In Today's Reading
June 21, 2004
Two somewhat related (think oil as that which motivates) things I read today that I wanted to remember: (8TC)
From World Changing, Planting the Future: (8TD)
Reuters reports that a group of British scientists is recommending an aggressive shift towards the planting of crops not for food, but for a wholesale replacement of petrochemicals. The combination of declining supplies of petroleum (used for much more than fuel) and a still-growing global population means that replacements will be needed soon -- and it's better to start planning now for that event than to wait until oil (effectively) runs out. (8TE)
Something has to be done, but out context this blurb has me imagining a future where the world is paved in corn and soy bean and any last shred of raw nature has fallen to the need for organic chemicals. Less babies please, that should help some. (8TF)
From The Christian Science Monitor, Lessons of another Reconstruction, an opinion piece by Kenneth Mayer, of Howards University: (8TG)
Most pundits and officials have compared the situation in Iraq to Germany, Japan, or even France after World War II. However, a better analogy lies closer to home. Reconstruction of the Confederate states in the South was America's largest and longest such operation, and its most spectacular failure. (8TH)
Reading the article (very well written) is an enlightening experience. Comparison reveals. (8TI)
Comments
Less babies is politically untenable. (8TJ)
Assuming a majority of petroleum is used for energy, the best alternative to both oil and agriculture is nuclear energy. Assuming a lot of energy is used to operate automobiles, then the arrival of better batteries and electric cars allows us to leverage nuclear energy there, too. (8TK)
Sure, nuclear energy is also politically untenable, but I think that view is more easily dislodged than less babies. Accepting nuclear energy requires no qualitative change to your lifestyle. (8TL)
I have nothing against nuclear energy. I'd like to see more of it. I suppose that tarnishes my tree hugging hippie image, but I've always been a fan. (91J)
However, an alternate energy source is just another bandaid, addressing symptoms. At some point you run out of room or resources. (91K)
Use less room and resources, or figure out how to get out into the rest of the universe (which would be fine). Anything else is just a stopgap. (91L)
Making less babies is politically untenable, but eventually it won't be a choice: like mice in a crowded cage we'll start eating our young. (91M)
Eating our young isn't such a bad idea... it's a renewable resource, relatively cheap, and if you carefully manage usage sustainable in the long term. Let's give this some thought! (92J)