Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironhide I reckon this is not so simple. Climate change is a very real and looming threat on our horizon, and irreversible damage is perhaps closer than what we surmise. Maybe we ought to read the article below to come face to face with the ugly truth. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...or-humans.html Attachment 1661688
Cheers !
(Pic and article Courtesy : nymag.com) |
I understand your concern. But I believe we are caught up in the whole "save the planet" narrative without addressing the real problem. We need to save ourselves, because the real threat here is not the planet's existence, but the human race's.
The planet is massive. 90% of our oceans and water bodies are virtually uncharted. There are acres and acres of land on the planet that haven't been explored. The radius of the Earth is about 6500 km and the average thickness of the Earth's continental crust is about 35 km. If my memory serves me right, the human race, up until recently, has been able to penetrate the surface only up to 10 kilometers. That's about 0.5% of the Earth's radius.
The Earth itself has been in existence for about 4 billion years. The human race has been around for maybe 100,000 years, of which we have been engaged in heavy industry for only about 150 years. Several species of flora and fauna have ceased to exist prior to human intervention. On the other hand, several species of flora and fauna have appeared, and we had nothing to do with that either.
The Earth has been through a whole lot worse during it's existence. Earthquakes, volcanoes, tectonic shifts in plates, tidal waves, meteors and what have you! And we think the auto industry is a threat to our planet and it's environment? Ha!
We are not a threat to our planet. We are a threat to our own existence!
As Carlin had so eloquently stated: "We are nothing but a surface nuisance!" The planet will shrug us off like "we are a bad case of fleas". We are nothing but a minor allergy on the planet's skin. A
rash, if you will! We will be long gone, whilst the Earth will proceed to cleanse itself and continue to exist for another billion years.
We as a human race are not 'really' concerned about the planet. What we are really concerned about is our immediate environment and it's cleanliness. As long as what's in our immediate vicinity is devoid of litter, we will create the illusion for ourselves that the environment is clean.
The Auto Industry is small fry when compared to the damage caused to the environment by animal farming and animal husbandry. 80% of the methane in the atmosphere comes from cows' arses (pardon my French). The sheer number of cesspools created are a direct result of animal farming.
What they are effectively doing by suspending the production of IC engines - with the intention to "save the planet" - is attempting to cure a mental illness by administering medication for diarrhea!
So, really.. what purpose are we serving by suspending the production of IC engines? We are pandering to a certain class of self-righteous and directionless environmental-elite who are seemingly concerned about the environment, and in order to portray this image, they buy electric / hybrid cars for their benefit, whilst believing that they are somehow superior to all other people by driving hybrids and electric cars, in their hopeless attempt at redemption. This, after their governments and industries had plundered the environment for the best part of 100 years in the name of development.
Sure, electric cars are good. And they will certainly reduce toxic gasses at the street level. But the human race will continue to utilize our planet for as long as we are around, for the better or for the worse.
Staying the production and use of IC cars will serve a small purpose as far as the environment is concerned. It's merely a small step in the grand scheme of things. What we need as a race is self awareness. We need to address the actual problem, lest we perish like the numerous other species that have perished in the past.