Global Warming – Let’s Stop
Discussing It
Why?
Well, to be blunt. We aren’t
going to achieve anything by creating more hot air.
There are various theories about
global warming; ranging from the view that it doesn’t exist to the view that
the world is going to end in the next 25 years.
There are views that global
warming is a natural cyclic phenomenon which is going to happen irrespective of
man’s intervention. If global warming is cyclic then man can do nothing about
it as the natural energy involved will far exceed anything man can generate.
There are views that the energy
emitted by the sun, were it to penetrate the magnetosphere, would cause global
warming on an unimaginable scale. If one
considers that a little 600 Watt microwave oven can boil water in a minute,
just imagine what happens when Giga Giga watts of microwave energy heats up the
oceans. Maybe the impending magnetic pole flip will offer the sun’s radiation a
way in?
There are all sorts of theories
and views, the most of which we can spend large amounts of time and money
discussing and all of which will not change the situation.
Frankly, all this talk is in
order to find a way in which to save the Human species, not the planet! How arrogant! Were some catastrophic natural
phenomenon to occur, we simply would not have the means to do anything about it.
So let’s stop talking about it.
Let’s rather start talking and
doing things which are immediately doable, the other more esoteric things will
follow.
What?
We should be addressing Global
Pollution, not warming. Minimize pollution and many, if not all, the goals
looked for in addressing global warming will be achieved. By addressing global pollution rather than
warming we will remove much of the confusion. There will be no need to spend
trillions trying to define what we are talking about.
There are a few areas which can
be easily addressed and I feel that by initially addressing three areas in we
achieve many of the short term goals.
Pollution
In order to discuss Global pollution we need to look at the
earth in a global fashion. This means that we must look at energy as a global
resource, so, if a specific country/region were to reduce pollution then we all
would benefit.
We need to understand that we are all living in the same
cess pool, so we need to work together in order to clean it up.
The Three Areas of Pollution are:
Energy Generation
Overpopulation
Deforestation
Energy Generation
Electricity is de facto our most
useful source of energy. Electricity can be created in many various ways, electricity
is easily transported to the place where it is to be used, electricity can be
stored in many forms and released on a just in time basis and electricity can
be used in tiny or huge amounts; so one must conclude that electricity is by
far the best source of energy.
When electricity generation is
discussed, the emphasis most often tends to be that of alternatives. Obviously
alternatives need to be invented, after all this is a natural challenge to man’s
curiosity, but most alternatives are too expensive, too dangerous or have worse
side effects than those currently existing. A further problem is that
alternatives can’t replace carbon or nuclear based generators as they do not
provide sufficient output.
So let’s not concentrate on
alternative ways of generating electricity.
Let’s rather consider on using less electricity. Probably one of the largest consumers of
electricity is heating water. Hot water can be used in many ways, ranging from
electricity generation, to washing, to air conditioning. Reduce the use of
electricity for the heating of water and we will save electricity.
In many locations we can use
solar heat to carry out this heating. If we live in a hot area with many hours
of sunlight, we can use the sun to warm water.
Further, in this type of environment, there is no need for esoteric heat
collectors, a piece of black tube can do good job! Further, by using local
labour to assemble simple collectors, many otherwise unemployable people will
have a source of income.
So, by using sunlight for water
heating, we can free up the electricity which would have been used, for other
things and create jobs.
In other words, by using
sunlight, we will have generated that amount of electricity!
How can we achieve this? To start
with, let’s take a few of the billions which have been set aside for
conferences, talks, research and use the money to install solar heating into
every building where the climate suggests it. The money is available; all we
need do is to spend it so that there is a global benefit. And, when this impacts on the energy sources
used for current electricity production, those areas which do not have
sufficient natural heat will benefit by the lower prices and greater
availability of those energy sources. Win, win.
Overpopulation
We currently have upwards of
seven billion people living on this planet.
Never mind that the number of people is growing at an unsustainable
rate, our current resources are not catering for the current of population. Maybe we should be looking at the quality rather
than quantity of life?
If we are serious about
addressing pollution, the first area to be addressed is that of
population.
Simply, if mankind does not do something
to address it, nature will. Whether by way of catastrophic events in which
millions at a time are killed or whether it’s because there is insufficient
food and millions starve to death, it is going to happen.
By the way, with people migrating
to cities and thus creating massive population densities, even a relatively
minor event has a good chance of wiping out millions at a time.
Deforestation
Earth uses forests to
breath.
Plants eat carbon dioxide and
defecate oxygen.
Remove the plants and we are left
with the carbon dioxide and man is left suffering all the bad effects caused by
the carbon dioxide excess.
In the global scheme of things,
forests, like oil, uranium and other minerals, are not the possessions of a
particular person or country, they are global resources and need to be treated
as such.
