Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Another ominous development on the ecological front:

Gulf of Mexico mystery

"'All the coral, all the sponges, all the crabs, not a single living thing, all the star fish, the brittle stars, everything's dead,' said Miller."
Posted by Mac at 1:48 PM

8 comments:

Ken said...

Now THIS, and a similar occurrence near Matagorda Texas, could very well be human caused. Effluvium, fertilizers, etc. can provide nutritive initiation for planktonic blooms - "red tide". While human influence is not proven, I consider these human induced nutrients a likely suspect. The stuff washes out of the fields and eventually to the Sea.

The solution, if we are indeed the cause, is to use less petroleum and ammonia based fertilizers. The problem with THAT is the "green revolution" was begun primarily by those same fertilizers. Without their use farm production will drop precipitously, causing famine across the globe. The solution to that is genetically modified crops, which bring their own pack of problems, which I suspect may be severe.

But, in my pessimistic near-term outlook, I consider famines and population crashes likely in any event, due mainly to politics and disease limiting international trade. The problem with hunger today is not lack of food, but primarily distribution. I expect a Great Dying to commence one of these days, and if I am right, food distribution will all but cease. And by Great Dying I don't mean just crabs and fish, I mean US.

We really have to clean up our environmental act even more, especially the Third World. We cannot kill the planet (I hope), but we can surely kill ourselves.

3:41 PM
W.M. Bear said...

Ken -- The great "Dying Back" of the human species seems to be a transhumanist theme that I find very believable. There was a recent New Scientist article about genetic modification of "mousepox" that caused 100% deaths in lab mice from the disease. The implication is that we could be next, especially since the information on HOW to modify the mousepox DNA was published on the Internet.

By far the great majority of human beings harbor completely unreal beliefs about the nature of reality. I hate to say this (really) but to my way of thinking, the Great Dying Back may be a solution to this problem. I keep hitting myself on the head for sounding crypto-fascist about this, but this is, finally my view. Sorry.

11:58 PM
Ken said...

I don't know what a crypto-fascist is, but do concur: the solution is a planetary population of no more than one or two billion. Surprisingly, some recent studies claim that to occur naturally in 100-150 years, through decling birth rates, as prosperity increases. The prosperity being assumed.

Of course, this could happen in five years, if some have their way. I downloaded a speech transcript from http://english.epochtimes.com/change_edition.html in which a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party described the USA as the first enemy to be eliminated, attacking America with biowarfare, and a willingness to accept 800 MILLION casualties!

Gawd-a-mighty. For all we know, this may happen within five years.
---------
http://english.epochtimes.com/tools/printer.asp?id=31055

The following is a transcript of a speech believed to have been given by Mr. Chi Haotian, Minster of Defense and vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission. Independently verifying the authorship of the speech is not possible. It is worth reading because it is believed to set out the CCP’s strategy for the development of China. The speech argues for the necessity of China using biological warfare to depopulate the United States and prepare it for a future massive Chinese colonization. “The War Is Not Far from Us and Is the Midwife of the Chinese Century” was published on February 15, 2005 on www.peacehall.com and was published on www.boxun.com on April 23, 2005. This speech and a related speech, “The War Is Approaching Us” are analyzed in The Epoch Times original article “The CCP’s Last-ditch Gamble: Biological and Nuclear War.”

10:01 PM
W.M. Bear said...

I don't know what a crypto-fascist is, but do concur:

A crypto-fascist is someone who thinks some human beings are superior to others. Honestly, I work in urban areas where simply to walk to the bank is to experience the entire "human zoo." I vote liberal Democrat but think Nietzsche? Does this make sense? I give bucks out of pocket to homeless people holding out their plastic money cups but then feel very Nietzschean? Take me, Space Cultivators, please. Then return me and elect me President. Watch me End War.

11:23 PM
Kyle said...

It would be really ironic to see "Armageddon" occur in our "sleep", via bio-terror agents.

I don't think there's any rational argument against the benefit of population reduction.

In fact, the Chinese population would make a good number for "total global population". Plus, Chinese have learned to live a frugal life, are very thrifty and industrious. (yes, I'm shuddering)

Yes, the Chinese might not make a total mess of what would be left after global bio-agent death. Even if China lost a billion or more, the Chinese would still constitute the vast majority of the population extant.

Imagine what just a few generations without a need for a defense budget could do for a "New Society".

Kyle

1:25 AM
Kyle said...

And what happens to guys like the ones on the Space Station...?

Do they come home and possibly die of infection, or stay up there until things just quit working?

It would be quite a process...losing 2/3 of the population.

Kyle

1:28 AM
W.M. Bear said...

kyle -- There's a brilliant dystopian s.f. novel lurking here. I'd suggest a title of "The Dying Back." (Very original, huh?) Your idea about what happens to Space Station personnel returning to Earth gives me an idea for the "gimmick" of the novel....

9:37 PM
W.M. Bear said...

Oh, shit. Here I go. The "Dying Back" is caused (obviously) by the accidental release of a 100%-fatal-to-humans virus (thank ya, Chriton!) The "problem" of the astronauts aboard the International Space Station is, obviously, what to do. Also, obviously, a shuttle has just been launched, so the ISS people obviously need to figure out what to do about the shuttle crew that is about to rendezvous. Are they Infected Ones too...? If any of you know Hollywood scriptwriters, feel free to give them my email....

9:50 PM