I struggled to come up with a web development angle for this one. I had a brief hope of executing some dazzling metaphorical sleight of hand when I read Thomas DeGregori’s discussion of the “usability” of rocks among proto-humans, but in the end I gave up and decided just to roll with it…
The world’s resources are limitless. I’m not joking. In a world of finite materials – and a finite 88 keys on a piano – resources are no more limited than are melodies and harmonies. Even if we stick to the Western musical scale, we will never run out of tunes. This is because tunes are not raw materials, somehow just there, waiting to be discovered: they come into … read on »
Archive for the ‘environment’ category…
Clean Energy 2: The Comeback of Nuclear Power in the UK
“Nuclear power? To most people, it’s witchcraft” (Chris Patten)
To describe nuclear power as clean might seem perverse, given that some of the waste produced is so dangerous that there is no containment material that won’t be destroyed by it, and that it remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years.
But last week the government finally said yes to the construction of up to ten nuclear power stations, at least some of which might be up-and-running by 2020. They’ve put off the decision for a long time. New Labour, motivated for so long by the desire to be liked, refused to face the impending energy crisis. Now that the closure of many of our existing nuclear power stations is fast approaching … read on »
Clean Energy 1: A Milestone in The Glendoe Hydro-electric Scheme
On January 7th the 200-metre-long tunnel boring machine called Eliza Jane broke through the side of a mountain in Scotland after sixteen months of grinding. The resulting five mile tunnel will take water from a reservoir up on the Monadhliath plateau down to Loch Ness, via an underground cavern housing a hydro-electric power station. It’s the biggest civil engineering project in Scotland, and the first major hydro scheme in Britain since the fifties I think. As such, it’s tremendously exciting: as I’ve mentioned before, hydro power sets me all a-trembling with fascination and a smidgin of dread. So indulge me.
The water head – the vertical distance from the turbine to the intake at the reservoir, is 600 metres, the highest … read on »
Climate Change: Mitigation or Adaptation?
Newly published in Nature is a study by researchers about adapting to climate change. The gist, according to EurekAlert, is that we’re making a mistake in concentrating on the mitigation of global warming, and that this has been at the expense of adaptation. (Now, I may have dramatized it somewhat with those words – such research findings are much more dry and circumspect by comparison – but forgive me, because I think it is, at the very least, a fair conclusion to draw from the findings as described. But don’t take my word for it.)
I hope we begin to see more of this sensible approach to the world’s problems. It is just one among many and should be tackled in … read on »
Latest GM Crops Forecast Model
There’s an interesting report on Reuters:
UK scientists downplay GMO threat to biodiversity.
Before reading this it had never really occurred to me before that one of the main reasons people object to GM crops is because they are too efficient. Herbicide-tolerant crops mean that most weeds can be killed, and this is seen as bad because no weeds means no spiders and insects which means no birds. But where do you draw the line? Obviously all agricultural advances of the past have affected biodiversity in certain areas. If you object to GM crops on this basis I think that the logical conclusion of your argument is that all agriculture is bad.
But, to be fair, I imagine what they want is a … read on »
Extinction Fears – Are Polar Bears Dying Out?
Polar bears have been in the news quite a lot over the past few years. Just yesterday I saw a feature on a Canadian Polar Bear centre, in the Metro. There is much concern over their future. According to Kassie Siegel of the Center for Biological Diversity, polar bears could be extinct in less than 40 years. (Don’t wait to save the polar bear, from January 8th 2007).
The article is saying that:
1. Numbers are declining
2. Numbers will continue to decline
3. They will probably become extinct unless we halt human-caused climate change
Regular readers of this blog will know that my thinking on the environment runs against the prevailing opinion, but I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m not fair. I … read on »
Green Politics: Quintessential Conservatism
I read an article in the Times today by the conservative intellectual Roger Scruton which asserts that environmentalism is truly a conservative, rather than a radical, cause, and that it would be more successful if it were proselytized from this standpoint. In my post from March 3rd I write about Scruton and conservatism, and about this very idea. He is right: conservatives are naturally environmentalist, and leftists are – or traditionally were – believers in technological progress and ambitious action aimed at fundamentally improving the conditions of our species. Conservatism and environmentalism favour the small-scale and local, and promote cautiousness. Socialism is traditionally universalist, internationalist and experimental. Hasn’t politics changed? Incidentally, that’s one reason I don’t subscribe to any political … read on »
©2010 Alistair Robinson