Blog 6: Nasa-funded study: industrial civilisation headed for 'irreversible collapse'?

Summary:
A study funded by NASA has found significant evidence that our way of life, like the way of life humans lived before the industrial age, is coming to an end. The impending convergence of the food, energy, and water crises are the main focus of the study, with the elite and upper-classes taking the brunt of the blame. According to the study, the wealth inequality among citizens of the planet will add to the frustrations presented by the ecological crises that will lead to serious unrest unlike we've ever experienced. The study also finds that technological advancements could help curb the coming crisis, but they also describe how technological advancements have raised per capita resource extraction and consumption, making technology a useless way to combat the coming collapse.

Analysis:
 This is not very surprising to me. If Earth contained a mere fraction of the population that exists today, we would be able to live the lifestyles that we do, but that is not the case. We have all spent our entire lives extracting or using extracted resources for the benefit of the elites in some fashion, and now this way of life is catching up to us. In order to survive, we must fundamentally change the way we think. We must see ourselves as caretakers of this planet, and we must respect it. If we don't we will die or suffer, along with many other plants and animals. Life is not a game, but the rich have continuously played us like it is. It is time for us to learn real skills. We must learn how to be self-sufficient again.

Link:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2014/mar/14/nasa-civilisation-irreversible-collapse-study-scientists

Topic: Environmental Destruction

One of my majors is Environmental Studies so I have a fair amount of basic knowledge in many aspects regarding environmental issues including destruction, pollution and energy problems. I do however want to be more knowledgeable in what else is going on in the world involving these issues since I am still ignorant to many of them and this is a good opportunity to do that.

1/18/12

2:14 PM