hagood Mill Historic Site, South Carolina When I started blogging the year before last, I never thought I would write so many articles. In fact, I started it more for the files section than for any articles, although I had written several articles over time in an effort to save myself time posting the same links over and over along with a description of what they meant. I never considered the possibility of writing more than a few articles. However, it became obvious to me that some people actually enjoyed reading my articles and even though I think that most of it is terribly depressing, I think it helps others to know that there are folks like me who understand many of the same things they do. I'm slowly going back to some of the things which woke me up a decade or more ago and eventually led to the knowledge I now have to share with others.  My journey began on Netflix, believe it or not. I am a curious guy who really enjoys documentaries, and Netflix was a newer s

Keowee Toxaway State Park, South Carolina

An agricultural barn of the 1800's located at Falls Mill, Belvidere, Tennessee

  Recently I wrote this in one of the groups I manage after reading several comments from members who clearly did not understand the facts behind several of my posts, quote: " I think it is important to point out why promoting technology is NOT a good thing. First of all, technological devices DO NOT reduce emissions, period. They RAISE emissions. For those who do not understand this, please look up Jevons Paradox [Tim Garrett explains Jevons Paradox and Civilizational Inertia here] . Secondly, one cannot help reduce the effects of climate change without reducing the effects of ecological overshoot. Ecological overshoot is CAUSED by technology use. More technology use = more ecological overshoot, and since ecological overshoot is what causes climate change, using more technology only makes climate change WORSE, not better. So, please take this into mind before promoting the very thing that has brought us to this point in time. One might as well promote arsenic as a health aid... &

Recently, I have come across literally hundreds of people defending EVs, their batteries, and electricity generation of all flavors. Of course, this is all fine and dandy, as I am used to the typical arguments in favor of technology of all stripes and often simply post my article about Problems, Predicaments, and Technology , highlighting the connection between the three. But what concerns me most is that despite all the information available here on my blog and in so many other credible sources of science claiming the exact same things, even intelligent people are ignoring this science in favor of their own beliefs. Folks, BELIEFS DO NOT ECLIPSE FACTS , it is actually the other way around. When the facts do not agree with your beliefs, your beliefs are rendered entirely irrelevant. You can still choose to believe them, but those are called "false beliefs" and they ONLY exist in your mind; not in reality. Examine this commonly mentioned statement; "You made me laugh!&quo

  It is truly saddening to see so many articles which proclaim complete nonsense. The worst part is that so many people are culturally indoctrinated to the point where they cannot see through these false claims. In this particular one , the claim is made that we need to protect nature (true), quote:  " Our five breakthroughs for nature echo and expand upon those same themes, emphasizing the urgent need to transform our relationship to the natural world on which we ultimately all depend. In a nutshell, here is the handful of headline actions that we are advocating: We need to put nature at the heart of decision-making, with governments and the private sector held accountable for making nature a global priority. An annual investment of US$500 billion to protect and restore nature is a minimum requirement, with funding diverted from environmentally harmful activities into nature-positive initiatives. The communities and local organizations working on the front line of conservation a

  First picture: Morning, Hamilton Ranch (aka Carroll Ranch), Big Hole Valley, Montana Second picture: Beaverslide used for hay. Agriculture is what led into civilization. After quite an interesting last week, I have a better understanding of why so many people fall into the different "traps" and mindsets that we do. Rarely do we see the bars around us (known as wetiko or colonialism ) and as such, we often forget precisely which boundaries are real and set in stone (such as the fact that civilization is unsustainable ), which ones are real and temporary, and which ones are only illusory and imagined. This brings a new aura to the forefront; one which explains why it is so necessary to Live Now . Peter Russell points out one of the big issues surrounding modern humans, looking for external items we think we are missing  in our lives.   One of my friends, Simon Michaux, just came out with a new video  describing precisely where we are with regards to mining and extraction and