I've gotta apologize this is my first post in the commune in forever.


I'm majoring in environmental studies and this is a pretty good (raw) synthesis of my thoughts. I was just in the mood today to vent. I know there are some really bright minds here on FTR and ideally my post will generate discussion and maybe provide us all with some helpful information.



Had a talk with my mom today about how i basically feel everything is heading towards disaster. The consumption habits of the billion or so people with money in the world is doing long term damage to natural systems; we are destroying and using up natural capital today that won't be available tomorrow. There are over 300billion pounds of plastic in the ocean for God's sakes; despite this poisoning which is a double whammy (with increasing demand from rising populationn) on the animals of the sea humans depend on for food nobody is or really can do anything about it. To end overfishing and dredge the oceans for plastic requires countries voluntarily reducing their economic growth and condemning people who depend on food from the oceans to starvation. This is just one of many environmental/resource problems I can think of. Deforestation in the southern hemisphere is lowering the supply of long term natural capital future generations will be able to draw upon. Are the rainforests better off than they were in the 1980's? I think so, but they are still being repurposed for cattle farming and soybean fields when they would better serve the global community by acting as a carbon sink. Africa is a total disaster I can't even get into the environmental stuff when the political/war/disease issues are far more immediate and devastating.

I think it's a mind fuck for people when you tell them that although Earth can support 7 billion people and the consumptive levels of America+Western Europe at the present moment but that it won't be so in 20-30-50 years. Not being able to say WHEN resource limitations will affect us is a huge part of the misunderstanding. Watch the price of gas. Watch the price of food. The price of energy is fundamental to the operation of EVERYTHING.

Climate change is a huge but almost secondary concern and probably can't be dealt with anyways; energy shortages are probably going to come first and by then there won't be enough financial capital left to deal with the problems climate change will bring. Look at America right now; debt up the ass and we just approved tax cuts and extended unemployment benefits, and did nothing about entitlement programs SS and MDCR/Medicaid... So much of our agricultural and industrial infrastructure was built to suit a climate that will be very different in 2-3 decades. It tilts me that these global problems are manifesting too slowly for political institutions to coordinate any meaningful response. No one wants to make serious cuts in CO2 emissions because that means giving up stuff today. Individuals can give up things; societies don't/won't.

LOL WE"RE ALL FUCKED is all i can think sometimes. A couple months ago I would've blamed the Baby Boomer generation, but me and my generation are also to blame because we're not getting anything done either. My mom asked me what I think the energetic cost is to my playing poker on the computer. I don't really know what to say.. she's right that I'm burning fossil fuels by plugging in my computer. I should be out there picking up trash and educating people about being environmentally responsible. I just don't believe it'll make a difference. I'm watching this stupid ass commercial right now about renting furniture and I know there are too many idiots out there to make it worth a damn. Even if 20% of people 'got wise' and changed their lifestyles that'd still mean 80% of us (and the .1% who are immensely benefitting from the status quo) are locked in to the currently unsustainable system.

Yup I hope when I'm twenty five I'll be more hopeful.