Climate change is the biggest worry our generation and the next one, should fear the most.
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For those that have been paying attention to the presidential election, and have fear of the outcome, you may have noticed two different predictions for the future. The first is from a party that depends on fear in order to pull in votes, but wait isn’t that both parties currently. Trump tells the public about a chaotic world of danger and death while ignoring climate change. On the opposite side Hillary gives a similar message warning that voting for Trump is giving the nuclear codes to a psychopath. Stepping back from the political scene let’s take a look at what we should be fearful of in a healthy way.
Climate change is the biggest worry our generation and the next one, should fear the most. With rising temperatures and the landscape of the earth changing at a rate never before recorded in human history this is the biggest threat to our species. Along with climate change comes the fifth mass extinction the planet has seen. Large numbers of species are vanishing due to human interaction with the planet.
Next on my list of things to worry about is peak oil. A finite source of fuel, oil is the primary source of energy in the United States and we import more than we can produce. Currently we are the largest oil producer in the world through fracking, another concern of mine, but the well only produces for a life space of 5-15 years. World oil production is in decline and the world leaders aren’t doing much about it.
One topic people are touchy to talk about is over population. Arguments about this issue will include “people are a good thing,” and “I like people.” Ignore people who make this argument and remember they will be the first to die off when the poop hits the fan. As the population of the earth increases and more people continue to use resources the problems of climate change and peak oil will increase with more intensity than before.
So now you should be asking yourself “if the world is all doom and gloom, then what is the point?”
There is an upside to what we are seeing in the world today. Considering climate change, there are countries out that that have been fighting it and prospered as a result. Germany now receives 85% of their electricity from renewable sources and is the current economic powerhouse of the European Union. Iceland is now 100% energy independent and changed their banking structure to ensure they are never effected by a collapse like the 2008 economic crisis.
Around the world people are learning about new forms of farming that do not rely upon chemical based fertilizers. Permaculture is a new system that was created in the last 15 years and involves organic solutions mixed with natural formations to increase yields and protect top soil. In the Middle East and Africa, desert reclamation programs are learning how to take the land back from the desert and increase rainfall in barren places.
Overpopulation is the one topic that I have the biggest problem being an optimist about.
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Peak oil is an issue that should not be an issue. With the limited time that humans will have oil as an energy source we have the ability to go past this fossil fuel and discover better ways to capture power. Tesla motors has open sourced their battery technology for the public to use. With designs of home batteries recharged by small roof mounted windmills and lawn mowers now flooding the market with tesla batteries, the landscape is changing with cost effective alternatives to oil. Renewable energy is the fastest growing source of power in China, a country that was starting a new coal burning plant each week, only ten years ago.
Overpopulation is the one topic that I have the biggest problem being an optimist about. The end result that I come to is the fight for education. People with a higher education have fewer children then those who don’t. We have seen this trend in countries that move away from third world status and towards second or first world countries. While the economic status and education of these countries increases the response from these countries tends to be negative because of the decline in population. Less people means less taxes. While the people are becoming smarter it would appear the leaders are not.
Is the person I’m voting for promoting: education, renewable energy, and technology advancement. If not, do not vote for them.
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Permaculture won’t solve the question of how to feed a growing population since it won’t produce enough food to feed everyone. Oil based machinery and fertilizers are the reason we have the number of people that exist today, once that is gone so are the people. There is the chance to reduce our numbers over a long period of time and transition to a sustainable form or farming. It would involve creating an educated population with access of information to all. The internet is a start to this. We also have to ask the question of the intelligence of people we put into power. If somebody is on a podium and does not mention the threat of global warming as an issue for future generations, then they have no business running anything outside of their own lives.
If you look at the future of our planet and have the same concerns that I have here are some questions you need to ask yourself. Is the person I’m voting for promoting: education, renewable energy, and technology advancement. If not, do not vote for them. What am I doing to help solve the problems that our world is facing? If you’re currently driving a large pickup truck to work and it’s not part of your job, what are you really doing? What are you teaching your children and are you truly invested in their education and future? If you just became angry it’s because you just admitted to yourself that you are not. The change that needs to happen on this planet for future generations starts with you, me, and the rest of us. It’s not the job of our politicians to fix the way things are. We have to accept that the politicians work for their own personal self-interest. If we could depend on them to solve the world’s problems the world wouldn’t be the way it is. If the world is going to have a future, it has to start with us.
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Photo: Getty Images
Howdy Matthew, I believe there are more factors playing a part in the over population issue than just education. One big aspect of second and third world countries is the number of people engaging in subsistence farming. This type of farming is very labor intensive and the children become a part of the workforce needed to make such low tech farming. Another factor which also plays a big factor is child mortality. The higher the mortality level the more children have to be produced to both insure the family line survives and of course to provide replacements for the familial… Read more »