Category: Environment

Empire of Dirt

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Environment, New articlesLeave a comment

Sustainability is a word that casts a political shadow, in the same dark place where “a vote for Green is a wasted” vote lives, i.e. discouraging people to take action to protect life on Earth.

Empire building takes many forms. The 20th Century saw major world powers allow mega-corporations to ruin the natural world with oil, plastic, and pollution. This Empire is self-destructive, threatening not just our future but the future of all lives and thus thousands of millions of years of evolution. How do we re-create insects? We can not. If we do not do something about pollution and the insanity of greed, there will be one less life supporting planet in our realm of the universe.

See also: Cars are Killing us

12 years to avert catastrophe

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, New articlesLeave a comment 
The IPCC has said that the planning to limit global temperatures rises to below 2C by 2100 is not now a goal that will be achieved, instead advising we must stop warming before it exceeds 1.5C by 2030.  

That is twelve years of accelerating and increasing decline in stability before we are well and truly cooked.  

Blame this directly on Donald Trump and his apocalyptic economics.  This time he can not just bankrupt the enterprise as the economy adjusts to unsustainable tax cuts with an infrastructure that no longer looks after its people.

Denuclearisation

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn nuclearLeave a comment

In the opening minutes of the Trump-Kim summit it will become very obvious that Trump will withdraw because Kim does not immediately lie down and offer his entire nuclear arsenal in exchange for reunification with South Korea.

Kim has already achieved what he wants – a meeting with the US President. He will offer an exchange of denuclearisation – he will give up his weapons when the remaining nuclear powers give up their and he will then demand a set on the Security Council.

Trump will then depart. Kim will have made his point.

Nuclear Threat

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn North Korea, nuclear terrorism, war, world gone madLeave a comment

Does North Korea pose a genuine threat to the USA with a handful of nuclear missiles pointed in its general direction?

Does the USA pose a genuine threat to North Korea?

Both bear the scars of a dreadful war in the early 1950s; a war that has not officially ended. In the intervening years, South Korea has emerged as a powerhouse exporting nation with advanced technology competing with Japan and China boasting companies such as Samsung. North Korea, in comparison, has locked itself into a military specialisation to the detriment of its own people who slavishly admire their leader or land up in a gulag, starved to death.

And now they are testing ICBM missiles and it is only a matter of time before they are able to use one against its enemy, the sponsor of South Korea, the USA. And now both countries have belligerent leaders who want to prove themselves with a “good war”.

The USA accuse Russia and China of responsibility here. Russia and China would rather not be at war with the USAA, so having a proxy threat is perhaps useful. All out nuclear war, of course, is in the interests of nobody.

What is the endgame for this terrible standoff? It seems unlikely that either party would not blink due to the nature of Nuclear weapons. If North Korea were to risk launching one, the retaliation could be complete and final. They will never have enough weapons to stop a systematic invasion let alone a nuclear response, but America would most likely have to live with the threat until it can justify action to China and Russia or better yet, engage with them to finally oust the military regime of North Korea.

Guardian article

Reunification turned Germany into a world leader. It is time for Korea to reconsider its path for mutual benefit between the North and the South. Is it in the interests of the West, Japan or anyone for North Koreans to suffer so and for the shroud of death to hang over the region? Does Trump style diplomacy help or is there a better way to help the Koreans to unify?

Fear drives North Korea to act

Wet Cities at 4 degrees of climate change heat

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Climate ChangeLeave a comment

Have a look at some scenes from cities of the world, with 2 degrees of global warming compared with 4 degrees of warming.

Or use these diagrams against a world map to see maps of water damage to cities with unchecked pollution or a 2 degree or 4 degree temperature change.

Why is the UK government spending billions on the historic Houses of Parliament and Big Ben when they will be underwater with the planned 2 degrees of temperature.

And if the politicians are able to hold the very long term threat to 2 degrees and stop methane or other gases that cause accelerated warming from having any effect, or the odd storm or tsunami from destroying riverside buildings and other expensive soggy properties.

 

 

 

 

Air Pollution

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn pollutionLeave a comment

Breathing Space

Long ago Disturbing Trends identified air pollution as the primary problem facing human survival. It seems that via the alarm of the consequences of global warming which is now climate change or instability the idea that our cities can kill us now seems evident. The most frightening aspect of which is that for many, the damage is already being inflicted. On us. On all life in badly polluted cities. Live hard, die young. Almost guaranteed.

Now posh Delhi homes can get air filters which no doubt in a constant kind of way have a daily cost in energy multiplied by 3 million homes this may expand into therefore making the air of Delhi pollute another part of the country sigificantly whilst protecting the lives of these inhabitants. Or they could create stronger norms of industrial behaviour: e.g. using filters on chimneys by immediate legislation or your factory gets shut down. The government could help those in financial need. Remove the pollution because tolerating it is making your environment, i.e. all life forms at risk of extinction.

It is beyond comprehension why