I’m not just talking about natural resources or fuels. Do we have the political resources and energy to solve our most pressing national problems: namely global warming, air pollution, and energy insecurity.
While it is clear that our elected representatives don’t have the political resources or energy to tackle these problems, a group called The Solutions Project has decided to take matters into their own hands.
We’ve all heard the naysayers and propagandists who claim that we don’t have the technology to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, or that it would hurt our economy, or cost too much money. So the group came out with a detailed, state-by-state plan for how we can completely transition to 100% clean, renewable energy. This is not just about technology, it also details the benefits, including how much money can be saved, how many jobs will be created, and even more importantly, the thousands of lives that can be saved every year by switching away from polluting fuels.
You can see an easy-to-understand infographic about their plan at their website. Just hover over your state, or click on it to see the benefits.
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I get these way out far fetched thoughts once in a while and here’s one of them.
What if we aren’t the final step on the evolutionary rung.
While we are relative new comers in the evolutionary ladder and in terms of our planets life cycle, we’ve been here for about a minute. Before us there have been catastrophies that have just about wiped out all living things. Just suppose we are not the heirs to the kingdom and that out of our ashes the next best thing emerges, but in order for it to arrive we must go the way of the 1st or 2nd coming of the dinosaurs. Just wonder at the advancement from the beginning of life to the age of dinosaurs and finally to our period. From eat and be eaten (with still goes on in the animal kingdom) to beings capable of contemplating their own existence.
Certainly our earth hasn’t always looked like it does now and indeed our continents are adrift and one day they will all be a huge supercontinent again and there will be scarce evidence of our existence.
What if they only way forward is that a partial or nearly complete extinction of our species needs to take place. Are our efforts to manipulate evolution part of that process or holding it back from progressing? Just what if in our demise a new species inherits the earth. One that does not destroy and kill it’s own kind or lay waste to the heavenly body that provides it’s sustenance. If history is any gauge, we may set a record for for the shortest time of existence. Our ancient animal relatives who died out long ago, will certainly out survive us in time.
On the energy question we need to do what we can. What we really need to do is get the emerging 2nd and 3rd world Nations up to our level. There’s another 6.5 Billion people who don’t live in the US that need to understand whats coming.
That reminds me of an old (and dark) joke (this is a humor blog after all). The saying (sometimes attributed to David Byrne) goes something like this:
“Nuclear weapons are capable of wiping out all of humanity … if used properly”
LOL Thanks for the laugh.