Will Technology Save Us?
Whether or not the evolution of technology on this planet will help our civilization avert the environmental catastrophe that our scientists forecast for us is impossible to predict. Will advanced nuclear enable us to virtually eliminate the carbon footprint associated with energy generation? Will new battery chemistries make way for the rapid transition from internal combustion engines to electric transportation? Will the incredible developments in plant-based proteins put a halt to the deforestation that is currently required to grow our Quarter-Pounders?
No one knows. But here’s a little gift from the technology gods: exciting new ways to plant bazillions of CO2-absorbing trees. Enjoy.
Craig,
You ask, “Will Technology Save Us?”
The answer is a resounding, YES ! Technology is and always will be our salvation (and our curse).
Me? I’ll still be happily eating my “Quarter-Pounders” and so will my grandchildren. We will all still enjoy naturally grown pork, chicken, beef, lamb, venison, fish, seafood, geese, duck and all types of livestock.
But, hey, if you want to be vegetarian, vegan or whatever, that’s cool, just don’t try to compel others to conform to your belief structure.
Technology will continue to make life easier, healthier,safer and more interesting. Mostly, technology will provide more choices and more convenience.
The dynamics of human ingenuity can’t be stopped or repressed.
Planting trees? Well yeah, very admirable,… except not that effective. It depends on the type of tree, conditions and the disadvantages of mono-cultures to the environment.
Trees emit a lot of methane ! Yep, that’s a fact! From the forests of the Amazon basin, Borneo’s soggy peatlands, temperate upland woods in Maryland and Hungary,forested mountain slopes in China and eucalypti in Australia all emit a lot of methane and when stressed, CO2 !
The methane/CO2 emissions from tress haven’t been assessed or even acknowledged in Climate Change modelling due to either prejudice or ignorance. Given the number of trees, (3-4 trillion) and the difficulty of calculating the flow surface of different species it isn’t surprising if these factors haven’t been considered.
Tree emissions are just some of a multitude of factors and complexities ignored or denied by ardent “save the planet’ climate change activists.
The advocates need to prove a moral aspect to climate change. ‘Blame’ must be portioned to some human activity for every aspect of climate change. Everything must be the fault of human wickedness, especially rich humans. Only that “Scientific’ information supporting this view is acceptable.
In recent decades trees have been increasing the quantity of emissions. It’s argued this is due to human activity and climate change, but there is no real causal connection. Most likely explanation is a change in the behaviour of certain microbes.
What’s happening with the microbes is only just staring to be researched.
(Sorry to be gloomy, but I haven’t found the shop selling your rose tinted spectacles).