Warning Signs

Everyday it seems like a new event hits the news. Record high food prices, record high gas prices, heat waves, and floods, hurricanes and cyclones, it seems like one thing after another. Are these things related, and if so how? In some cases the direct links are fairly easy to establish. Supplies of most commodities are growing slowly or not at all, while population and consumption continue to skyrocket pushing prices ever higher. However, in other cases though causation is hard to prove. Was hurricane Katrina caused by global warming, or how about the recent droughts in Georgia and Florida. Moreover, how can global warming cause both droughts and floods?

I believe that all these things are connected. They are warning signs being given off by a planet whose system are being pushed beyond a safe point. It’s the brief spasms of pain to warn us that if we keep down this path we could seriously injure ourselves and our planet’s ecosystems. Some people don’t want to believe that we could ever seriously damage our planet, and at one point in time that was probably true. But because of population growth and technologic advances we can now reshape our planet like never before, either for good, or ill.

For example, rising global temperatures traps more heat (and thus energy) in the atmosphere. This can result in more severe whether including heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes etc. It’s hard to point to any particular one and say global warming caused this, but the pattern is clear. A warming world is causing glaciers to melt, and snow packs to melt endangering the water supplies of over a billion people. That combined with more flooding, droughts and increasing population is also causing food prices to rise. One only need to look at the recent flooding in Iowa to see these dangers
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,365943,00.html . In addition to loss of life and property damage events like this will push record food prices even higher, resulting in starvation in some parts of the world.

People are also being affected by higher energy prices, as diminishing supplies can’t keep up with growing demand. However, that is the problem with basing our entire economy on a non – renewable resource. By definition we can only use such a resource for a short time before it starts to get used up. But instead of treating it like a valuable and scare resource we have policies in place that encourage its use in the fastest possible manner. It’s similar to having a trust fund setup for you, and the trust manger telling you not to save it, or ration it out, but instead to burn through it as fast as possible. It’s the height of folly and extremely reckless and ill advised.

For example, the Economist mentions that we might only have 42 years left at current rates, and almost certainly not more than 80. http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11528901 . However, they fail to see how short of a time frame that really is, and the urgency of moving towards a sustainable future.

Of course in the short run its great fun to live beyond our means. Why worry about running out of non – renewable resources, or planning for the future. But in the long term we must live within our means, both financially, and environmentally. Our ecological debts are adding up. Yes sustainable choices cost a bit more up front, but long term they are the only way to go.

We need to stop using up our natural capital and start living off the interest. We need to build a hydrogen economy based on renewable energy like Solar and Wind. And we need to do it soon. The warning signs will keep getting worse until we do. Gas and food prices will get higher, and living standards will stagnate. Long term we don’t really have a choice, the earth will force us to live with our means. But the sooner we start the transition the smoother it will be.

I really suggest reading Lester Brown’s Excellent Plan B books. He’s breaks down our current problems in simple easy to understand language, while also providing real world solutions that we can to right now.

http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/PB3/Contents.htm


I also really recommend Herman Daly’s Beyond Growth.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Growth-Economics-Sustainable-Development/dp/0807047090

(a short review)
http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/103/review.html

Some people wonder how as a conservative I can support these ideas, I wonder how other conservatives cannot. I’ve looked at all the facts and figures and applied the common sense test to them. I can see the consequences of our inaction going on everyday. But I really believe there is nothing we can’t do if we put our minds to it. Don’t wait for someone else to lead the way though, get involved and demand a change. Makes things happen. Over 200 years ago, our founding fathers decided not to wait around wishing for things to get better, but to actually make them better. We can do the same.

As always I’m happy to discuss specifics.

Thanks,