Making bales with 30 percent of global crop residues – the stalks and such left after harvesting – and then sinking the bales into the deep ocean could reduce the build up of global carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 15 percent a year, according to just published calculations.
That is a significant amount of carbon, the process can be accomplished with existing technology and it can be done year after year, according to Stuart Strand, a University of Washington research professor. Further the technique would sequester – or lock up – the carbon in seafloor sediments and deep ocean waters for thousands of years, he says. http://www.labspaces.net/95162/Some_of_Earth_s_Climate_Troubles_Should_Face_Burial_at_Sea
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
How does a society collapse?
So according to my reading of Diamond, a society collapses because its decisions about how to handle 5 major types of crisis result in extreme depletions of population and resources.
Saskatchewan is facing decisions about climate change, loss of trade and economic erosion such as loss of water, soil, minerals and forest. How do you think our decision makers will respond to this crisis?
Reflections on "Collapse"
I've been reading Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. In a nutshell, this is my take on what he is saying.
Saskatchewan has recently experienced a resource increase because of the worlds need for oil making extraction from tar sands more viable. As a result, we have been experiencing a large population increase that has driven the cost of land and housing to unexpected heights. Increasing employment opportunities have supposedly offset the increase in prices, so we have suddenly become a "have" province ready to ride out the economic downturn. So we are at our pinnacle point.
We have recently felt the inkling of crisis as trade has decreased because of less need for resources such as timber, grain, fertilizer and a fall in the price of oil.
So what does Diamond say about how a societies response to crisis leads to success or failure? What should Saskatchewan do?
Saskatchewan has recently experienced a resource increase because of the worlds need for oil making extraction from tar sands more viable. As a result, we have been experiencing a large population increase that has driven the cost of land and housing to unexpected heights. Increasing employment opportunities have supposedly offset the increase in prices, so we have suddenly become a "have" province ready to ride out the economic downturn. So we are at our pinnacle point.
We have recently felt the inkling of crisis as trade has decreased because of less need for resources such as timber, grain, fertilizer and a fall in the price of oil.
So what does Diamond say about how a societies response to crisis leads to success or failure? What should Saskatchewan do?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Earth Hour 2009
What can I do? I'm just one person.
Earth Hour 2009 will take place Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm wherever you are around the world.www.earthhour.org
Earth Hour 2009 will take place Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm wherever you are around the world.www.earthhour.org
Why?
A beautiful, award winning video from Switzerland about why we need to change our obsessive, overcrowding behaviour. http://www.connect2earth.org/core/view/index.cfm?id=4000859
Download a 36 MB version for full screen http://www.photosnature.org/Photosnature/Digiramas/6858000000.exe
Download a 36 MB version for full screen http://www.photosnature.org/Photosnature/Digiramas/6858000000.exe
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