The Enviroment Will Just Fix Itself...

[BrendaEM]

...In just a short time after human beings are extinct, which could be in about 100 years, or so.

Anyone who thinks that human beings cannot have a profound longterm impact on their surroundings, and their children's wellbeing is completely out of their minds.

We have dammed and bridged rivers, moved mountains. We cut trees, fish oceans. Download Google-Earth or WorldWind, and look at just how gray the cities are with tar an concrete. There are so very many of us, and it takes so much to support even one person.

This thing we're standing on, we better take care of it, because of all the life here, we are among the physically weakest. Being at the top of the food chain means that nothing is eating us, but it also means that we need everything else to eat. As James Maynard said, "This is inevitable, life feeds on life, feeds on life! ...." Our lives hang in the balance of the other animals, without them, we will surely perish.

We can build rockets, but unless Albert was wrong, not one of the people who read this is ever going to make their escape to another world in their lifetime. There is nowhere waiting for us. Almost everyone who reads this will live out their lives regardless or how had, or how good we treat this thing, and die here.

I heard this line on the Sopranos that went something like this: "I don't $hit in my own yard." That's what we are all doing, just $hiting in our own yard, peeing in the very pool we swim in.

So we have this thing going on, where we like making things, there's nothing wrong with that, but I really believe that we're smart enough, cunning enough, clever monkey enough--that we can make our stuff with less mess, and less waste.

Can't we find someone to spin and recycle the chips? Isn't 6061--6061, small or not? Either we recycle, or some idiot is going to sign a pass to dig for bauxite--in your favorite hunting or fishing spot.

Do we really need coolant/lubricant to be that toxic? In spite of what the good folks at Clorox would tell you, chlorine reacts with organic compounds to form PCB's--especially when burnt.

The idea that environmentalism is counter to manufacturing is a lie told by people who don't want to clean up their own mess. If you are making lean, cheap, and efficient, and you want to stay in business, look at what you are just throwing out.

[Madclicker]

I used to build nuke and coal fired power plants, and I fully trust the technology used. And I like watching TV sometimes; Power is handy to have.

I live on a lake that has 2 coal fired powered plants on it's shore, both within eyesight of my house. Actually just a short stroll to either on the same road. I never see anything coming from the stacks of either. The air is so clean here, that I can't get a flickable booger unless I work in the shop.

I see Bald Eagles all the time. Remember when they were rare? I do. Sometimes even see them catching fish. There are at least two nests on the tops of the high tension poles that run on the road from the plants. The power company put platforms on the tops for them. Good neighbors.

Alligator sightings happen everyday. Remember when they were rare? Maybe some saw the news reports of the 12' gator that tried to eat a crack head a while back? That gator nested on my shore. Shame that they killed him. Have to train another.

The people that are jumping up and down and screaming about the environment have no reference of where we brought it back from. Acid rain was a real problem. Air pollution was a big problem, and still is a problem. It's better than it was in the 70's.

Address the real problems, and stop with the hysterics. CO2 makes up about 4% of greenhouse gases, yet the fanatics would have you believe that it's the most prevalent. Why? Because if they told the masses that water vapor made up 95% of the GH gases even the cattle would question what could be done to steer a change. Can't let facts and hard science get in the way of hysterics. This is all just a repeat of the ice age and ozone hole scares they tried to use before to attack autos and industry.

There is no more true environmentalist than me. Over my years I've contributed much to conservation of habitat in the way of hunting license fees. I actually use nature and would ride a bicycle if I thought I was hurting it by driving an SUV. Hell, I like killing and eating defenseless animals, why would I want to harm them?

[BrendaEM]

Everything you mention only came about because someone worked to protect the environment. DDT could have made all the eagles extinct.Overhunting and poaching could have made all the alligators and crocodiles extinct.

With that said, when people become extinct, the world will recover generally. We make something out of this planet that looks like our moon, but not for long it will recover, but we won't be around to see it.

Lastly, a few nuclear accidents like Chrenoble, and our economy is finished, for good. It would never recover. I lived on the East Coast when it happend. I had to breath that crap in--it isn't going to make me live any longer is it?

[Madclicker]

No, it came about because there were REAL problems that needed to be and could be fixed. Then the people that really cared about the stuff that was broken and could be fixed....TRIED TO FIX IT! Did a pretty good job on those two as I see from my windows. At the time, the fanatics were jumping up and down and sceaming about the coming ice age and the hole in the ozone.

