[LINK] Propaganda, manipulation and the abuse of media [Was: IPA, astroturfing and fantsy themes/Science under attack]

[Frank O'Connor]

Mmmm ...

That's the problem with an economic system that relies on unlimited growth in a closed system. Sooner or later you hit limits ... And your alternatives are to live with an ever decreasing level of activity (and limiting economic inputs through efficiencies), or to seek to open the system (via exploration, colonization of new ecologies, radical technology change, the 'conquest of space' or whatever) to acquire new inputs, efficiencies and resources for the economic system.

Sadly, we live in an Age when the current powers-that-be are content to compete for an ever decreasing pot of resources, continue with old tech solutions (and fossil fuels for God's sake!) and crap in their own backyard with complete disregard for the future. Probably won't affect me materially ... I'll be long dead before we hit the tipping point ... But it will affect the next generation, and will probably fall on Gen Y and later generations like a thunderbolt if the current predictions and evidence are anything to go by.

And that irritates me ... Because previous generations should aspire to leave a better world for those who come after them. Our legacy will be a lemming-like selfishness and self interest that saw the succeeding generations wallow in the consequences of our greed and short-sighted ness.

Just my 2 cents worth ...

Sent from my iPad
---
On 21/02/2012, at 3:08 PM, David Boxall <david.boxall at hunterlink.net.au> wrote:

> On 21/02/2012 2:42 PM, jim birch wrote:
>> ...
>> If you look at the "Fertile Crescent" where farming started ten thousand
>> years ago you might think the name was given as a joke.  The Sahara desert
>> was created by deforestation particularly during Greek and Roman times.  It
>> was actually reasonably lush just a few thousand years ago.  The fertile
>> lands of ancient Greece are now one step away from desert and I doubt the
>> Plato would recognise the place.  The ecological change is largely due to
>> removing the trees and overgrazing with resultant loss of topsoil and
>> fertility and increased runoff so the land gets drier and hotter, but is
>> also worsened by consequent changes to weather patterns that produce less
>> rain.  It is practically impossible to reverse.
>> 
>> This has been referred to as the ecological cost of western civilisation.
>> Possibly not a bad deal you might say but it could have been done a lot
>> better.
>> ...
> They could pick up and move somewhere less degraded. We're doing 
> something worse with the whole planet. We have nowhere to go.
> 
> -- 
> David Boxall                         | "Cheer up" they said.
>                                     | "Things could be worse."
> http://david.boxall.id.au            | So I cheered up and,
>                                     | Sure enough, things got worse.
>                                     |              --Murphy's musing
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