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  • From: "Jill Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] global warming - way off topic
  • Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2006 11:04:25 -0600

Paul,
I think global warming is quite relevant to a gardening list - as we
see
weather patterns change, and storms increase, we might can help one another
with what varieties have been successful under conditions that are new for
us, what strategies we choose to cope with the many changes, how these
changes affect seedsaving, and I bet you can think of many more things.

Yes, there have been many changes the earth has gone through -
catastrophic
and radical changes - before humans emerged from the mud of the planet.
There is a book that brings home this point very well - Humanity's Descent:
The Consequences of Ecological Instability. I found it comforting, in that
it reassured me that the forces of existance have many ways to continue
life. The book made some of the points you did below - change happens,
nature deals with it. And that balance is tentative at best, since change
is prominent.

However, the issue here for many of us is human survival, and the
survival
of the many species we have come to love while coexisting with them. Since
we are fond of our continuence, and of those species, some of us feel bad
that we have behaved in ways that bring things to a challenge sooner rather
than later. Your point below is well taken - any event well beyond our
control could severely affect our climate and continuance. And that may be
in the works too:^)

Another book relevant to this conversation is Collapse, by Jared
Diamond -
who talks about why particular civilizations continued or did not continue -
and their relationship with the environment figures in strongly. Climatic
change figures in too, but more frequently, it seems that humans' own
actions have determined their civilization's continued viability. (Diamond
uses 5 other determinants - it is a fascinating book - not just about
environment, although that figures in)

The very phenomenal technological abilities that you note below do
document
that yes, indeed, humans have affected the climate since industrialization
began, and the reports from around the planet are piling up with evidence
that we humans will be well challenged by those climatic changes that we
have brought upon ourselves. (Ice cores from glaciers noting level of CO2,
etc.)

Whether we brought them or not is sort of a moot point at this time,
since
they are happening. I think the thing to do is to see how to carry on into
the future - and I am in favor of attempting to carry on in a way that
affirms the humanity of all, rather than puts us into cutthroat competition
for the dwindling resources that we have come to depend upon.

As we know, humans have learned to live in many climates, under many
conditions. I have long been a student of these diverse ways of surviving.
Community often figures prominently into human survival, especially under
harsh conditions.

Beyond that, I strive for the same principles in my life whether the
world
is to end, or whether eternity lies before us - nonviolence, sustainability,
ecological wisdom, grassroots democracy, and social justice.

In summary, I agree with you sort of, Paul - it's about what we do
next
(if I've correctly gotten your meaning). One of the most basic
understandings I have gained living on earth is that in order to continue,
we need to affirm diversity, and to make decisisons that increase diversity,
rather than minimize it. More diversity means more options for continuance,
no matter what the conditions on earth.

Here is an article about genetically engineered crops that discusses
this
point. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0324-04.htm

Jill Bussiere, Wisconsin



-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Bock,
Paul
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 2:20 PM
To: 'market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org'
Subject: [Market-farming] global warming - way off topic


I'm not against fighting the release of trapped carbon (coal, oil, gas)
into our atmosphere. In fact I am currently researching closed carbon
energy cycles such as biomass combustion, and portable fuels like
alcohol. And more efficient use of energy using ground source heat
pumps and distributed
cogeneration (micro- combined heat and power generation).

But I don't agree that we caused or can influence global warming. About
10,000 years ago much of the North American continent was covered in
ice, during the ice age. Something happened that caused that ice to
start to melt. And that was far before the human race started burning
large quantities of fossil fuels. Global warming has been going on for
much longer than the couple hundred years we have been burning fossil
fuels.

I think that it is foolish to expect a sort of balance to nature. As if
"no change" in average temperature is the way things should be. Market
farmers are particularly aware of the continuous change in nature and
the shear power of nature.

Quite frankly there is a lot of air around our planet. 78% of it is
Nitrogen. 21% of it is oxygen. All the other gases, _including_ carbon
dioxide are embedded in the last 1%. With all the stuff we have burned
we haven't significantly changed that percentage.

I'm not writing this to attack people who want to fight for global
warming, quite frankly I hope more efficient use of energy systems will
be researched and developed on the coat tails of the global warming
anger. Mostly, because I am a do-it-yourselfer who doesn't happen to
have an oil well in my back yard. If I did, I would probably try to
crack and refine my own hydrocarbon fuels. Just as much as I want to
try to generate heat and power form biomass without lots of smoke and
poor combustion. It's all about doing what you can in your own
backyard. Same reason I grow vegetables.

I think people like to get alarmed. I think this is very similar to how
people watching the news think there is more crime, scandal, and murder
each year. Mostly it is only because it is reported more, and in
increasing levels of drama. We have no more control over ice melting,
oceans raising, hurricane's blowing, than we do with stopping or trying
to start a tornado, lightning storm, or tsunami.

It seems the only thing we have gotten better at is the detecting
(reporting) of the stuff. We have satellites that can measure the
surface temp of the whole planet within a fraction of a degree. We have
buoys in the oceans and seismographs that let us know about earthquakes
and tsunamis. We have radar scanning that lets us look at wind
velocities in a tornado. Heck, we even have telescopes that let us see
stars explode. (I'm pretty sure we're not responsible for that one)
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