Global warming is just another fabricated eco crisis. Like the others before it.

Get a grip, Brenda. Humans are not going to be extinct and you aren't going to die from Chernoble. You will heat your curlers with nuke power one day, if you don't already. That is if the nuke doesn't meltdown first....JK. Nukes are safe, if the French can do it we can.

[svenakela]

Can't let facts and hard science get in the way of hysterics. This is all just a repeat of the ice age and ozone hole scares they tried to use before to attack autos and industry.

For your information: Your coal grilled power plants still feeds the ozon hole over Scandinavia. Last year was a f**kin pain, I've never been using so much sun block. Nowadays we have reports in the newspapers about how long one can stay in the sun without sun block, do you still think the ozon hole is bogus?

[Madclicker]

For your information: Your coal grilled power plants still feeds the ozon hole over Scandinavia. Last year was a f**kin pain, I've never been using so much sun block. Nowadays we have reports in the newspapers about how long one can stay in the sun without sun block, do you still think the ozon hole is bogus?

Yes, absolutely convinced of it.

[Madclicker]

For your information: Your coal grilled power plants still feeds the ozon hole over Scandinavia. Last year was a f**kin pain, I've never been using so much sun block. Nowadays we have reports in the newspapers about how long one can stay in the sun without sun block, do you still think the ozon hole is bogus?

They have those reports everywhere, now. It's a health education thing. I remember when tanned people were considered healthier looking...wait a minute, they still are.

[fizzissist]

Odd that I haven't seen any mention of how long you can stay in the sun or how much sun block to use in any of the online african news services....Those people are in serious danger!!!

[Geof]

Odd that I haven't seen any mention of how long you can stay in the sun or how much sun block to use in any of the online african news services....Those people are in serious danger!!!

Are you being funny or just colorblind?

[Shotout]

Everything you mention only came about because someone worked to protect the environment. DDT could have made all the eagles extinct.Overhunting and poaching could have made all the alligators and crocodiles extinct.

With that said, when people become extinct, the world will recover generally. We make something out of this planet that looks like our moon, but not for long it will recover, but we won't be around to see it.

Lastly, a few nuclear accidents like Chrenoble, and our economy is finished, for good. It would never recover. I lived on the East Coast when it happend. I had to breath that crap in--it isn't going to make me live any longer is it?

Want to talk to someone about DDT, try the Argentine Gov't. Since the price supports for peanuts has gone out a whole lot more of this nations peanuts are coming from there. They use DDT all the time, along with other outlawed (US) chemicals. DDT was bad for us and the envronment then but the Gov't allows our produce that is imported to be treaded with many chemicals that the US deems harmful to the envronment and humans.

Overhunt: Alligators were never actually as endangered as once thought, they simply moved into less accessable area where even they couldn't be counted. Once the pressure from man backed off they made a near overnight recovery, ie they spread out to relieve pressure from overpopulation of the safe areas.

The US needs to be responsible for itself, that I agree. However listening to every blubbering alarmist screaming about unfounded envronmental concerns is not responsible. I'm much more worried about the rest of the world. We are a pretty clean country compared globally.

Chernoybl was a fluke, that is why the dozen (11) identical sister plants operating in the former eastern block countries and Russia are still pumping out power vitally needed to allow them to grow their economies and support their citizens. Nuke power is the future, if ever the politicos will stop worring about pollsters and start worring about our fellow citizens. California will desperately be needing power this summer it could have in abundance if it wasn't for alarmist eco crazies. Amazing that the envronment hasn't crashed for all of eastern Europe which was under the fallout path for most of the time. Read an article in National Geo a few years back, I personally was amazed that the effect weren't felt farther afield than had been documented in the more immediate area of the disaster and the worse of the fallout path.

My .02
Scott

[fizzissist]

Are you being funny or just colorblind?

Both.

Just exactly how did those poor scandanavians survive the last time it was warm up there?? Did they employ an early SPF30???

[Geof]

How does this:

"Just exactly how did those poor scandanavians survive the last time it was warm up there?? Did they employ an early SPF30???"

Connect with this:

Odd that I haven't seen any mention of how long you can stay in the sun or how much sun block to use in any of the online african news services....Those people are in serious danger!!!

If you are simply displaying a lack of knowledge about geography okay; if you are being funny you have lost me.