I was never a big Al Gore fan, but he’s onto something – global warming.
What does a single-speeder like me know about global warming? The answer is lots. I won’t bore you with the details, but I spent ~ 3 years drilling and analyzing ice cores from Greenland and the South Pole (http://www.ccrc.sr.unh.edu/). And the fact is, Earth is heading down a rough road. Throw in the future lack of oil into the mix, and we have a world of trouble ahead of us.
I’ll probably be dead by the time the world implodes, but future generations will have a lot to deal with.
The ice core data show that man is impacting the atmosphere and the planet is slowly warming – no debate there. As that continues to happen, all sorts of shit will hit the fan - Mad Max part II. Water will become more valuable than oil.
What will affect the Earth the most, in my opinion? Well, as the temperature begins to increase, huge amounts of fresh water (from the melting polar ice caps) will be dumped into the world’s oceans. In very simple terms, the oceans affect the global climate. So, you start messing around with the oceans; you’ll change the global climate for sure.
Look at the company Patagonia; they are slowly shifting from an alpine company to a surf company – less ice, more surf (http://www.thecleanestline.com/).
Can “one gear conquers all” save the world? Sure it can. By living simply, you can do a lot to slow down global warming. We are all consumers. The question is how can we each reduce our own footprint?
For me, it’s simple. I live in a modest house, keep my thermostat at 60°F & use no AC in the summer. Yes, I drive a car, but I bike to work about 7 months out of the year. I do other things like try to buy locally, use an old-fashion push lawn mower when possible, etc., but the most important thing that I do is THINK before I buy. It takes lots of energy to make & ship stuff, be it sneakers or CDs. So before I buy something, I say, “do I really need it?”
“Wear it out, make it last, make do or do without it” – An old New England saying.
Does one suffer from the lack of crap? No. By reducing the crap in your life, you become more focused on the things that really matter to you. Reduction is clarity. Think about a fixed gear bike. All the unnecessary parts are stripped away and you just focus on one thing – pedaling. How great is that?
Do your part to prove Al Gore wrong.
What does a single-speeder like me know about global warming? The answer is lots. I won’t bore you with the details, but I spent ~ 3 years drilling and analyzing ice cores from Greenland and the South Pole (http://www.ccrc.sr.unh.edu/). And the fact is, Earth is heading down a rough road. Throw in the future lack of oil into the mix, and we have a world of trouble ahead of us.
I’ll probably be dead by the time the world implodes, but future generations will have a lot to deal with.
The ice core data show that man is impacting the atmosphere and the planet is slowly warming – no debate there. As that continues to happen, all sorts of shit will hit the fan - Mad Max part II. Water will become more valuable than oil.
What will affect the Earth the most, in my opinion? Well, as the temperature begins to increase, huge amounts of fresh water (from the melting polar ice caps) will be dumped into the world’s oceans. In very simple terms, the oceans affect the global climate. So, you start messing around with the oceans; you’ll change the global climate for sure.
Look at the company Patagonia; they are slowly shifting from an alpine company to a surf company – less ice, more surf (http://www.thecleanestline.com/).
Can “one gear conquers all” save the world? Sure it can. By living simply, you can do a lot to slow down global warming. We are all consumers. The question is how can we each reduce our own footprint?
For me, it’s simple. I live in a modest house, keep my thermostat at 60°F & use no AC in the summer. Yes, I drive a car, but I bike to work about 7 months out of the year. I do other things like try to buy locally, use an old-fashion push lawn mower when possible, etc., but the most important thing that I do is THINK before I buy. It takes lots of energy to make & ship stuff, be it sneakers or CDs. So before I buy something, I say, “do I really need it?”
“Wear it out, make it last, make do or do without it” – An old New England saying.
Does one suffer from the lack of crap? No. By reducing the crap in your life, you become more focused on the things that really matter to you. Reduction is clarity. Think about a fixed gear bike. All the unnecessary parts are stripped away and you just focus on one thing – pedaling. How great is that?
Do your part to prove Al Gore wrong.
2 comments:
"reduction is clarity." I really like that :)
You're wrong about global warming - no debate there.
Thank for your logical and thougthful analysis.
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