National Geographic Magazine/oct 2007

The October issue of National Geographic is a thoughtful and revealing issue on climate change and energy related issues.
Growth Industry..bio fuels is the lead article.

The charts on the earths surface temperature changes are unfortunately convincing.
Grains for fuel are now a 'growth industry' for ADM and Monsanto. Enormous profits are being made while the grains and in this case corn that could be used for food are being shoved in the gas tanks of first world countries.
And if we put all the actual cost into that gallon of E85 or biodiesel is it cheaper and is it actually less CO2 generated? The short answer I would say is: No.
But their are allot of people who would like us to believe it is.

My conclusion is action is essential on all fronts and now. Using the 'energy wedges' which they describe.

Drastic reduction in all forms of industrial production. Drastic reduction in all forms of transportation including all forms of jet flying and sea transportation.
This includes emphasis on conservation from the paper cup at Starbucks to all forms of plastic use.

And what should we all be doing to reduce the carbon dioxide output?
In mass we need to switch to public transportation and double or triple gas mileage for all personal transportation vehicles is what I'm reading.

So say good bye to the McMansion and forced air heating and cooling of those 2000 sq. This will also be the end of suburbia. And they say that is just a start. The technology is their but we collectively lack the will or foresight to make drastic changes.

If we made drastic changes now?
We would then not need to import oil and aswell fuel for the military and the navy which protects the imported fuel sources and supply routes.
Possible? yes!
Will we change our current foreign energy sources? Not likely... unless it becomes very expensive and the 'national leadership' are collectively struck by the sun god.
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/ngm.html
The up side of world 'peak oil' is those that use the most will initially be able to continue to pay the price. But shortly as crude resources shrink and they are diminishing world wide. the price will cross the hurt line even for the likes of us.
This is not tree hugging this is survival and that's for some.. not all.


Since the National Geographic has always been considered by parents to be somewhere between the wisdom of the founding fathers and the word of god on glossy paper. It now seems surprising that NG has recently changed and is reporting on current and serious issues. They now also have a children's issue.
the NG from it's founding in the nineteen century had viewed the world and it's peoples as apples to be plucked by the Empire. Now it seems reality has arrived and revenue issues has forced them to make amends and acknowledge the earth was here before the Empire.
And I appreciate their efforts as they are doing it well.

Back to Climate change and peak oil.
And have these types of disasters ever happened to a nation before? Yes, we are not the first though never to this extent for all the people all over the world.
Empires have collapsed over water, energy, climate issues. and of course expansion issues as well.
Though it is begging to look like we are a 'special world generation' as we have all of the above problems as well as population explosion.

We do not have a cabinet post for the environment and we will not see significant changes until the neo cons are gone.
But reaching the people who use the most resources is major. And what is safer than the National Geographic? So i suggest sending friends a suggestion to read this issue.