(Close to eight billion of one dominant species
Annually transform/”consume” more than 580 million trillion joules
Or in excess of about 13865 million tons of oil equivalents)
Gaia, Earth (now Eaarth), nature, dynamic homeostatic symbioses
Are matter … simply, complexly … organized with free available energy
And if the energy and resultant chemical reactions aren’t excessive
All is sort of well
For most of human existence people lived within their means
For 200,000 years or more, sapiens depended on daily solar energy
Unfortunately for the last 300 years, & especially the last 60
We have become hopeless fossil energy junkies
(We worship at altars of Growth and Neoliberal Capital
Which are dependent on fossil energy & matter)
Therefore,
What does plain paul think about all this leftist/”Progressive”/scientific fretting
About “Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology”/or PEACEmaking?
Well as a white heterosexual male and “middle-class” US citizen
With a doctorate in a science and some pretty good connections
Isso é, decent socio-political & financial capital
plain paul has it made here in 2022
He’ll slide on down the lane of slick petro for 15 or 20 years, or less
And then his worries will be over
He’ll be dead and gone
He’ll leave his and your mess to his and your progeny
I suppose plain paul has no real reason to fret!??!
(And “Bless him Father for he has sinned.”
He sleeps well EVERY night)
…………………………..
But here is the REAL deal:
The Eaarth, its ecosystems, THE ECOSPHERE … CAN BE DIVIDED INTO FOUR QUADRANTS–
1.Soil & air (perhaps the most important)
……….
2. Water (Important? Well, we humans are about 60% water!)
……….
3. Organisms (Hmmm. We humans, in particular, do think we are important!
But the trillions of organisms in & on our body outnumber human cells ten to one!!
Anyway, in a sort of selfish way of thinking
ORGANISMS are pretty durn important)
……….
4. Energy (Enough said already about its supreme importance
Energy is your essence
A problem is …
That the essence of 21st Century Homo sapiens
REEKS of oil, coal, and methane)
……….
Now let’s probe a bit deeper into the last 60 years and post significant-use-of-fossil-energy
1.In the first quadrant of the ecosphere we’re rapidly losing topsoil and polluting it …
As well as ruining air associated with it
2. In the second we are tying up as well as polluting these amazing polar molecules
3. In the third we are losing sustaining photosynthesizers, sustaining net primary productivity, and the sustaining connective glue of biodiversity
4. For the fourth we dream of nuclear fission and fusion and so-called renewable energies.
But because of the 2nd Law of Energetics,
More of any energy transformation (i.e., too much)
Causes additional problems of many types, including CO2 & CH4 challenges, radioisotopes, and heat pollution,
And general loss of homeostatic symbioses.
1.To mask problems in the first quadrant
We use fossil energy & matter in a Haber-Bosch process
Developed in Germany in the early 1900’s
To fix some of the 78% atmospheric nitrogen into essential protein, chlorophyll, nucleic acids, and ATP
And we use fossil fuel to mine phosphorus, potash, and limestone, etc.
In order to recharge and/or amend our soils for ephemeral productions
(By the way, for air and soil contaminates,
Dilution is largely the solution to pollution)
2. (Dilution IS also a solution to water pollution;
However, in addition we do use processes involving fossil energy
To make water potable and useable in living systems, primarily for human Haves)
3. For the third quadrant, fossil material and energy can increase net primary productivity;
However, this isn’t sustainable
4.We ARE viciously addicted to fossil energy (and matter)
In ways that make the breaking of meth addiction in individual humans … peaches and cream
And most of you suckers,
Even some of you who are so-called biologists, naturalists, and ecologists
Don’t truly realize our dependence and enslavement
And its terrible, dreadful consequences …
o Contamination & pollution of living systems,
o But, also, chaos (including constant WAR) in what should be dynamic homeostatic symbioses
o And in this chaos, tremendous DISPARITY because of undue, undeserved attention to military & arms, resultant Wars, perverted socio-political/economic (ecological) systems, and lack of appropriate sharing of power and essential resources toward sustainable ecological community
…
o And … sapiens-devastating global climate change
(Often because of a lazy, satisfying “self-imposed” ignorance
O cabezas en fun…s)
Yep …
4.Growth and the fossil energy necessary for growth
are currently and into the future, seriously problematic …
o Nature-/dynamic homeostatic symbioses-threatening problematic;
o Life-threatening problematic
o Gaia-threatening problematic!
Therefore, I emphasize emphatically …
… I regret to inform you that Ameerican-type artificialization & growth is not right
It is not moral and ethical!!!
And sorry, but neoliberalism & capitalism
(Including, especially, militarism, militarized police, & ubiquitous gun sales, …
Etc., etc. associated with greed, conspicuous consumption, ecological ignorance,
And individual rights over a sustainable ecological community) …
Won’t cut it!
Less Is More! Degrowth is essential!
pbm
7 S’s / VV->^^
…………………………
*”Poem” written for a presentation to the Seguin City Council, Seguin ISD Board of Trustees, and the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court. plain paul/pbm is almost one-third though his rough list of five-minute talks for presentation this year with a goal of attempting to deal with growth, i.e., the essential necessity of degrowth … and negative connections of growth and positive connections of degrowth with principles, processes, and concepts of positively ethical applied ecology, necessary for critical thinking, decision-making, and action.
pbm
7 S’s / VV->^^
