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POPSWorld is facing a natural resources crisis worse than financial crunch To understand the nature of accelerating change, see the Clips below. They show the statistical nature of the problem. Dr. Albert Bartlett: Arithmetic, Population and Energy (transcript) - Part 1 http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/9ACF7407-5408-4A61-9DEC-DAFA7484AECE/ Dr. Albert Bartlett: Arithmetic, Population and Energy (transcript) - Part 2 http://clipmarks.com/clipmark/26B7972E-AD22-4AC6-8AEC-E76CEF735804/ The solution has be implemented virtually instantaneously, if there is to be any chance of survival. But all it takes is a change of mind about the purpose of life -- from earth consumer / exploiter to earth carer / partner. To change one's mind takes only a micro-second and we already have the means of instant communication. The choice is simple, clear and stark.
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POPSDevastation of World's Coral Imminent? According to a new study in Geophysical Research Letters, the world's coral could be devastated by rising CO2 levels. This isn't just an issue for science --- the tourist economy in various countries would also be devastated if coral reefs were to vanish. I've written about this before here: http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/06/travel-sustainable-coastlines-forbeslife-cx_rr_0307travel.html. More recently, I wrote about endangered natural wonders and the business of tourism here: http://www.forbes.com/travel/2008/09/15/travel-endangered-ecosystems-forbeslife-cx_rr_0915travel.html.
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POPSGot Gas? continued......What's the problem then? Why aren't oil companies jumping to pump the black gold? Contrary to what some conspiracy theorists would have you believe, there is no cabal of oil companies and foreign governments blocking the way, bottling up U.S. oil production. The reality is much more mundane. Those untapped reserves are located in places that either Uncle Sam has put off-limits for environmental reasons or are too costly to get -- or a combination of both. Given current sky-high prices for crude oil and the likelihood that oil prices will remain high -- at or above $100 a barrel -- for the foreseeable future, it is now economically viable to tap some of those reserves. But environmental concerns -- ranging from preservation of pristine lands to worries about increasing the use of fossil fuels and accelerating global climate change -- remain a hurdle. http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/The_U.S._s_Untapped_Bounty_080630.html
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POPSUS war on the Future: From Alvin Toffler to Sarah Palin This is a must read commentary by Adam Greenfield. "What you get when you swallow too much change too quickly isn’t a mass outbreak of twitching, hebephrenic breakdown, nor some neo-Amish wave of technological renunciation. You wanna know what it looks like? A hockey mom and former beauty queen with an upswept ‘do and a pregnant daughter in high school. Sarah Palin is future shock personified."
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POPSFor peace, justice, and life on Earth, fresh ways of seeing arise, and ancient ways return. Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with four decades of activism. She has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.
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POPSObama's Tax Redistribution ...Obama's plan would greatly accelerate the decades-long trend toward a federal government that depends for tax revenue almost exclusively on a few high-income people. I guess you can call greatly accelerating in the same direction, "change". Hodge acknowledges that some Americans may cheer this dramatic dependence on the highest earners, but he says the shift should be part of a larger national discussion asking questions such as: * What is the long-term effect on the economy if so few households shoulder such a large share of the tax burden? * When a majority of Americans are paying so little for government, will that majority then demand even more services than they would have otherwise? * Can a tax system so focused on redistribution be compatible with economic growth? The new study, "Hard Numbers on Obama's Redistribution Plan," is available online at www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/23319.html.
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POPSPrint Book Sales Down, Ebook Sales Up A sign of things to come, preferences aside. I sell both print and ebooks and just like the majority of my customers, I prefer the print format. However, when e-readers are more affordable and functional, I am pretty certain things will change. Additionally, every generation is increasingly computer literate, which will lead to greater sales of ebooks. I am currently educating myself in the creation and marketing of of dynamic ebooks so that I can be up to speed in the publishing field. If you have an interest in writing an ebook, let me know! Also, I'll have a new website soon that will sell both ebooks and ereaders (some new ones are on the horizon that will be more reader-friendly). What's your opinion? Can you adapt? Would you just read books on your computer or prefer a light-weight reader such as the Kindle or similar?
