Weirdest Green Cars of the Future
October 13, 2009
In the future, will we all be traveling in green flying saucers? Probably not, but that doesn’t stop extra-creative sci-fi enthusiasts from dreaming up bizarro vehicles that could have been props in Plan 9 from Outer Space.
According to this strange video (which is apparently narrated by a British robot), all of the craziest concepts from the past half-century are “the green cars of the future”, including the Ford Nucleon – designed in the ‘50s. It’s hardly a round up of green transportation that will actually be produced any time soon, but it’s a funny look at some of the wilder ideas that have been proposed.
Why the hell is the underwater car a convertible? “Hold your breath, honey, we’re going under!”
Link [Treehugger]
Colleges Greener than Ever Despite Economy
October 12, 2009
Rotten economy? So what?! Colleges around the nation are still going green despite declining endowments, according to the new 2010 College Sustainability Report Card results, compiled by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
Twenty-six out of 332 schools evaluated for the report card got the highest possible grade of A-minus, determined by a number of criteria in areas like administration, climate change & energy, food & recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement.
That’s up from just 15 schoools getting an A-minus last year. Among the new schools on the list are Amherst College, Arizona State University-Tempe, Luther College, Macalester College and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Ultra-green list veterans include Brown University, Carleton College, Middlebury College and Oberlin College. A few of last year’s highest fell off the list, including Dartmouth.
Congratulations to all the colleges that made it, and everybody else who moved up a grade for 2010. Keep it up!
Link [Green Report Card] via [Yale Environment 360]
Saving Forests Five Times More Effective than Carbon Capture
October 11, 2009
The best way to fight against global warming isn’t expensive, potentially ecologically disruptive carbon capture methods. It’s saving the forests that we already have, which act as massive carbon sinks, protecting the planet against catastrophic climate change.
According to a new report released by WWF Sweden, world leaders have got to join together in an international agreement to halt forest loss as a highly cost effective measure on climate change.
From Panda.org:
“Sweden should follow the examples set by its northern neighbors in developing systems to halt deforestation,” said WWF CEO General Lasse Gustavsson.. “One Swedish krona to stem deforestation results in the same emissions reductions as five kronor for the controversial carbon capture and storage technique,”
Gold in Green Forests, a report issued today by WWF-Sweden, says that next to energy efficiency halting forest loss and degradation is the most cost-effective method for mitigating climate change.
The annual loss of natural forests in developing countries is equivalent to one third of Sweden’s surface area. Forest fires, the conversion of forests to agricultural land and the cultivation of energy crops are responsible for the high rate of forest loss.
A program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is currently being discussed in the negotiations for a global climate deal. REDD aims to make it worthwhile for developing countries to maintain their forests, as opposed to cutting them down.
Preventing deforestation should be among our first lines of defense against climate change. It definitely makes sense financially. The trick is getting nations like Indonesia – which is cutting its forests down at an alarming rate to make room for lucrative palm oil plantations – to agree to the program.
The whole report is available over at Panda.org.
Link [Panda.org]
Photo credit: Flickr user zoutedrop
Amphibians Going the Way of the Dinosaurs
October 10, 2009
If we don’t act soon, amphibians could disappear – forever. That may seem improbable given how many frogs, toads, salamander and newts there are on this planet, but experts say they’re in a swift decline and projected losses would constitute the biggest mass extinction since the disappearance of dinosaurs.
Amphibians are currently found on every continent except Antarctica, with some species able to survive partial freezing, 10 years without food, long droughts and temperatures of up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit – but that doesn’t make them immune to the problems that are facing them now.
From BBC News:
A third of all species of amphibian are threatened with extinction; nearly half are in decline, and they are the most threatened of all the vertebrate groups.
The usual suspects of habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, environmental contaminants and overexploitation represent key interrelated factors.
Additionally, a disease called chytridiomycosis or “chytrid” (caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) infects a wide range of amphibians globally and is capable of driving species to extinction.
Exacerbated by the other issues impacting amphibians, chytrid has emerged as one of the major threats to their survival. This disease can kill amphibians in otherwise pristine habitats or provide the final nail in the coffin for species already pushed to the brink of extinction.
Naturally, amphibians play an incredibly important role in the food chain, consuming massive amounts of invertibrates that we humans consider pests. Their skins also contain important pharmaceutical compounds like epibatidine, which is a painkiller 200 times more effective than morphine.
