Survey: The environment and SupraMania's thoughts on it.

[outofstep]

I'm taking a grad course in what is essentially an environmental engineering class. I am an EE, I'm knocking out some of those precious few graduate elective credits. The paper is a survey of what my "colleagues" think about 6 topics related to the environment and natural resources. I would ask engineers here what they though, but seeing as how engineering grad school is 99% non-native english speakers, these questions wouldnt work so well with them.

I'm posting this to fairly right, left and middle leaning sights. Just to get the whole gamut. SM is what I would consider a middlish site. I tried posting this at SF, but the SN ratio over there was pretty bad.


If you do decide to reply if you wouldnt mind saying what it is you do (accountant, truck driver, engineer) and your region of the country/state.



For each of the 6 questions; if you don't agree with it, explain your views or why.


1: Our natural resources and ecological systems have high value

2: Our natural resources and ecological systems are finite.

3: Our finite natural resources and ecological systems must be effectively managed, maintained, and enhanced.

4: We are using up our natural resources and the carrying capacity of our ecological systems faster than they can be replaced, replenished or restored.

5: We have now reached many resource and carrying capacity limits and are experiencing the consequences. Examples of these consequences include volatile oil prices, climate change, water shortages, and more.

6: We must act now, investing heavily in mitigation and/or adaptation of these causes and consequences before they become inevitable, devastating and irreversible.

 

[GrimJack]

I'm taking a grad course in what is essentially an environmental engineering class. I am an EE, I'm knocking out some of those precious few graduate elective credits. The paper is a survey of what my "colleagues" think about 6 topics related to the environment and natural resources. I would ask engineers here what they though, but seeing as how engineering grad school is 99% non-native english speakers, these questions wouldnt work so well with them. Yes, I know the questions are kind of leading; I didn't get to chose them.

I'm posting this to fairly right, left and middle leaning sights. Just to get the whole gamut. SM is what I would consider a middlish site. I tried posting this at SF, but the SN ratio over there was pretty bad.


If you do decide to reply if you wouldnt mind saying what it is you do (accountant, truck driver, engineer) and your region of the country/state.



For each of the 6 questions; if you don't agree with it, explain your views or why.


1: Our natural resources and ecological systems have high value Sure.

2: Our natural resources and ecological systems are finite. *Some* of them, yes. Trees regrow. We'll probably run out of iron to pull out of the ground eventually. Hopefully by then we'll have sources from off world. Other resources vary.

3: Our finite natural resources and ecological systems must be effectively managed, maintained, and enhanced. In some cases, sure. In others, no. Forestry needs some careful management. (Keep in mind that this needs to be done by professionals, and not self proclaimed experts who are only expert in stirring up trouble. Greenpeace, I'm looking at you.) Gas and oil? Not so much. We have the technology to switch to other energy sources already, what we don't have is the need - and the need will only come when oil starts to become scarce. Conserving only delays the change.

4: We are using up our natural resources and the carrying capacity of our ecological systems faster than they can be replaced, replenished or restored. This may be true in many places, but it's not true where I live.

5: We have now reached many resource and carrying capacity limits and are experiencing the consequences. Examples of these consequences include volatile oil prices, climate change, water shortages, and more. Again, none of these are a problem in my area. Well, volatile oil prices perhaps, however the reason for that here is because we are tied so closely to the US market.

6: We must act now, investing heavily in mitigation and/or adaptation of these causes and consequences before they become inevitable, devastating and irreversible. I disagree. In some cases, perhaps. However, the "inevitable, devastating, and irreversible" line has been used over and over again, on *many* crusades, against many things... and the biggest effect it appears to have had to date was to put money into the crusaders pockets.

The atmosphere didn't ignite and burn off after the first above ground nuclear blast. Nuclear war and the inevitable nuclear winter didn't occur between the USA and the former USSR. Acid rain didn't devastate the continent. The Y2K bug didn't bring computers across the globe crashing to their knees. Rampant drug and alcohol abuse hasn't destroyed North American culture. None of these have been significant problems, despite being demonized by the press and waved in our faces at every opportunity.

IMO, climate change and resource shortages are just the latest in a long line of 'end of the world' predictions. I pay about as much attention to them as I do the guy on the street corner without any shoes carrying a cardboard placard insisting that the end is near. Certainly, some of the predictions will prove to be a challenge, however, they are not immediate, and our technology to deal with them is advancing far faster than the problem itself.

Hmm... not sure if my input would help you any, as I'm not in the US, but it's not much of an investment on my part, so why not.

I work in management in computer software, in British Columbia, Canada. I'll stick my answers in above.

 

[IBoughtASupra]

The amount of people running open downpipe in here shows how much we care...