The Crichton article reminded me of something I've been wondering about lately ... Global Warming has become such a huge public issue these days, that it has kind of overshadowed the body of other environmental issues, at least for the common couch potato like me.
But I know Hatrack is just filled with loads of people who are actually capable of keeping themselves informed about things other than video games (which is about the limit of my expertise), so here's my question. If I don't want to worry about Global Warming at the moment, what should I worry about instead? Two issues have recently caught my attention:
1. Oil depletion. It's going to get increasingly scarce, and unless we convert our economy over to some other primary fuel source, the costs are very quickly going to become prohibitive. Unless we address this early, we might face some harsh economic times before we're forced to find a solution.
2. Deforestation. The recent storm in the Philippines brought this one into the forefront of my mind. Not that I think we're in immediate danger of running out of trees — but thoughtless and ill-planned logging can create snowballing environmental problems in local areas that threaten lives and species.
What other problems am I missing? And do you have anything to add to the issues I just mentioned?
[ December 08, 2004, 03:05 PM: Message edited by: Puppy ]
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Gravity fluctuations.
Posted by ginette (Member # 852) on :
I heard that the North Pole is melting far faster than expected. This will cause the climat in the Netherlands to become colder, because we won't profit from the warm streams in the North Sea anymore. And it also means the sea level will increase more than expected over the next 100 years, so our country will be in serious trouble. So that is what I worry about.
[ December 08, 2004, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: ginette ]
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Strains of pan-resistant bacteria
Decreased pure water supplies
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
80% of the krill are gone, thus threatening the whale, seal, and penguin populations of the antarctic.
I don't know what the ramifications are for us, but usually when one aspect of the environment is thrown out of whack, there are ripple effects. I just find it amazing that 80% of the krill are gone. That and the temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula has risen 2.5 C. That's what, like 5 degrees for those of us not using the metric system? That seems alarming.
Though I thought I read somewhere, maybe an OSC article, about how the global warming might actually be preventing us from entering another ice age. Ahh, yes, here it is. It's almost at the bottom of the article. (Okay, that's not exactly what he said, but it was from memory! Here is the exact quote. "And for all we know, the greenhouse gases we release might actually be the only thing that might prevent the onset of the next Ice Age, when the astronomical cycles once again cut back drastically on the number of solar calories reaching Earth." It's weird that I can remember that particular article and I can't remember what I watched on TV last night.)
Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
If I type this then aka won't have to:
An Asteroid is Gonna Hit the Earth!!!
--ApostleRadio
Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :
"Everybody Loves Raymond" is still on the air.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
topsoil depletion
mercury and other toxins in foodchains
reduced fertility rates in industrialized countries
ozone depletion
reality TV gains popularity
More later.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Magnetic pole reversal
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
I'm hungry.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I just read in a book that there are Jebusites, who lived in Jebus:"Jebusites the name of the original inhabitants of Jebus, mentioned frequently among the seven nations doomed to destruction [by Joshua's armies]" http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/jebusites.html
edit: Or apparently, there were Jebusites. Jebus202, are you the Last of the Jebusites?
[ December 08, 2004, 07:49 PM: Message edited by: Morbo ]
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Dang. I hate that stupid show.
I worry about certain animals going extinct. Like cheetahs.
Posted by FriendlyNeighborhoodWitch (Member # 6317) on :
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)