Science in America — Neil deGrasse Tyson

A very powerful video that speaks for itself.

NPR: Should We Be Having Kids In The Age Of Climate Change?

I’m glad to see this question becoming more public. Though it seems to still be considered radical. It is one of many factors that went into my (and my wife’s) decision not to have children decades ago.

Should We Be Having Kids In The Age Of Climate Change?

P.S. I should really correct my statement above. Neither I nor my wife ever really wanted children. But, while we were still of breeding age and before my vasectomy, when we’d hear a wailing infant, we’d make comments like “Reason number 837 not to have kids.” But, we’d also make comments on hearing about overpopulation or some environmental crisis, especially climate change and ocean acidification, like “won’t be our kids dealing with this.” Actually, we still make such comments.

IUCN Misses One Critically Endangered Species … Us

Some of my formerly radical views seem to be becoming more mainstream. Click this first link to read the main topic of this post.

ALERT: Critically Endangered Species: Homo sapiens

You’re five times as likely to die in an extinction event as in a car crash

I’ve been talking about the Great Human Die-off for years and have felt like somewhat of a crackpot for doing so. I’ve usually qualified it as just my opinion based on hearing and reading a lot of environmental science.

Now, it seems that the idea of human extinction within the time frame of those alive today is no longer such a crackpot idea.

Human Extinction Isn’t That Unlikely

Is Humanity On the Verge Of Extinction?

40 Million Badass Birders Just Declared War On Oregon Terrorists

Woo Hoo!! Go for it my fellow birders. Wish I could join you!

40 Million Badass Birders Just Declared War On Oregon Terrorists

Film Inhabit, re: Permaculture, Why We Don’t Need Monsanto IMNSHO

First, this film is not intended to be an attack on Monsanto in particular. That’s just my take.

Home page for the film: http://inhabitfilm.com/

There are a number of excellent points about a holistic look at farming in this film. Farming can produce high yields and increase top soil instead of depleting it. And, in some cases, it may not even need irrigation. This is a really interesting film showing a number of ways permaculture can be practiced in farm country, in the suburbs, and even in cities.

ExxonMobil Denies Climate Change Publicly While Planning Their Operations Around It Privately

For decades, ExxonMobil funded climate denial. During those same decades, they were leading the industry in planning for climate change.

Fucking hypocrites!

Their lies may well cause human extinction. And, they’re still lying.

The executives at ExxonMobil are easily among the worst human beings on the planet and are a big part of the reason I’m a misanthrope.

Can we put them toes first into a meat grinder … and turn the crank very very slowly?

http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-arctic/

Farms No Longer Exist

How much more would you pay for humanely raised and treated meat?

(Sorry ECA, this is the sad state of farming today.)

Found on UpWorthy.

Missile Silo Condos: How to Survive Climate Change or Nuclear Holocaust, but not why

Apparently, if you have the cash up front to buy one of these things without a mortgage, you can survive whatever humans do to the planet, theoretically. I can’t personally really imagine how many years of food they could have stored in there.

For me though, I’m not sure life under such conditions, even in a luxury condo, is necessarily better than the alternative. I think I’ll stick with an overdose of insulin if it comes to it.

Here’s the link for these missile silo condos.

Home

Here’s a write-up about them from AlterNet.

http://www.alternet.org/inside-underground-bunker-condos-where-1-percenters-plan-ride-out-apocalypse#.VLAUmQcp4iY.twitter

You won’t catch me buying one.

Obama Pursuing Climate Accord

President Obama is seeking an international climate accord that would not require cooperation from either the Senate or the House of Representatives. I don’t love the idea of completely going around our political system on this. But, with the survival of humanity and most of the multicellular life in the biosphere and in fact, the health of the biosphere as a whole on the line, it may be necessary.

We all know that if he tries to get this through even the senate, he’ll never get the required 67% for a treaty. After all, the repugnicans have proven that they would rather kill off humanity and cause another Permian/Triassic level extinction (where 95% of all multicellular species go extinct) than actually allow Obama to accomplish so much as brushing his teeth.

So, for now, with the means being not too bad and the ends being necessary for survival, I’m going to go with the ends justify the means on this limited case, even though I strongly disagree with the philosophy for most issues.

Humanity: Guilty as Charged on at least 177 Counts of Megafauna Speciescide

Photo credit: Jennifer Carole via flickr

There has long been a scientific debate about what caused all of the extinctions that just seemed to follow humans wherever we went. Some said climate changes, despite the same species of animals having survived about a half dozen such changes previously. To me it has long been obvious that those arguing that we were innocent were simply insufficiently misanthropic and were in denial. Most scientists from whom we hear tend to be human themselves after all.

