Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

    First picture: The massive slag pile at the former Anaconda Copper Company Smelter Second picture: The slag pile behind the old guard shack at the smelter entrance More info about this company Man-made disasters abound almost everywhere, but most of us cannot "see" them because we are "blind" to this destruction. Without a sense of reality regarding ecological overshoot, many people turn a blind eye to the destruction taking place daily in cities and towns (and plenty of rural or remote places as well) throughout the world. Joni Mitchell's famous song Big Yellow Taxi comes to mind. But seriously, how often does one happen to be driving somewhere and see what once were fields and forests being leveled for some new housing addition or shopping center or roads or other infrastructure?  It's also interesting as I began thinking about writing this article what disasters in particular came to mind. There are literally countless small towns which were once inh...

  Poison Ivy growing prolifically on a hillside 

Sams Gap at the Tennessee/North Carolina border

  In my last post , I expressed my concerns regarding methane emissions along with the growing speed which our collective predicaments appear to be gaining. Then I explained precisely why we have thus far not made any real progress on these predicaments based upon our collective denial , which has a considerable amount to do with our basic human psychology. In conclusion, the reality is that very few people are actually paying an ounce of real attention. What they are paying attention to are all the distractions - the hype, advertising, marketing, and propaganda. Today I bring more evidence of the increasing speed of these predicaments as I recall some of my articles which I had privately hoped might be a long way off into the future. I'm not one to try to evade uncomforting news. If I was, I most certainly wouldn't be reading and watching these articles, reports, studies, videos, and other media to try to understand and comprehend fully where we are and where we're heade...

  "Civilization is the child of the Neolithic Revolution, of the widespread adoption of agriculture as a mode of production, and agriculture necessarily causes leaching and loss of topsoil, as well as many other environmental consequences, including climate change. Nor does any city live by bread alone. It needs water, so it must build dams and aqueducts. It needs wood for fuel and timber, so it must chop down forests. It needs metal for coins, swords, and ploughshares, so it must dig mines. It needs stone to erect palaces, courts, temples, and walls, so it must quarry away mountains. And it must build roads and ports needed to transport all the necessities of urban life. In short, a city lives by both consuming and damaging a wide array of ecological resources."  ~ William Ophuls - Immoderate Greatness: Why Civilizations Fail See more here. "The illusion of control or agency and the attachment to it creates much suffering."             ...

  Pictures of wildfire damage at Glacier National Park in Montana 2016 What type of activities will help in reducing the effects of ecological overshoot? I'm often asked this question when I point out that solar panels, wind turbines, nuclear energy, hydroelectric dams, EVs, and all other technological devices will not help climate change, pollution loading, or any other predicament under the parent predicament of ecological overshoot: "Well, what are your solutions?" Sadly, this question assumes that I am pointing out a PROBLEM, not a predicament. Predicaments don't have solutions. So, I don't have a solution (and nobody else does either, despite claims to the contrary - more on that in a couple of paragraphs). But I can tell them what WON'T help. Buying more stuff, REGARDLESS of what it is, WILL NOT HELP. Because ecological overshoot is a predicament with an outcome and not a problem with a solution , people need to adjust their expectations accordingly....

  Wildfire Links Almost 17 million vertebrates killed in the 2020 wildfires in Brazil: study Fire and ice: The puzzling link between Western wildfires and Arctic sea ice Scientists find climate-driven tree mortality and fuel aridity increase wildfire fuel availability Virtual reality experiment shows most living in high-risk fire zones are 'woefully unprepared' New bushfire spread prediction model keeps firefighters ahead of the fire front Giant Forest to reopen months after fires threatened sequoias Australia fights bushfires in west, floods in east Scientists show how wildfire smoke increases ozone pollution We are professional fire watchers, and we're astounded by the scale of fires in remote Australia right now Efforts to restore Indonesian peatlands could save billions in wildfire costs California lost thousands of giant sequoias. It's tragic, but at least we are aware Climate 'overwhelming' driver of Australian bushfires: study Eight worst wildfire weather...