A new conservation organization called the Amphibian Survival Alliance has been launched in an effort to protect these creatures, but so far it’s seriously underfunded. Hopefully they’ll start seeing some donations roll in soon, because a world without amphibians would be really sad.
Link [BBC News]
Photo credit: R A Mittermeier/BBC News
The Invisible Man: Liu Bolin’s Amazing Camouflage Art
October 9, 2009
What if humans could blend into the environment as effortlessly as some animals can? A photography series by Beijing-based artist Liu Bolin called ‘Camouflage’ explores a fascinating way to do this, without the use of camo print: painting human subjects so that they disappear into a background.
Bolin painstakingly paints his subjects’ faces, hair, hands, clothing and shoes to match a chosen setting, taking up to ten hours per shoot to get it just right. In some photos, like the two shown above, it really takes a moment to spot the people in the photos. Often, passersby can’t even tell that they’re there.
Of the series, the artist says, “In my photography, historical statues, costumes and architecture become symbols of that which confines us. I am expressing the desire to break through these structures. I portray subjects that seem to disappear into these structures and become transparent. The subject is released from social constructs and he is free.”
Link [ArtInfo.com] + [Design Boom]
Vote for Your Favorite Drive Smarter Challenge Video!
October 8, 2009
Have you ever wanted to be a film critic? Now’s your chance! It’s time to vote for your favorite video from among ten finalists in the Drive Smarter Video Contest launched by The Alliance to Save Energy. Your vote can help determine who wins the $5000 grand prize and three other exciting prizes!
The entrants took highly creative approaches to illustrate driving and vehicle maintenance tips that save money and increase fuel efficiency. There’s the smart, chatty GPS system that inspires flirting… a carpool with back-seat smooching… a broken-heartened, guitar-strumming, singing cowboy with his truck named Earl…
Public voting on 10 short videos aimed at helping to drive smarter, reduce their gas consumption and drive fewer miles has already begun and continues until Monday, October 19, 11:59 PM (EDT). To rate the videos, visit the Drive Smarter Challenge video contest website: http://drivesmarterchallenge.org/contest. Videos are just two minutes or shorter, and you can return to the site if you don’t finish rating all 10 in one sitting.
Every video is completely different, and we enjoyed rating our favorites. Now it’s your turn!
Link [Drive Smarter Challenge]
Ig Nobel Award Winners Include Gas Mask Bra, Panda Poo
October 7, 2009
Some research is just so strange, so goofy, that according to Harvard University, it just shouldn’t be repeated. Harvard-based journal Annals of Improbable Research hands out the ‘Ig Nobel’ awards every year, timed to coincide with the real Nobel awards.
This year’s Ig Nobels included a couple of green concepts that may or may not deserve the dubious distinction – a bra made of two gas masks, and a panda poop-based trash additive.
From The Guardian:
Public health prize
Awarded to Elena Bodnar of Hinsdale, Illinois, for patenting a bra that, in an emergency, can be converted into a pair of gas masks, one for the owner and one for a needy bystander. “It was inspired by the Chernobyl nuclear accident,” said Bodnar, who is originally from Ukraine. “This way, the mask is always readily available.”
Biology prize
Fumiaki Taguchi, Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei of Kitasato University graduate school of medical sciences in Japan share the prize for demonstrating that kitchen waste can be reduced by more than 90% by using bacteria extracted from giant panda excrement. Taguchi suspected panda faeces must contain bacteria capable of breaking down even the hardiest of foods because of the bear’s vast consumption of bamboo.
Is it just us, or does the panda poop concept actually sound like a great idea? People need to get over this fear of poop, because damned if it hasn’t proven to be incredibly versatile for a range of eco-friendly products and technology lately. And hey, at least the gas mask bra is dual purpose.
The whole list of Ig Nobel prizes is worth a look – for example, the Literature Prize was awarded to the entire police force of Ireland for repeatedly issuing citations to “Mr. Prawo Jazdy”, a ‘name’ that is actually the words “driver’s license” in Polish.
Link [The Guardian]
Cave-Dwelling Blogger Hasn’t Spent Money in 9 Years
October 6, 2009
Could you go nine years without spending a penny? It sounds pretty much impossible – how would you feed yourself, keep yourself safe from the elements? What about clothing and medicine?
