This is one reasonable person asking another reasonable person a sensible question, and getting a sensible answer.
John in Twitter-know, Thomas I'm just meeting.
Hello, Thomas.
An answer follows. A thread.
John in Twitter-know, Thomas I'm just meeting.
Hello, Thomas.
An answer follows. A thread.
Here is my reply to Thomas's tweet above.
https://twitter.com/homemadeguitars/status/1413988084279021571?s=19
The math is horrible. I will grant you that it may be too late no matter what we do. However, I don't see anyplace to go from there, and, in the immortal words of John Carter of Barsoom, "We still live."
There is, I believe, one power vast enough to get us out of this mess, Life.
There is, I believe, one power vast enough to get us out of this mess, Life.
4. Things we know:
We know that once long ago, Earth was a semi-molten ball of flaming goo, mostly iron. Lots of carbon. Molten rock. Tough neighborhood.
Some billions of years passed.
Life happened.
Life began to turn carbon and other solids into more life, one atom at a time.
We know that once long ago, Earth was a semi-molten ball of flaming goo, mostly iron. Lots of carbon. Molten rock. Tough neighborhood.
Some billions of years passed.
Life happened.
Life began to turn carbon and other solids into more life, one atom at a time.
5. Some more billions of years passed.
One day Life said, "Look at all that sunlight I'm wasting," and invented photosynthesis.
Almost all previous life died, overnight, in terms of millions of years.
The atmosphere got full of oxygen.
Fast forward to 1492.
One day Life said, "Look at all that sunlight I'm wasting," and invented photosynthesis.
Almost all previous life died, overnight, in terms of millions of years.
The atmosphere got full of oxygen.
Fast forward to 1492.
6. In the interval between photosynthesis and 1492 a lot of life happened, all of it died but when it was done there was more life than before.
This is all consistent with science. I know I tell it different, but all this really happened.
So in 1492 this half of Earth was Life.
This is all consistent with science. I know I tell it different, but all this really happened.
So in 1492 this half of Earth was Life.
7. And a bunch of European white guys got here and said, "Look at all that LIFE! LET'S CASH IT IN!"
And they began the process.
Next stop, 2021.
8. Meanwhile, in Africa, where this whole Homo Sap thing started, along about 8,000 years ago we invented Desertification.
Agriculture.
And they began the process.
Next stop, 2021.
8. Meanwhile, in Africa, where this whole Homo Sap thing started, along about 8,000 years ago we invented Desertification.
Agriculture.
8. If there is anything on this planet which has the breadth and depth to remove excess carbon, rebuild vanishing topsoil, stabilize temperatures, rainfall, and runoff, that thing is the most complex, diverse, all-encompassing biosphere we can possibly create and encourage.
9. We could probably get rid of 50% of our national deadly flash floods by the simple act of giving the beavers back the creeks.
All the creeks.
If the beavers want a spot we give it to them.
No more flash floods in those watersheds.
Period.
Damn few big fires either.
All the creeks.
If the beavers want a spot we give it to them.
No more flash floods in those watersheds.
Period.
Damn few big fires either.
10. For details on the fires issue see:
https://twitter.com/EmilyFairfax/status/1097195169131024384?s=19
11. All people will ever talk about is sacrifice, and going back, and...
If there is a power on Earth which can save us, that power is Earth itself, with the human race, aided by donkeys, horses, cattle, camels, llamas, and any other willing partner, using the energy in food,
If there is a power on Earth which can save us, that power is Earth itself, with the human race, aided by donkeys, horses, cattle, camels, llamas, and any other willing partner, using the energy in food,
12. As put there by sunlight and living things, to repair the godawful damage we have done to the ecosystem over the past eight thousand years, the past six hundred years, and particularly the past 250 years since we turned fire into speed.
And most critically,
And most critically,
13. To repair the damage we have done since World War II.
The Age of Speed.
We have nearly destroyed the ecosystem which makes our lives possible.
This repair is not possible within the context of a high energy high speed large scale culture.
That's how we broke it.
CO2 is part.
The Age of Speed.
We have nearly destroyed the ecosystem which makes our lives possible.
This repair is not possible within the context of a high energy high speed large scale culture.
That's how we broke it.
CO2 is part.
14. The very first step to solving climate and other ecosystem catastrophe is to talk about all of it and get off this "climate only / fossil fuels only / emissions only" fiction we currently live under.
Go back to Thomas's question.
Go back to Thomas's question.
15. The entire "respectable" conversation about climate is based on the assumption that *of course* we'll always go a mile a minute and ten miles a minute and pave ten-acre fields to park cars on.
16. We know for sure we've already thrown away *millions* of parts of the former working biosphere. The one part we can give it is space.
Slow Down. Slow down until nothing anywhere goes faster than a running horse, regardless of what powers it. Save all the energy, save all
Slow Down. Slow down until nothing anywhere goes faster than a running horse, regardless of what powers it. Save all the energy, save all
17. the space...
Tear up the concrete and plant the hole with photosynthesis. Preferably food bearing perennial photosynthesis, but - Earth chooses. We observe what she wants to do and then bend it towards our needs.
We live in modest homes, walk on Earth just like we came from.
Tear up the concrete and plant the hole with photosynthesis. Preferably food bearing perennial photosynthesis, but - Earth chooses. We observe what she wants to do and then bend it towards our needs.
We live in modest homes, walk on Earth just like we came from.
18. All food becomes local, and all people arrange themselves where they can walk to food.
Giant desert cities fade back into the sand. Huge dams are taken down.
Earth made the stable climate we had. If - and there is no guarantee, but if - we can get it back Earth is the system.
Giant desert cities fade back into the sand. Huge dams are taken down.
Earth made the stable climate we had. If - and there is no guarantee, but if - we can get it back Earth is the system.
19. And yes, she can feed all 8 billion of us.
She is now.
Earth = where food comes from.
Two billion of us are overweight or obese.
One billion are hungry or starving.
One quarter of the food is wasted.
She can feed us *better* if we act like we want to survive than she is now.
She is now.
Earth = where food comes from.
Two billion of us are overweight or obese.
One billion are hungry or starving.
One quarter of the food is wasted.
She can feed us *better* if we act like we want to survive than she is now.
20. The only hard part is the imagining it. We can't imagine it, we can't discuss it. We are to be Gods, rolling supreme over our subservient planet who will obey our will.
It is not for us to walk.
Damn shame, too.
--out
It is not for us to walk.
Damn shame, too.
--out
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