Now there’s a new study showing, of course, that we’re guilty as charged on all counts. And, this is just the relatively large species. It’s not even counting all the cute little critters we bulldoze over before we even know they’re there. OK, the speciescides referenced here predate bulldozers. So, maybe we didn’t kill off as many little species when we were still using clovis point weaponry, not as many as we are now anyway.

Anyone still wondering why I hate our species?

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/humans-not-climate-change-blame-ice-age-animal-extinction

Given a Time Machine, When Would You Go?

The when in the title means to what time period would you go, not how soon you would leave the present. I’m using when with respect to time travel the same way one might use where when taking about space travel.

Climate Name Change

Bill Maher Attacks Reagan as the Original Tea Bagger

I agree! Reagan was an excellent leader who changed the paradigm. We’ve been following his voodoo economics and deregulation for 32 years with the result of the complete destruction of the American economy. Yes, Ronald Reagan changed everything in the U.S. to the point where a bill like Graham-Leach-Bliley could pass with bipartisan support. That created the current great bank depression that we are still stuck in the middle of. It created the conditions that led to the exploding income inequality in this country. It’s time to recognize Reagan for what he was, the original tea-bagger.

Ronald Reagan is single-handedly responsible for getting the Christian wrong Right to unknowingly worship an atheist named Ayn Rand and to become as patently un-Christian as it is possible to be. The Ayn-Randian Christian Right now believes that Jesus rode into town on a dinosaur wielding an AK-47 to heal the sick who could afford his care and to deport those who did not have citizenship papers.

It would be laughable if not for the utter destruction of America that Reagan has caused over the last 32 years.

Buy Organics Because Shit Doesn’t Explode

First let me state that the victims and their families of this explosion and of the recent explosions in Boston have my deepest sympathy and condolences.

What We Know About the Huge Explosion at the West, Texas, Fertilizer Plant

Wednesday’s fire came one day after the 66th anniversary of the worst industrial accident in American history—the Texas City disaster, another fertilizer explosion that left 581 people dead when a French vessel hauling ammonium nitrate caught fire.

God Made a Factory Farmer??!!?

Dodge trucks made what just might be the worst Stupor Bowl ad ever. If not, I don’t want to see what’s worse. But, Funny Or Die made a good parody of it. Unfortunately, to get the parody, you must first waste two minutes of your life watching the original ad. If you’ve already seen the Dodge Trucks Stupor Bowl ad, by all means, spare yourself. You do not need to watch that crap again.

27 Years and Counting Since Our Last Cooler Than Average Month

Check out this link to see some of the more interesting changes since our last cooler than average month. Back to the Future was in theaters for a ticket price of $2.75. Now we’re just a couple of years away from getting our hoverboards. Yay!!

http://www.itsbeen27years.com/

UN Predicts: Global Food Crisis 2013

I’m sure many who read my blog have been convinced for a while that I’m somewhat of a fear monger with respect to climate change and overpopulation. Perhaps. Before you make up your mind, read this:

UN warns of looming worldwide food crisis in 2013

The figures come as one of the world’s leading environmentalists issued a warning that the global food supply system could collapse at any point, leaving hundreds of millions more people hungry, sparking widespread riots and bringing down governments. In a shocking new assessment of the prospects of meeting food needs, Lester Brown, president of the Earth policy research centre in Washington, says that the climate is no longer reliable and the demands for food are growing so fast that a breakdown is inevitable, unless urgent action is taken.

Good thing climate change is just a hoax. Dig hole in sand. Insert head. Fill in hole. Ignorance is bliss.

“Armed aggression is no longer the principal threat to our future. The overriding threats to this century are climate change, population growth, spreading water shortages and rising food prices,” Brown says.

Open Letter to Politicians Re: Climate Change Urgency & Carbon Tax

250 million years ago, this planet suffered the greatest mass extinction of multicellular life in the long history of the planet. The ocean conveyor current stopped. The ocean became anoxic, meaning it had little or no oxygen. Fish died; sulfur producing bacteria thrived. As the anoxic layer of the ocean reached the surface, hydrogen sulfide gas was released into the atmosphere in toxic quantities. The sky turned green. The mass extinction was brought onto land.

95% of all species on the planet died. This was due to global warming.*