bfchat.brainformation.com

so.... 15 000 signatures is going to do what exactly? none of these issues are new, but it seems very little is being done:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/15000 ... -1.4395767

Some of the world's problems transcend generations of people. I've not seen much evidence that humanity is ready to think on that level yet. True, 15000+ scientists are concerned, but their job is to convince 7 billion others that it's important. It is important, indeed, but the full impact has not been realized. There are many people, in this country anyway, who think changes to the environment are fictional and political in origin. My only fear is that by the time they figure it out, we will be extinct.

that has crossed my mind, too...



it's like everything, we get told told "don't worry about..." and then, a decade later "why didn't anyone do anything?" or, just collateral damage.

Things change rapidly and I realize there could be an exponential improvement in the overall quality of life here on earth. I also think that is being overly optimistic. But, how much should we worry about the inevitable end of life on this planet as we know it? Does it really matter to us if there is no humanity 500 years from now? I sense that it does not, which explains the current apathy

i don't know... remember that old joke about the lecturer saying the sun would wear out in 5 million years? some guy gasped "oh my god! 5 000 years? that's awful!"

"no, i said 5 million!"

"oh, ok then..."

as if that would make any difference to us.

i tell you, i don't envy our fresh batches of kids.

The Millennial generation, and those who follow, will suffer for our mistakes. But then, we are suffering for the mistakes of generations before us. The focus seems to be on the here and now, which is pretty rough in most cases. Focusing on what might happen as a result of what we are doing presently isn't in the picture. We speculate about it here, but nobody I know is really doing anything about the future. It's too abstract. We are all trying to make the here and now livable, and hope for the best in the future.

this mentality worked fine about 3 billion people ago, but it seems to me were's simply crowding ourselves out of the nest...

There is some serious theory about the maximum number of people that can populate this planet and survive. There is even talk about a global effort to cut down on having children. I'm convinced that if we don't run out of resources first, we will end up killing ourselves just because there are too many of us.

well, being as daft as we are, we've always gone the "hey! let's have a war to make some space for ourselves" routine. seems to me we're headed thataway again.

because so many millions were killed in the last ones, i think that would be why we've not had another one yet...

The next world war will be nuclear. THAT is why sane men don't want it. It's total mutual destruction and pointless.

There are other factors which might mitigate population growth, and not in a good way. Drinking quality water is becoming scarce in some places, for example. The big migration going on in Europe involves people being displaced by war, of course, but also by drought and famine - global warming, you know. Then all those people living on the coast will be moving inland once the ocean start to rise. Talk about population density.

considering al them really big cities right by the oceans getting emptied out... personal space might become hard to maintain.

I would think personal space would be the breaking point, but then I think of places like Hong Kong and New York City. People are elbow to elbow in those places yet manage to survive. I think the bigger problem is going to be us running out of resources, such as food and water. Breathable air might become scarce too - thinking of what's going on in New Delhi these days.

haven't heard about that, getting smoked out?

i can just imagine, as there was a distinct 'border' at the north end of toronto, around 470/400 where you'd smell the city when driving south from the s c cottage country. toronto is not that big a city, some 6 million, can't imagine mexico city, LA, etc.

and i expect the stink line has moved even further north now.

oooh, i just looked at new delhi.



how can people live.... yeah, okay, dumb question.

As you point out Mexico City has it's problems, but so does China and Japan. The UK went off coal because their people couldn't breathe the air there for a while. We are talking maybe a billion people being affected? They are even finding smog at the south pole. I suppose they would find more but the ice there is melting.

1989 someone i used to know told me she'd wake up in an LA burb - van nyen, or something like that - and her eyes would be stinging. how bloody awful... here i can see dust flying around and whine about it ruining the pristine landscape....

When the air is contaminate with a lot of sulfur, it turns into sulfuric acid when it hits your eyeballs. Just like onions.

They ask me through the years, why I shed these tears, and I of course reply, when you live in Van Neys, the Smog get's in your eyes!

brutal though, eh? can't escape where you live...