tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post7614403443682724755..comments2023-12-23T05:14:34.273-05:00Comments on Wit's End: A Fine Frenzy ~ the universal dance of delusion...and the paucity of hopeGail Zawackihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-87395658699536514682015-10-28T18:45:13.282-04:002015-10-28T18:45:13.282-04:00Corey, this is great! After 4 billion years of li...Corey, this is great! After 4 billion years of life, through hundreds of millions of species and multiple trillions of individuals every organism has reproduced at the maximum possible rate. <br /><br />By charging our iPhones with thorium fission power we will be able to alter human society & produce the behaviour of procreation at slightly below the level of replacement. Thorium will also bring back the 50% of land and marine animals that have been killed in the last 50 years, the 90% of commercial fish species, and of course the extinct species. <br /><br />I believe that a techno-utopia is possible. It will just require going against all historical behaviour of every organism known to exist. Dubyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-43732961074526395482014-07-18T14:53:47.010-04:002014-07-18T14:53:47.010-04:00Inspiring and insightful observations, thanks Gail...Inspiring and insightful observations, thanks Gail! You may like to know i've linked your brilliant essay in my one-page essays on my Blog. Please see:http://mrpswords.blogspot.ca/2014/07/our-inner-inuksuk.html<br /> Richard Michelle-Pentelburyhttp://www.richardmichellepentelbury.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-88785210990034158842014-07-18T06:26:00.132-04:002014-07-18T06:26:00.132-04:00Thanks Gail, very much enjoyed this post and have ...Thanks Gail, very much enjoyed this post and have found your comments very sharp and accurate (both here and from Nature Bats Last a while back, when I first came across it). Paul Reid-Bowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05305501394205279347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-1785086385113390712014-07-17T12:30:50.288-04:002014-07-17T12:30:50.288-04:00I think you are correct John, both are occurring. ...I think you are correct John, both are occurring. However, I am much less concerned about the thinning stratospheric layer (for now, mysterious processes and even newly discovered chemicals occurring up there are that no one really understands). Certainly over-exposure to UV radiation can harm foliage, but the extent to which the damage done by tropospheric ozone is well-understood, the ramifications of that are also well-established, and given the increasing levels, I don't think we need to look much further to explain the wide-scale decline that is accelerating. Also, I see equally sick plants inside conservatories that are protected from direct sunlight as well as wild plants outside.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-18006172329877383002014-07-16T19:27:02.837-04:002014-07-16T19:27:02.837-04:00Super writing and research, Gail! (Henry Thoreau m...Super writing and research, Gail! (Henry Thoreau meets the internet?) One thing I have long wondered about while reading your research, doesn't tropospheric ozone damage to trees look the same as the damage done to trees by the increased tropospheric UV due to stratospheric ozone depletion? Both are probably at work simultaneously and determining the degree is uselessly academic. Still, I'm curious whether you have much pondered this issue? In commiseration, John Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-15391321923077811382014-07-16T14:00:44.312-04:002014-07-16T14:00:44.312-04:00Ocean acidification is a particularly pressing pro...Ocean acidification is a particularly pressing problem. There have been numerous proposals, but all are predicated on greatly reducing the cost of sustainable energy. We are developing nuclear-based thermal systems which will be able to produce the billions of tons of lime necessary to maintain ocean pH. The scale of this problem is about 2-4 TWth, so thousands of nuclear power plants. Needless to say, we will not be using LWRs for this task.<br /><br />POTENTIAL OF THORIUM MOLTEN SALT REACTORS :<br />DETAILED CALCULATIONS AND CONCEPT EVOLUTIONS<br />IN VIEW OF A LARGE NUCLEAR ENERGY PRODUCTION<br /><br />http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/02/55/24/PDF/democrite-00021911.pdf (note the theoretical deployment curve in fig. 14b)<br /><br />High temperature liquid fuel thermal-neutron iso-breeders (LFTR/Th-MSR) will be mass produced in the tens of thousands, synthesizing the carbon-free and carbon-neutral energy carriers that will displace fossil fuels. Fracking, deep-water drilling, and oil sands exploitation will be taxed out of existence once the sustainable alternative is in place.<br /><br />At the moment, we are having difficulty with the Department of Defense which has blocked our attempt to gain access to thorium by expanding domestic rare earth mining. It appears that our nation's defense contractors are content with forever relying upon importing these resources.<br /><br />https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s2006 (our rare earth bill)<br /><br />"Then, a week after the briefing, Senator Blunt's office sent out a memo that due to "DoD objections" to the National Rare Earth Cooperative Act, his office wouldn't move forward with the bill in the NDAA. This bold inaction essentially guarantees the United States' dependence on China for our national defense - probably forever."