The 11th Hour

The 11^th Hour is a production concerning how human pollution and consumption affects climate change. It begins with clips of not only climate change, but the some of the worlds population who have suffered from the devastation of climate change and little natural resources. The photos and clips that are shown are demonstrations of the pain that people have inflicted on the earth and the consequences of it. Thomas Hartman, the author of Threshold, appeared in the video saying “The lights on our earth look like an infected crust caused by a bacteria.” What he meant by this was the earth’s population has modernized it’s cities, and with a capitalism economy in most developing and developed countries the modernization of the cities will increase.

In the video it was said that humans attempt to detach their selves away from the earth as a whole; however, humans are a bigger part of the ecosystem. Though humans have other advantages such as being aware that we are aware, it does not make them any more superior as any other species. It is said that there or 9 trillion cells in our body, and 90 percent of those cells aren’t regular human cells. The 90 percent of the non-human cells are made up of components provided by the earth. Therefore, in that case, we need the earth. Our planet provides human with food to eat, air to breathe, and the reactions the have among other species. Many seem not to know that the damage humans are doing to the earth is not only visible on the surface, but the damage is also skin deep.

My Decrepit Planet

The Revenge of Gaia

Author: James Lovelock

Genre: Research/Planet Earth

Publisher: Basic Books

In The Revenge of Gaia, a book by James Lovelock, the author emphasizes on the weakening of our planet Earth due to pollution that has caused the global warming and the constant increase of population. The increases of population and green house gases are deteriorating to Earth’s atmosphere, and it is also the cause of climate change. The population also affects the demand of more resources for example oil. Lovelock said “When the earth was young and strong, it resisted adverse change and the failure of its own temperature regulation; now it may be elderly and less resilient” (Lovelock 2006: 3). Meaning, when Earth became part of the living bio and ecosystems, it was able to maintain not only life, but the temperatures and chemicals in the atmosphere; however, when human population began to industrialize the planet also adding to natural pollution, the earth began its journey to becoming a decrepit planet. The weakening of planet earth deals with the term “sustainable development”. Sustainable development represents the continuous effort to balance and integrate the three pillars which are: social well being, economic prosperity, and environmental protection for the benefit of present and future generations (Lovelock 2006: 3). Earth’s economy was a sustainable development until the 1970s, and due to the theories it took much more research in order to support the argument of our failing planet.

For my response, this text was accurate. Due to the overindulgences on our planets resources and pollution we cause our planet has went from a large sustainable basis of life to a exhausted and wearied globe of industrial life. There is not much we can now do considering the fact carbon dioxide levels are now extremely high and Earth’s temperature is at a constant increase. The most we can do is attempt to do is take better care for our planet (because it’s impossible to restore health) and find new ways to control our planets population and pollution rates.

Lovelock , James. The Revenge of Gaia. 1st. Basic Books, 2006. 1-18. Print

What We Know About Climate Change

In the essay What We know About Climate Change by Kerry Emanuel, speaks of how climate change is influenced mostly by humanity and some natural forces. I believe that the most important passage in the essay is when Emanuel writes about the history of our planet including the Greenland Ice Cores. The Greenland Ice Cores hold the mystery of the bipolar or chaotic weather Earth has had up to 100,000 years ago. As the ice in the ice cores formed, it trapped bubbles that contain carbon dioxide and other molecules. Scientist measures the rates of molecules in order to tell the temperatures from the past.

This is important because I believe that even though the planet is completely unpredictable, people can still find ways and factors to make the climate much more comfortable in the state there is. Unlike some, I have much hope in the world as a whole. Our planet’s natural forces and the destruction that it has cause to the blessings of natural resources has showed the human population that on earth anything is possible. However, in order to do this I believe that it will take much dedication and more severe thought on how we mistreat our economy today.