Daniel Suelo consciously removed himself from the consumer lifestyle nearly a decade ago and hasn’t looked back. He lives in a cave in Utah and fishes, forages, dumpster dives and sometimes hunts for his food – and writes all about it on his website and blog from a nearby public library.
From MatadorChange, via Treehugger:
While in Ecuador on a Peace Corps mission, he witnessed a rural community acquire increased monetary wealth through farming and shift their traditional lifestyle towards a diet of unhealthy, processed food and a newfound addiction to television.
The experience led Suelo on a spiritual quest that realized itself in India, where he was particularly moved by the Sadhus, wandering monks who renounce all money and possessions. He made the conscious decision to return home, quit his job, and carve out a life without money.
As he put it, “I simply got tired of being unreal. Money is one of those intriguing things that seem real and functional because two or more people believe it is real and functional.”
Essentially an extreme freegan, Suelo receives no government assistance and does not panhandle. He lives off the excess of American society, though the kindness of strangers helps a lot when he needs a ride, and he does use taxpayer-supported public libraries.
As Treehugger points out, Suelo probably has the lowest carbon footprint of any blogger in the world. Read more about his lifestyle and how he makes it work at MatadorChange and Suelo’s own website, Living Without Money.
Link [MatadorChange] via [Treehugger]
Photo: BBC World Service
Snails Save Bulgarian Farmers from Recession
October 5, 2009
Few industries have been spared during the global recession, with many still bracing for things to get worse before they get better. But farmers in Bulgaria have found a product that is seemingly recession-proof: snails. The cost to raise them is low and demand is so high, farmers can’t keep up with orders.
From MSNBC:
Businesses may shut by the day across Europe, and Bulgarian agriculture has been declining for 20 years, but snails — a delicacy particularly popular in France and Italy — have become a dynamic niche for the European Union’s poorest country.
September is harvest season and demand is outstripping supply for “escargots”, as the French call them (”ohlyuvi” in Bulgarian). The country has seized the chance to reinforce a position exporting luxury foods that are rarely consumed at home.
About 800 to 900 tons of snails and snail products — six times more than in 2008 — will be exported from Bulgaria this year to please the palates of aficionados, mostly in France.
300 new snail farms are set to open in Bulgaria next year as orders come in from all over Europe. People are really hungry for some snails.
Hey, sometimes tradition trumps smart spending, and people want little luxuries these days. Though why disgusting little slimy creatures are a luxury, I’ll never know.
Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: Flickr user AussieGall
Bizarre Exoplanet Atmosphere: Pebble Rain, Molten Lava Lakes
October 4, 2009
It sounds rather hellish: a planet where clouds of pebbles rain down into lakes of molten lava. That’s what scientists think the atmosphere is like on a newly discovered exoplanet called COROT-7b, and it definitely makes even our worst storms here on Earth seem like a piece of cake.
COROT-7b was spotted last February by the COROT space telescope launched by French and European space agencies.
From Washington University News:
The peculiar atmosphere has its own singular weather. “As you go higher the atmosphere gets cooler and eventually you get saturated with different types of ‘rock’ the way you get saturated with water in the atmosphere of Earth,” explains Fegley. “But instead of a water cloud forming and then raining water droplets, you get a ‘rock cloud’ forming and it starts raining out little pebbles of different types of rock.”
Even more strangely, the kind of rock condensing out of the cloud depends on the altitude. The atmosphere works the same way as fractionating columns, the tall knobby columns that make petrochemical plants recognizable from afar. In a fractionating column, crude oil is boiled and its components condense out on a series of trays, with the heaviest one (with the highest boiling point) sulking at the bottom, and the lightest (and most volatile) rising to the top.
COROT-7b has an average density about the same as Earth’s, but it’s certainly nowhere near as hospitable. It’s 23 times closer to its star than Mercury is to our Sun and its star-facing side is hot enough to vaporize rocks.
You don’t even have to be a stoner to have have a “Whoooaaaa, duuuuude!” reaction to stuff like this. It’s sort of mind-blowing to ponder such things from the comfort of our own beautiful planet.
Link [Washington University News]
Photo credit: ESO/L Calcada
Ellen Page Likes Shoveling Goat Shit
October 3, 2009
It’s not often that pretty young Hollywood actresses admit to something weird like enjoying the act of shoveling goat manure. But, Ellen Page isn’t a typical Hollywood actress.
