There's more methane in the atmosphere now than there has been for 400,000 years. 60% of methane release to atmosphere comes from human sources (such as landfill gas).
In geological time, yes, it's almost instantaneous. Like I say: life on earth isn't under threat. Human life on earth is under threat. But people haven't quite grasped that yet, in the same way that teenagers think they are immortal. They think it's all about saving the tigers and the elephants and the pandas. It's not really. It's already too late for most of the conservation mascots. The oil industry is fucking up the Amazon and about to try for the shale oil in Alaska. Might as well quit worrying about the polar bears and the Jaglee-ars.
A well-known conservationist recently admitted that it's entirely hopeless. When asked why he keeps going he said it's because it's not about the winning, it's about being on the right side. That brings a level of moral obectivity to conservation that I'm afraid evolution doesn't recognise. We're going to fuck over every species with which we share this planet, and in doing so we're going to fuck over ourselves while the technologically optimistic and the blinkered nay-sayers tell us we'll be just fine because it's not real/we'll find a way to sequester the carbon in time/scientists don't know what they're talking about anyway/we'll move to Mars.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-09-25 09:57 am (UTC)In geological time, yes, it's almost instantaneous. Like I say: life on earth isn't under threat. Human life on earth is under threat. But people haven't quite grasped that yet, in the same way that teenagers think they are immortal. They think it's all about saving the tigers and the elephants and the pandas. It's not really. It's already too late for most of the conservation mascots. The oil industry is fucking up the Amazon and about to try for the shale oil in Alaska. Might as well quit worrying about the polar bears and the Jaglee-ars.
A well-known conservationist recently admitted that it's entirely hopeless. When asked why he keeps going he said it's because it's not about the winning, it's about being on the right side. That brings a level of moral obectivity to conservation that I'm afraid evolution doesn't recognise. We're going to fuck over every species with which we share this planet, and in doing so we're going to fuck over ourselves while the technologically optimistic and the blinkered nay-sayers tell us we'll be just fine because it's not real/we'll find a way to sequester the carbon in time/scientists don't know what they're talking about anyway/we'll move to Mars.
Fuckspuds.