Eco

I should have posted it a while ago, like before the date of the presentation on May 27th but never the less, here is the blurb for my presentation at City Repair's 8th annual Village Building Convergence.

Humans are undoubtedly the most dominant species the Earth has ever known. In just a few thousand years we have swallowed up more than a third of the planet's land for our cities, farmland and pastures. By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change. If they could, the other species we share Earth with would surely vote us off the planet.

"15,589 Number of species threatened with extinction"

Now just suppose they got their wish. Imagine that all the people on Earth - all 6.5 billion of us and counting - could be spirited away tomorrow, transported to a re-education camp in a far-off galaxy. (Let's not invoke the mother of all plagues to wipe us out, if only to avoid complications from all the corpses). Left once more to its own devices, Nature would begin to reclaim the planet, as fields and pastures reverted to prairies and forest, the air and water cleansed themselves of pollutants, and roads and cities crumbled back to dust.

While not explicitly peak oil related, knowing the answers to these questions are almost a necessity in a low energy world. 

+ Jeremy 

http://www.kk.org/helpwanted/archives/001084.php

1) Point north. [Recommendations for answer methods]

2) What time is sunset today? [Recommendations]

3) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap. [Recommendations]

4) When you flush, where do the solids go? What happens to the waste water? [Recommendations]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060518/ap_on_sc/chestnut_discovery  

To find a living colony of American chestnut in forest is outstanding news.  The American chestnut was almost entirely wiped out by a fast-spreading fungus discovered in 1904.  Considering the American chestnuts once made up about 25 percent of the forests in the eastern United States, with an estimated 4 billion trees from Maine to Mississippi and Florida and could grow to a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 8 feet or more the loss of these trees was significant.

I'm guessing this colony of American chestnuts survived because it was in a location that was dryer then the fungus could handle, but I'm hoping these trees have some resistance to the fungus. Either way the Chestnut Foundation is already on the job...

In a response that SCREAMS how an addict might respond to running out, the G8 appearently wants to throw a bunch of money at oil that somehow magically will result in more oil. In the leaked report there is no effort at reducing the world's use of fossil fuels and it seems the G8 do not appear to be interested in pulling their head out of their rear. Hopefully this report is just the Bushies and the EU will push back.

----------
http://www.energybulletin.net/14013.html

In a dramatic turn-around from last year's meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, G8 leaders have set their sights on expanding access to fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Last year, G8 leaders focused on mitigating the impacts of climate change and canceling debt. This year the G8 will focus on promoting trillions of dollars of investment in fossil fuels which will exacerbate both climate change and developing country debt.