<br /><br />http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/24445-dear-defense-contractor-ceos-why-is-the-pentagon-buying-weapons-full-of-chinese-parts-when-you-could-get-them-here-in-the-us<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06123239702657983630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-64826271468698399722014-07-16T13:38:35.588-04:002014-07-16T13:38:35.588-04:00If you are aware of the projections, you ought to ...If you are aware of the projections, you ought to know we don't have decades...particularly because there is absolutely NO indication that people will willingly going to reverse any of these trends: overpopulation, habitat destruction, deforestation, rising CO2 emissions, rising ozone levels, extreme extraction of fossil fuels such as fracking, deep-water drilling, and tar sands, creating ever greater amounts of garbage especially plastic, ocean acidification, overfishing to the point that the oceans are dying etc etc not to mention the feedbacks that are now beyond our ability to mediate such as more wildfires, melting of the Arctic, Greenland and Antarctic and glaciers all over the world, extreme weather events leading to crop failure, famine, epidemic disease and war, etc. As the world falls into chaos there will be even less ability to deploy new forms of energy production, plus, when the grid goes down, all 425+ nuclear power plants will melt down. Can I have some of what you are smoking?Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-7585014793582387802014-07-16T13:31:32.151-04:002014-07-16T13:31:32.151-04:00Yes, I am well aware of the projections. With the ...Yes, I am well aware of the projections. With the right energy system, we will be able to deploy tens of terawatts within decades, rapidly decarbonizing the economy, and providing the excess energy required for sequestration of excess CO2.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06123239702657983630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-83048660288544037312014-07-16T13:11:27.096-04:002014-07-16T13:11:27.096-04:00We blew past any hope of keeping at 2C long ago - ...We blew past any hope of keeping at 2C long ago - this is from 2011 and still emissions climb:<br /><br />"The commonly accepted threshold of climate “safety,” 2 degrees C [3.6 degrees F] temperature rise over pre-industrial levels, is now properly considered extremely dangerous;<br />even 2 degrees C is drifting out of reach, absent efforts of a scale and speed beyond anything currently proposed;<br />our current trajectory is leading us toward 4 or 6 (or 8 or 10) degrees C, which we now know to be a potentially civilization-threatening disaster.<br /><br />http://grist.org/climate-policy/2011-12-08-the-brutal-logic-of-climate-change-mitigation/<br />Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-22640538360694924452014-07-16T13:00:12.510-04:002014-07-16T13:00:12.510-04:00There is good reason to believe that we can slow o...There is good reason to believe that we can slow or even reverse the global population growth rate by dramatically increasing energy per capita. Evolution does not only pertain to genes, but also our culture, and change can happen quite rapidly.<br /><br />And we are not out of time, even if we wish to keep the global average temperature rise below 1 C. As I said, I can get into the details about how this is physically possible. We also have a plan to deal with ocean acidification within decades, even though this problem will require the application of TWs of energy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06123239702657983630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-5800644697995215142014-07-16T11:34:35.113-04:002014-07-16T11:34:35.113-04:00Funny how people attack me personally rather than ...Funny how people attack me personally rather than deal with the issues. More energy, even if it were clean energy, will not solve the problem of human overshoot, because it will simply encourage more growth of population and consumption. Any any suggest that our "consciousness" will evolve betrays an egregious lack of knowledge about what evolution actually is, how it transpires and the time scales required. Evolution is not purposeful, it is not based on our desires...and besides, we are out of time. Next comment from anyone that refers to me personally rather than dying trees or the myriad other rapidly unfolding crises will be deleted.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-34783029026388202732014-07-16T11:18:55.645-04:002014-07-16T11:18:55.645-04:00I must emphatically disagree with you on both coun...I must emphatically disagree with you on both counts:<br /><br />1) Our problem is fundamentally technological.<br /><br />2) This solution will be capable of eradicating global poverty within decades and will suffice as an energy solution indefinitely.<br /><br />This is the epitome of long range thinking. The implementation of this plan will constitute a new adaptation for civilization, so why stand in the way of conscious evolution?<br /><br />Perhaps you should consider addressing your own depression which is quite evident in your writing?<br /><br />May I humbly suggest this aged and still relevant text? http://www.sidis.net/nervousillscontents.htm<br /><br />Also available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nervous-ills-their-cause-cure/dp/1176870572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405523483&sr=8-1&keywords=nervous+ills+their+cause+and+cure<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06123239702657983630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-19756838946398998062014-07-16T10:51:27.617-04:002014-07-16T10:51:27.617-04:00Thank you for your offer, Corey, but the problem f...Thank you for your offer, Corey, but the problem facing humanity is not technological and will not be fixed by technology. The problem is that we have not evolved to think past the near future, and are willing to sacrifice the security of future generations for our own comfort now. Providing more energy will just make this tiger chase it's tail faster.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-25757285208418533312014-07-16T10:26:40.896-04:002014-07-16T10:26:40.896-04:00Energy is Hope