The ‘Juno’ and ‘Whip It’ star told USA Today that she discovered just how relaxing goat shit shoveling can be while taking a break from the spotlight.
“I went to Oregon to study permaculture and lived in an eco-village for a month outside Eugene. It’s called Lost Valley. It was amazing and exactly what I needed.”
“You’re learning how to live in a holistic way with the cycles of the Earth. At one point I was digging goat manure and putting it into a wheelbarrow, and while shovelling it, I just went, ‘Oh, my God, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now.’”
Page definitely seems a lot more down-to-earth than peers like Lindsay Lohan, and you won’t find her hawking nasty spray tan or crashing somebody else’s Maserati any time soon.
“I’m not a fancy person. I love small spaces. I like tiny cars. I don’t buy things, aside from music and books. I don’t get loads f attention and maybe it’s because I’m kind of boring. I don’t think I’m boring, but I have different interests. I don’t go out much, not because I’m hiding but because I’m not a big drinker. I go out and have a good time, I go to concerts and stuff.”
Page stars as roller girl “Babe Ruthless” in Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut ‘Whip It’, which is in theaters now.
Link [Digital Spy]
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Climate Change Costs: 25 Million More Starving Children by 2050
October 2, 2009
Conservatives love to whine about perceived costs of climate legislation, but they’re clearly more worried about their own bottom lines than about the true costs of catastrophic climate change. A new report issued by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) states that the world will have 25 million more starving children by the year 2050 as climate change causes food shortages and soaring food costs.
From The Guardian:
The grim scenario is the first to gauge the effects of climate change on the world’s food supply by combining climate and agricultural models.
“The food price crisis of last year really was a wake-up call to a lot of people that we are going to have 50% more people on the surface of the Earth by 2050,” said Gerald Nelson, the lead author of the report. “Meeting those demands for food coming out of population growth is going to be a huge challenge – even without climate change.”
After several years in which development aid has been diverted away from rural areas, the report called for $7bn a year for crop research, and investment in irrigation and rural infrastructure to help farmers adjust to a warming climate. “Continuing the business-as-usual approach will almost certainly guarantee disastrous consequences,” said Nelson.
The G20 industrialised nations last week began discussing how to invest some $20bn pledged for food security earlier this year.
Some regions of the world outlined in the report are already showing signs of vulnerability because of changing rainfall patterns and drought linked to climate change.
And this is the great irony about religious conservatives in particular: they’re so worked up over abortion, yet they don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about the people who already live on our planet. Twenty five million starving children in addition to the millions that already exist – now that’s something to be angry about.
Link [The Guardian]
Photo credit: MiaFarrow.org
CO2 is Green, Say Oil Execs in Ludicrous Ad
October 1, 2009
Attempts by dirty industries to fight the climate bill just keep getting more and more desperate and ridiculous. Care2 spotted a television ad campaign run by oil execs is actually trying to convince the public that excess CO2 is a good thing.
From The Washington Post, via Care2:
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) may be grappling with health care, but in Montana a new advocacy group opposed to climate legislation called CO2 Is Green is taking aim at the next big battle for Congress.
The group is already running television ads: “This will cost us jobs,” one says. “There is no scientific evidence that CO2 is a pollutant. In fact higher CO2 levels than we have today would help the Earth’s ecosystems.” It urges voters to contact Baucus, who in the past has backed bills to cap emissions and allow companies to trade pollution allowances.
The man behind the latest entry to the climate legislation wars is H. Leighton Steward, a veteran oil industry executive, co-author of the “Sugar Busters!” dieting books, and winner of an Environmental Protection Agency award for a report on damage being done to Mississippi wetlands. Now retired, he says he wants to “get the message out there” that carbon dioxide, which the Supreme Court has ruled a pollutant and which most scientists regard as a dangerous greenhouse gas, “is a net benefit for the planet.”
Well, thank the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster that we have oil company bigwigs to steer us in the right direction, not only with these super-intelligent and truthful ads, but by pumping as much CO2 into the atmosphere as humanly possible.
