[Coral-List] The real problem.
frahome at yahoo.com
frahome at yahoo.com
Wed Sep 12 17:40:14 EDT 2012
Steve said it right. Many are thinking of a low-carbon, more or less business as usual, future. We are all waiting for the illusionary win-win painless situation where the politicians quit dirty subsidies and we get the clean alternative to keep doing what we were doing.
Between a low-carbon energy future and a low-energy future objective (the one I was mentioning) there is a substantial difference.
The second requires a totally different mindset as it is based on the full redesign of lifestyles, food production, economy, leisure. To my opinion, saving the coral reefs is not about replacing fossil fuels with solar panels and other so called "renewables" or to convince everybody on the planet that global warming is happening but is about building a new appealing model for society to live on this planet. This requires a lot of people on board, not just thinking, but acting and fast, to show that it is possible.
By the way, I am a willing and mobilized supporter of science and the scientific method.
Francesca
________________________________
From: Steve Mussman <sealab at earthlink.net>
To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 12:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] The real problem.
While it is becoming more difficult to remain optimistic when considering
what the future
holds for coral reefs and other sensitive ecosystems if CO2 emissions
continue unabated,
I wouldnât diminish the contributions of western coral scientists and/or
environmentalists
in the process. If everybody on the planet thought like most coral
scientists and environmentalists
we would likely be well on the way towards the low-carbon energy future that
many seek.
What is making that seemingly logical move more difficult is the
effectiveness of the anti-science
campaign that relentlessly promotes the prolonged consumption of fossil
fuels along with the idea
that those concerned about humans affecting climate are illusory. Scientists
(and environmentalists)
certainly have their faults, but rejecting undeniable facts is not typical
of their behavior.
In my opinion many of you need to feel more contrition about your
unwillingness to mobilize against
the forces advancing scientific doubt than about your insufficient
application of carbon credits.
Steve
-----Original Message-----
>From: "frahome at yahoo.com"
>Sent: Sep 10, 2012 7:01 PM
>To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
>Subject: Re: [Coral-List] The real problem.
>
>Thank you for bringing up this
>point so clearly.
>I came to the unpleasant conclusions that coral reefs research might be fun
and
>interesting but does very little to save them in practice. This applies to
many
>other environmental efforts not to mention the technological ones.
>It is harsh to think that if everybody on the planet would be a typical
western
>coral scientist or "environmentalist", reef would be likely long time
>gone.
>We already know a lot more than we need to realize that what can save the
reef is to
>move towards a low-energy lifestyle focused on taking care of the land and
>re-building soil fertility following nature patterns. And this needs to be
started
>by individuals and communities, it won't start from above.
>Tourism should be restricted to volunteering in projects that help make
>communities self-sufficient for subsistence (e.g. through sustainable food
production and family planning), rather than be aimed to build a
>"tourism industry".
>Just another guilty individual that is trying to make the transition but
>finding a lot of selfish resistance.
>Francesca
>PS.. Are the drops in the bucket that at the end fill the bucket and call
for
>the change. I do not see any other possibility.
>
>
>
>
>________________________________
> From: John Ware
>To: "coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov"
>Sent: Thursday, September 6, 2012 11:05 PM
>Subject: [Coral-List] The real problem.
>
>Dear List,
>
>While it certainly seems important to exploit as many "green" options as
>possible, the fact remains that, in the long run there is very little
>really meaningful that can be done until everyone (that is, everyone on
>the planet) recognizes two things:
>
>1- We really are changing the Earth's climate.
>2- The gorilla in the living room (the REAL PROBLEM): There are too many
>of us and each of us consume too many resources.
>
>And, before we all pat ourselves on the back for whatever it is we are
>doing, the chances are that many, perhaps most, coral-reef scientists,
>especially those in the developed countries, consume more resources than
>the average person in their country. Clearly, the average person did
>not fly to Cairns for a coral reef symposium. The average person in the
>USA does not fly to some far-off Pacific reef in order to gather data so
>that another paper bemoaning the state of coral reefs can be published.
>
>And I am as guilty as anyone.
>John
>
>--
> *************************************************************
> * *
> * John R. Ware, PhD *
> * President *
> * SeaServices, Inc. *
> * 302 N.. Mule Deer Pt. *
> * Payson, AZ 85541, USA *
> * 928 478-6358 *
> * jware at erols.com *
> * http://www.seaservices.org *
> * *
> * Member of the Council: *
> * International Society for Reef Studies *
> * _ *
> * | *
> * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
> * _|_ *
> * | _ | *
> * _______________________________| |________ *
> * |\/__ Untainted by Technology \ *
> * |/\____________________________________________/ *
> *************************************************************
>
>If you are a coral-reef scientist and you are not a member
>of the International Society for Reef Studies, then
>shame on you.
>Become a member of the International Society for Reef Studies
>http://www.coralreefs.org
>
>
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