There is a plan in the works that ...Energy is Hope<br /><br />There is a plan in the works that will address our problem of needing to produce tens of terawatts within decades at a cost at least an order of magnitude lower than what is available today. The key pieces of this technological puzzle have been feasible for development for decades, but has been largely ignored for political reasons. I will happily delve into some of the technical details if there is an interest here to do so. But rest assured, this approach will work as it is not speculative in nature. The placeholder name at the moment is The Planetary Sustainability Initiative: The Ethical Mitigation of Global Warming, and contrary to other 'green' proposals, the focus is on rapidly growing the sustainable economy through high energy return. <br /><br />Sincerely, on behalf of the Thorium Energy Alliance,<br /><br />Corey BarcusAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06123239702657983630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-36527896398109054902014-07-15T17:39:49.867-04:002014-07-15T17:39:49.867-04:00Adherents of the Maximum Power Principle would ten...Adherents of the Maximum Power Principle would tend to concur. Yes, they would all suffer the same inescapable fate. Personally, I lean towards the biological urge to grow as sufficient. Either way, the universe is entirely indifferent, and it is mainly our self-inflated importance that insists it should be different.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-43741491749991365502014-07-15T17:33:25.962-04:002014-07-15T17:33:25.962-04:00I wonder if other earth like worlds, if life was b...I wonder if other earth like worlds, if life was bestowed upon them, would suffer the same inescapable fate. The universe, I drearily conclude, is entirely indifferent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-12752640716064093432014-07-14T20:04:59.748-04:002014-07-14T20:04:59.748-04:00Great essay Gail. I know what's coming, and t...Great essay Gail. I know what's coming, and that it isn't going to be decades before arrival. The effect of our pollution on plant life will be akin to running a car in a closed garage for humanity and will have a similar result, though the suffering will be unheard-of. Why we're so dense as to witness this steady decline and fail to see it, because we're all so distracted day and night (until the lights go out for good), is a testament to our being by no means wise.<br /><br />TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-64340799294727120752014-07-14T19:57:48.949-04:002014-07-14T19:57:48.949-04:00Excellent post! Excellent post! ThreeEshttp://globalriskreport.infonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-67956369932422457152014-07-14T12:31:05.977-04:002014-07-14T12:31:05.977-04:00We think our cleverness will save us and that we a...We think our cleverness will save us and that we are exempt from the control mechanisms of Nature: we are not. Very sad for all the other lifeforms we will take down with us.<br /><br />http://dieoff.org/page80.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-33181843524918180322014-07-14T11:47:37.312-04:002014-07-14T11:47:37.312-04:00Great essay, reblogged: http://www.desdemonadespai...Great essay, reblogged: http://www.desdemonadespair.net/2014/07/gail-zawacki-fine-frenzy-universal.htmlJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07080844313226790538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-55011908153737770352014-07-14T08:21:55.200-04:002014-07-14T08:21:55.200-04:00Thought you might enjoy reading this that I just f...Thought you might enjoy reading this that I just found. i'll be commenting after I read your post.<br /><br />TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-72880734442926487392014-07-13T17:02:14.115-04:002014-07-13T17:02:14.115-04:00Thank you for your writings. Beautiful.
C.Thank you for your writings. Beautiful.<br /><br />C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-42702870027328850082014-07-12T09:30:41.112-04:002014-07-12T09:30:41.112-04:00OpEd News published this post, Yay! http://www.op...OpEd News published this post, Yay! http://www.opednews.com/articles/In-a-Fine-Frenzy---the-u-by-Gail-Zawacki-Climate-Change_Climate-Change-Agreement_Climate-Change-Deniers_Death-140712-93.htmlGail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-83704895071268962162014-07-12T09:30:09.861-04:002014-07-12T09:30:09.861-04:00Thanks, John. Hope serves a critical purpose for ...Thanks, John. Hope serves a critical purpose for people, it is part of our makeup, it is our inspiration to create, to love and to live. Without it, most of us would despair and do nothing. But it's a problem when it leads us to ignore dangers, especially the dangers we create ourselves.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-81418499973332340882014-07-12T09:03:03.950-04:002014-07-12T09:03:03.950-04:00A monstrous tale beautifully told with passion, cl...A monstrous tale beautifully told with passion, clear ferocity and simplicity. Jared Diamond once posed the rhetorical question on the matter of ecological suicide and collapse about Easter Islanders - 'What were they thinking when the cut down the last tree? ' It is a riddle within an enigma and the answer is, they were not thinking and nor are we, it seems we are condemned by the selfish gene to depart the planet the way we arrived in small clusters of vicious, violent and ignorant primates roaming the wilderness in search of shelter, sustenance and comfort:<br /><br />I met a traveller from an antique land<br />Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone<br />Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,<br />Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,<br />And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,<br />Tell that its sculptor well those passions read<br />Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,<br />The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:<br />And on the pedestal these words appear:<br />'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:<br />Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'<br />Nothing beside remains. Round the decay<br />Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare<br />The lone and level sands stretch far away."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com