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POPSSave a Little Gas Great article with some great tips. The biggest one - DRIVE SLOWER. I have to admit I started doing this and I'm absolutely amazed at how much gas I'm saving. I log one 50-60 mile trip each weekend plus about 10 miles each weekday back and forth to work. With that driving, I'd have to fill up about once a week or week and a half. What did I change? - I set my cruise control to just below 65 MPH when on the freeway. - I go much easier on the accelerator when starting out. - When coming to a stop sign, traffic light, or exit ramp, instead of hitting the gas until I get close and then immediately breaking, I just coast. - Same with pulling into my garage, parking lots, etc. I used to drive pretty aggressively, always flooring it out of a stop to get around people, and driving pretty fast. Now, with these changes, I'm filling up every 2 weeks with the same amount of driving. It's been huge!
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POPSWhen Unusually Rapid Improvement Becomes Usual Given the existing pressure on such social programs as Social Security and Medicare, I believe one implication of this “unusually rapid improvement” is that these systems will need to be radically overhauled in order to survive this new demographic reality.
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POPSMcCain's Hot Air: Chris Horner
situation — and that his EPA will implement something faster than anything the EPA has ever done before. Which is another way of describing his vow today to give the economy up to two years to bring emissions back down to 2005 levels. He says that the free-ride granted to most of the world proved the undoing of these “Protocols”. The fact that none of the parties which promised emission reductions have any clue how to actually reduce emissions, and therefore are not doing so, would seem to me to be a more central feature in Kyoto’s failure. First, McCain’s conceit in this speech and in his global-warming views generally are impervious to changing evidence: the problem of man-made climate change is real, bad, and here now. Second, McCain’s ultimate goal for “doing something” is, at best, unclear. He says “The goal in all of this is to assure an energy supply that is safe, secure, diverse, and domestic.” It has failed in Europe. He tries to elide this fact, but fails.
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POPSTranshumanism vs. Trans-Systemism What exactly is this “human” that we are supposed to extrapolate into the future? Is it an individual animal? A member of a species? A self-aware “software” that resides in the fore brain of an advanced mammal? Several combined pieces of software? Software combined with external knowledge and information? Does it depend on nature? Can it be distinguished form the system in which it resides? Can it exist without the broader system? ******** Perhaps the most critical challenge of transhumanist philosophy is exactly this: To offer a vision of the future human, the human of beyond. Transhumanism will not grow into a mature philosophy without defining and describing the possible favorable directions of human evolution, both as individuals and as a specie.
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POPSWorld CO2 Levels At Record High, Scientists Warn Scientists say the shift could indicate that the Earth is losing its natural ability to soak up billions of tons of carbon each year. Climate models assume that about half our future emissions will be re-absorbed by forests and oceans, but the new figures confirm this may be too optimistic. If more of our carbon pollution stays in the atmosphere, it means emissions will have to be cut by more than currently projected to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. Martin Parry, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s working group on impacts, said: “Despite all the talk, the situation is getting worse. Levels of greenhouse gases continue to rise in the atmosphere and the rate of that rise is accelerating. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and the scale of those impacts will also accelerate, until we decide to do something about it.”
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POPSGlaciers melting at an 'alarming' rate There are figures which show the current melt rates, and they say there is no end in sight, but the end will come when there is no glacier left to melt. people that rely on glaciers for water, will have to find it somewhere else. There is no doubt, wherever they get it, it will be expensive.
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POPSDon't burn food! Let's send our leaders messages urging the adoption of global standards for biofuels.
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POPSThe Big Picture Ubiquitous Transparency, New Models of Development, The Rise of the Post-Hegemonic World
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POPSIs Time disappearing from the universe? At an everyday level, the change would not be perceptible. However, it would be obvious from cosmic scale measurements tracking the course of the universe over billions of years. The change would be infinitesimally slow from a human perspective, but in terms of the vast perspective of cosmology, the study of ancient light from suns that shone billions of years ago, it could easily be measured Difficult to fathom.
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