Matt Damon’s Clean Water PSA Freakout
September 30, 2009
Does Matt Damon secretly have a wicked temper? The Bostonite has been captured on camera giving a verbal ass-kicking to environmentalist and actor Adrian Grenier while filming a PSA for clean water organization OneXOne as Grenier’s fellow Entourage star Jeremy Pervert Piven looks on.
Damon is set to appear in a cameo on Entourage next week promoting OneXOne, which is his real-life charity. Here’s the scoop, from US Magazine via Ecorazzi:
“The joke is that Matt is very passionate about his charity — almost in a stalkerish kind of way,” Adrian Grenier, who plays movie star Vince, said. “Vince becomes intimated by his intensity. He ends up bullying Vince into giving much more than he should.”
Costar Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Sloan, added: “Matt gets Vince to make a massive donation. He’s like, ‘Bro – whip out your checkbook!’”
So, of course it’s just promotional for Damon’s appearance on Entourage. But, it’s still funny to see this notorious ‘nice guy’ drop the F-bomb a dozen times in a two-minute clip!
Link [Ecorazzi]
User-Unfriendly Green Gear: Weird Solar-Powered Cell Phone
September 29, 2009
Imagine that you’re forced to call 911 for some extremely emergent reason – like, say, a psycho killer in a clown costume is chasing you with a chainsaw (my worst nightmare). You whip out your totally awesome solar-powered cell phone… but, wait. You’ve got to mess with weird little stickers before you can place a call.
Okay, so the clown scenario is a little far-fetched, but still – you want your cell phone to be ready when you need it. That makes the strange “Label With Green” phone concept a little hard to swallow, since you’re required to power individual components of the phone with ‘Eco-Green Electronic Labels’.
From Yanko Design, via Treehugger:
Upgrading a redundant cellphone means adding to the pile of toxic trash that accumulates all around the world. The Label With Green is a concept phone aims at weaning you off the upgrade mania. To power the phone you need to use ECO-Green Electronic Labels, which are solar paper labels that juice up the phones various components (display, speaker, keypad, camera, and solar battery) independently. So to turn on any function, say display, you need to stick on enough solar labels onto the rear cover to power it.
The more functions of the phone you want to use, the more solar stickers you need to paste on the rear.
The idea is to make you conscious of the amount of toxic waste being accumulated due to improper disposal of electronic gadgets, our greed for upgrades and the amount of energy we consume to power our stuff. Essentially you can use this concept for a variety of gadgets.
It’s an interesting idea, especially given all the toxic electronic waste that is generated every day in the form of outdated cell phones. But the concept needs some work. As Treehugger noted, the ‘Label with Green’ phone is great as an educational device, but those of us looking for a more environmentally friendly cell phone that’s actually usable will have to keep waiting.
Link [Yanko Design] via [Treehugger]
Add an Upcycled Whip to Your Green Sex Tool Kit
September 28, 2009
Did you hear? Synthetic, chemical-laden sex aids are out in favor of eco-friendly choices that are healthier for you and healthier for the planet. Hopefully you’ve already given your sex tool kit an eco-makeover with wind-up vibrators, biodegradable condoms and organic lube. Now, you can even add an upcycled whip to your trunk of treasures.
Etsy seller TheInnerWorks turns bicycle inner tubes into “light and extra-stingy eco-floggers” with knotted, fine 12-inch-long tails.
This flogger is made entirely from upcycled and repurposed bicycle tubes that have been discarded and have found a new life in these creations! Each flogger shows subtle signs of these rough-and-tumble past lives- whether slight raised numbers on the rubber or white manufacturers’ marks. These floggers are made without the use of glues or tape, so there’s nothing to crack or get sticky with time.
They’ve even got a recycled inner tube and chain garter, if you’re into that sort of thing. Meow!
Link [TheInnerWorks Etsy]
Hummer Owners Claim Moral High Ground
September 27, 2009
Most people who buy Hummers do so out of vanity or to make up for certain physical deficiencies. But, Hummer owners themselves actually believe that they’ve got the moral high ground because they’re – get this – defending America’s frontier lifestyle against anti-American critics.
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research came to this conclusion after the authors researched attitudes toward owning and driving Hummers. They found that Hummer drivers see themselves as patriotic defenders of the American spirit, framing themselves as “moral protagonists” even as they unapologetically contribute to harming the very country they claim to love so much.