It is also nerve wrecking to know that even the Greenland Ice cores will someday melt due to our earths global warming. The warmer the atmosphere, the more water vapor can accumulate; as more water vapor accumulates, more heat gets trapped, and the warming spirals downward. This uncontrolled feedback is called the runaway greenhouse affect (Emanuel 2007: 10). The runaway greenhouse factor is important because this also partakes in the melting of our major ice caps and the evaporating of our oceans and land water resources. I simply believe that we need to act know even though there is little to do because the little things can make the biggest difference.

Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies-Day 6

The Party's Over: Oil, Ware and the Fate of Industrial Societies
Author: Richard Heinberg
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Genre: Critical

In the beginning of the first chapter, Heinberg discusses how our planet is stimulated with energy. He says” We live in a universe pulsing with energy; however, only a limited amount of that energy is available for our use. Humans have recently discovered a temporary energy subsidy in the forms of coal, oil, and natural gas, and that momentary energy bonanza has fueled the creation of modern industrial societies”(Heinberg, 9). We live in a universe that has an abundant amount of energy, but there is only a limited supply of energy. With the discovery of fossil fuels, that has influenced the creation of industrial societies. The world is taking advantage of all the energy we have in multiple ways, but the circumstances coming with the limited supply will cause us to think more about the energy than we have before.

According to Heinberg, not many people understand what energy is, yet they know it exist. However, without energy, nothing would exist. He says that energy is used in two ways: a literary or music might say that a particular poem or performance has energy meaning that it has a dynamic quality, or we would use the term spontaneously or in other ways. An important term in this reading is fuel. Fuel is a material that stores energy. Therefore, when you hear the term fossil fuel it means stored energy from extinct organisms that lived in the past. On earth, all available energy to fuel comes from the sun, and the energy we get from solar energy is 10,000 times the total amount of energy we get from fossil fuels.

The universe as a whole produces much energy, yet we receive much energy from the sun. The way the earth produces energy are the fossil fuels and the use of some solar energy. Many societies are taking advantage of most of the energy they receive, but the United States being one of the largest. When the oil is gone, the world as a whole will have to think more critically about the survival of man without oil.

Citation:

Heinberg, Richard. The Party's Over. New Society Publishers, 2003. 9-45. Print.

The Long Emergency vs. Collapse- Day 5

The Long Emergency
Author: James Howard Kuntsler
Publisher: Grove Press
Genre: Critical



Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Suceed
Author: Jared Diamond
Publisher: Penguin Books
Genre: Critical

The Long Emergency and Collapse are two books that speak of collapse within a society. The Long Emergency focuses on America and how we are so mesmorized by the products that oil produces, that we do not take the time to realize how finite these supplies are. Collapse focuses more on the causes of how socities began to fall apart; however, these books have the same intentions. In chapter five, The Maya Collapses, Diamond believes that four main points caused the collapse: the damaging of the enviroment, severe climate change, hostilities between the society itself and competition between kings and nobles. Like Diamond, Kunstler also suggested some points that would lead to the downfall of the American Society such as: the over use of oil, severe climate change and diesease.

The environment is key in all societies. It provides us with all supplies we need in order to survive, and if not we learn to adapt. The Maya in this case were in a way lucky. They had thick soils, but the rainfall in the land varied. In order for the Maya to survive they needed more water, and with the variation of rainfall, it was not promised. Therefore, the Maya adjusted by excavating depressions and they created reservoirs. However, the Maya were not perfect. They destroyed some of their land by deforestation and erosion, and climate change worsened the situation. With the increased population from the prospering season and occurring droughts brought deaths. Agriculture also affected warfare. Diamond uses the Maori tribe in New Zealand for example. The Maori tribe's staple crop was the sweet potato. With limited growth of sweet potatoes, the Maori tribe was unable to travel long distances for warfare. One of the Mayan's problem was reoccurring warfare with countries when they had unstable agriculture.

