Conservance

The only thing worse than a job unfinished, is one finished poorly.

It’s better to have never started.

We’re not addressing the deep, systemic issues.

“Clean Energy” is not an energy production issue at all. It’s an energy usage issue. The model that is employed everyday, the basic foundation of how our homes, cities, country and society is operated:

Is no longer valid…

Of course bio-fuels, hydrogen, and hybrids can not possibly meet the driving needs of millions of Americans. Solar power can’t supply the demand, and neither will wind, tidal, geothermal or nuclear. Because those needs are outdated, obsolete, invalid.

To put it simply: They are wrong.

The United States Highway System was conceived at the end of WWII as a national defense network based on the German Autobahn. It was a tool to protect America during the Cold War, from invasion. A byproduct of it was the ability for Americans to quickly move from point A to point Z.

When natural resources were limitless and cheap, energy efficiency wasn’t necessary. Why conserve something that will never, possibly run out?

The world has changed, the Cold War and the Golden Age of the Automobile has passed. Corvettes no longer cost $5000, oil can run out, and CO2 along with various other pollutants have an adverse effect on the environment. And we need to understand that.

It’s time to move forward. The “American Graffiti” model served us well through the 70s, but its time for a new Detroit.*

*Detroit can never (nor should it be) restored to its former glory. That’s a step backwards. That does not mean Detroit cannot be rebuilt into something new, something with a current or future glory.

We’re not very good at asking the important questions.

Throughout the health care debate, the questions “why have costs gone up?” was rarely asked, and answered even less.

When “why” questions are asked, we invariably have a share of the answer, be it good or bad. Taking responsibility is a characteristic that is lacking today. It’s easier to blame someone, or to simply walk away.

When we begin to ask “why” questions about sustainability, we have to admit our measure of guilt in the current state of affairs.

Hopefully my browser won’t crash midway through writing this:

Prophets of Doom, the History Channel special, focused on five different signs that America as we know it is headed towards disaster.

1) Peak Oil/Energy
2) Credit Crisis
3) Water
4) Artificial Intelligence
5) Nuclear Terrorism

Nuclear terrorism was an interesting one, especially given the reaction of the other members of the discussion. It is such a hard thing to comprehend that even the US government never seriously considered it. Although of the five, I would personally argue, that it is the most frightening, the most likely, and the most damaging.

A nuclear attack, or another large terrorist attack on the US would, I believe tip us into a military state. It would fuel both war-hawk cries for battle and peace-doves cries for peace at any cost. The poles would grow further and further apart, becoming more and more vitiriolic and the US would rip itself apart.

Of the remaining near term situations: Peak oil, Credit and Water are of serious concern.

Peak Oil, if it hasn’t already occurred, is coming soon. And with a dwindling resource in high demand, the costs for oil and oil based products will skyrocket. Our entire society and culture is based around oil. Without it, society will change. Quickly and drastically.

Water, without water there is no life. Period. And our freshwater supplies are being used up, polluted and ruined. Without water, we’ve got no chance at surviving.

Credit Crisis. Our economy is broken. We’ve returned to near pre-recession stock levels and yet nothing has changed for most of America. Only the rich and corporations currently benefit. Am I against capitalism? Not in the least, but I am against the idea of a few benefiting at the expense and risk of the many. If enough debts get called in: great swaths of humanity will be without anything, myself included.

What will happen then? Anarchy.

Artificial Intelligence is the least of our concerns at the moment. But it should be a reminder, that technology is not a benevolent thing. Like any tool, it can be used for good or evil.

The question then, is what do we do to move forward into the future and avoid the collapse?

I’ve been reading Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and something has stuck with me. Robert M. Pirsig mentions the idea of lateral drift. Moving across a problem, instead of attacking it directly. A change in perspective, can lead to new solutions.

Pirsig goes on to expand that concept to address current rational thought.

Daily, it becomes more and more inadequate to address the demands, developments, and problems facing society. And instead of expanding our rationality, of pushing it out further and wider to allow for new perspectives, it just destroys itself more and more.

Look at the dogmatic protection of certain scientific theories. As holes are punched into the Big Bang and theory of Evolution, instead of admitting it may be a wrong hypothesis (the scientific method) a more complex and bloated set of theories and hypothesis are used to buttress. And when that fails, competing theories are outlawed and their supporters are banned. Not very scientific at all.

This is an important concept to understand in regards to environmental issues and discussions.  We need to expand our reason, our rationale, our whole system of thought. Like the “renewables only account for 10% of our energy production, therefore they can’t meet the demand” logical fallacy; we’re stuck in a circle that needs to be broken open.

And it needs to occur in the very near future.

Suppose a company’s board members are either elected representatives, attorney’s general, or judges. The very people who write and examine laws.

How then can a citizen demand an investigation? Those who are committing the illegal acts (or who stand to lose the most) are the ones who determine what is and is not illegal.

Meaning an immoral/unjust act can be protected by law. What recourse then does a man have?

Well I had a great post but it was lost. Thank you Firefox.

Basically it was this:

“Prophets of Doom” on History Channel. Highly recommended.

We need to fix some serious things or else it’s game over.

#1 The economy. Right now it benefits a select few, one need only to look at our failed “stimulus” to see how well it protects the elite. I’m not advocating a marxist economy, but what we have doesn’t work and it definitely is not “free.” We need to immediately forgive US citizens debt, and ensure fair practices regarding debt, securities and banking.

There was also a reference to the REM song “It’s The End of The World”

A good friend of mine pointed out recently, that there has to be a preservation of private property rights in any discussion.

The issue is ownership.

If everyone “owns” something, then no one does. Nor does anyone take care of it. Like renters versus homeowners.

Private ownership means an individual or a group of individuals have a vested interest. They’re willing to take care of it, to do what is necessary to protect it, to keep it healthy.

There are certain instances where the government can and should be put in charge, or at the very least adopt a regulatory role (national parks for example). But the key to preservation, sustainability, and conservation is vested private owners.