From Eurekalert:
“As we studied American Hummer owners and their ideological beliefs, we found that they consider Hummer driving a highly moral consumption choice,” write the authors. “For Hummer owners it is possible to claim the moral high ground.”
The authors explain that Hummer owners employ the ideology of American foundational myths, such as the “rugged individual,” and the “boundless frontier” to construct themselves as moral protagonists. They often believe they represent a bastion again anti-American discourses evoked by their critics.
“Our analysis of the underlying American identity discourses revealed that being under siege by (moral) critics is an historically established feature of being an American,” write the authors. “The moralistic critique of their consumption choices readily inspired Hummer owners to adopt the role of the moral protagonist who defends American national ideals.”
Amazing, isn’t it? Of course, Hummer owners aren’t the only ones that take this stance – conservatives in general employ similar excuses for their desperate attempts to preserve what they see as “the American lifestyle”. To them, being American is apparently synonymous with being selfish assholes who don’t give a shit about the next generation, only about their own desires.
Fuck you and your H2!
Link [Eurekalert]
Photo credit: FUH2
Bottom of the Barrel: Newsweek’s Least Green Companies
September 26, 2009
Which of the S&P 500 companies are the least environmentally friendly? Newsweek unveiled its Green Rankings last week and while there has been a lot of discussion about the top 5, there’s another story to be told in the bottom 5.
Unsurprisingly, nearly all of the bottom-ranking companies on the Newsweek list are in the energy industry. Here they are with their green scores (based on environmental impact, green policies and performance, and reputation):
Consol Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 28.65
ConAgra Foods – Food and Beverage – Green Score: 27.49
Allegheny Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 25.04
NRG Energy – Utilities – Green Score: 22.75
Peabody Energy – Basic Materials – Green Score: 1.00
Pretty big drop there for the bottom company, Peabody Energy (the world’s largest private-sector coal company). Peabody Energy comes in dead last thanks to its incredibly high toxic emissions and the negative impact that its product has on the environment.
This company is one of the biggest offenders in violating the Clean Water Act, injecting billions of gallons of coal slurry and sludge into the ground in the past 5 years. Pine Ridge, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy, reported to West Virginia officials that 93 percent of the waste it injected into the city of Charleston has illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic, lead, chromium, beryllium and nickel.
Green business expert Joel Makower has a great overview of how the companies were scored and, as he notes, the list isn’t perfect. Since it’s only a list of the S&P 500, far greener companies than the top 5, like Patagonia, are left out. However, it does bring together a lot of data in a way that’s efficient and easy to understand. If only they included a greenwashing factor – each company’s real efforts versus its claims about being green. Maybe next year.
Link [Newsweek] + [Joel Makower]
Photo credit: PeabodyEnergy.com
How to Live on Earth: Experts Suggest User’s Guide
September 25, 2009
When it comes to living in harmony with nature, we humans have repeatedly screwed up, big time. But there’s no instruction manual that explains exactly how we should do things so we don’t harm the earth – yet. 28 scientists have suggested nine key areas including freshwater use and chemical pollutants where governments could define limits to ensure a “safe operating space for humanity”.
From Reuters:
“Today we are clearly driving development in the world blindfolded,” Johan Rockstrom, leader of the study and director of the Stockholm Resilience Center at Stockholm University, told Reuters of a lack of international guidelines.
“We are not considering the risks that there are deep holes we can drive into,” he told Reuters. The call, for setting “planetary boundaries,” was published in Thursday’s edition of the journal Nature.
Rockstrom said there were signs human activities had already pushed the world into the danger zone because of global warming, a high rate of extinctions of animals and plants and pollution caused by nitrogen, mainly used in fertilizers.
Among limits, they suggested capping the percentage of global land area converted to cropland at 15 percent. At the moment, the percentage is 11.7 percent, they said.
Though conservatives are probably shrieking in terror at the idea of global guidelines for a range of human activities, such a ‘user’s guide’ would be extremely helpful in uniting people around the world with a common goal of keeping this planet a safe and healthy place to live. Imagine if world leaders had concocted such a guide back at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution – the world would probably be a much cleaner, healthier place today.
It would definitely have to be a group effort, however, without giving any one person or organization too much say in how the guidelines were developed. Otherwise, we could end up with another Bible on our hands (and Great Flying Spaghetti Monster, we sure as hell don’t need that.)
Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Alan Dean/Woodley Wonderworks