Likewise, America is constantly tearing down forest and natural habitats in order to build commercial areas and more condominiums.America keeps building more condominiums and commercial areas because of the constant increase in population.Also due to the pollution,our planet's temperatures are constantly rising, causing severe climate change. Like the staple food of the Maori were sweet potatoes, our staple resource is oil. America is digging itself into a deeper hole with the constant spending of money that comes from a limited supply of oil. Kunstler said " walking out of a burning house and heading off the edge of a cliff. Beyond that cliff is an abyss of economic and political disorder on a scale that no one has ever seen before"(Kuntsler 1). What this means is what means the most to us is now being destroyed and we are now walking into the economic and political tragedies.

Shortly after the Mayan civilization, the survivors disappeared. However, unlike the Mayan civilization, Kunstler believes that humanity will not become extinct, but he does believe that with the limited resources were going to have after the oil runs out that self-genocide will occur. The survivors of our collapse will have to have hope and become accustomed to the new life.

Day 3 - The Crisis of Profligacy

The Limits of Power, 2008
Author : Andrew J. Bacevich
Pulisher: Metropolitan Books
Genre: Critical

The Limits of Power is a book written by Andrew J. Bacevich speaking about America and how we have come to think that we are the most powerful country in the world. That specific theory is most known as American Exceptionalism. Seeing as that America has earned this theory over the course of years , yet the human desire for wanting more is still there. As Bacevich said , " The United states may still remain the mightiest power the world has ever seen, but the fact is that Americans are no longer masters of their own fate." ( Bacevich p. 16 ) The reason the situation has worsen is because of self-gratification, the desire for more. Therefore, it is a threat to the well being of the United States. One may wonder what has driven us to this point in our critical economy and western culture , but there are many things in the United States own history that has driven us this far.

The mistakes , the glories and the act of being neutral in some cases, have effected us in every way. After World War ll , the united States of America became the richest country in the world. Shortly after that , for example, we had the " Freedom Decade " which was in the 1960s when people of America bean to present their beliefs to the nation. Given that , our country has come much further ; even through all our flaws we have still maintained to have a " cocky " attitude. Metaphorically speaking , the United States has a huge ego. Our ego will cause the country to spiral downwards ; regardless of what we have sacrafice , shared, or celebrated over. It will seem as if we have no history at all if American profligacy continues.


Citation:

Bacevich, Andrew. The Limits of Power. New York:
Metropolitan Books, 2008. 15-66. Print.

Day 2 - " Collapse "

" Collapse " ( 2009 film )
Director : Chris Smith
Starring: Michael Ruppert


"Collapse" is a documentary of some sort on the world's economic system from Michael Ruppert's point of view. The film starts off as him speaking of how the world truly works in place of how we are told it works. The country is constantly told how our economy is in a recession or how were not well of and that the situation will get better. However, with the way the country is headed now things will continue on an exponential depreciation rate in sense of a decrease in our economy. Our world depends completely on oil. Everything is made of oil; our tooth brushes, our cars , our clothes, our food and much more. As we know , oil is a non renewable resource ; meaning the earth will no longer produce it once it is all gone. According to Michael Ruppert with our over usage of oil , the oil will be gone in 10 to 15 years. Oil is widely used as an energy source across the globe. So when all the oil is gone , so is our largest energy source. Yes the human race will have the second most known which is wind and solar energy , but wind and solar energy wont power everything the way oil did.

According to Michael Ruppert , the United States is keeping the reality of what is going on in our country and in our world. For example , he speaks of the CIA smuggling drugs to get money; and , he also speaks of the United States not confronting the truth about the decrease in oil production. There are three phases in the decline of the economy : Denile , Anger , Acceptance. And according to him , the world has expirience denile and are barley touching the surface of anger.

The condition the world is in today has been the cause of greed. We are all hell bent on wanting more and more of the limited resources. St. Timothy once said, " The love of money is the root to all evil-" . Most of the crimes in the world and the violence is because of money . It is always human nature to desire a plethora of luxuries , but the question is : How far will the human race go for something they want ?