Here is a copy of a response I posted to another blog discussing overpopulation.
Overpopulation is the biggest problem facing the world today. And I am deeply concerned that very few people seem to realize that this is such a huge problem. Today, there are about 200,000 more people on Earth than there were yesterday. 200,000 net gain, counting births and deaths. It took until about 1800 for the world human population to reach one billion. 123 years later, In 1927, it reached 2 billion. 47 years later, in 1974, we got up to 4 billion. In 1999, 25 years later, the population was at 6 billion. Our population is exploding at a ridiculous rate, and it all comes down to food. From what I have read, almost of the people who recognized this problem think it can be solved with some sort of birth control. This, I think, is very unreasonable as birth control could, at its best, be only a slight delay to our population's seemingly inexorable climb. Population is directly related to food availability. Few people would argue this point when talking about any animal species but we seem to think of humans as excluded from that category. After all, we must be vastly superior to any animal, we're the ones who rule the world. But we're also the ones who are systematically destroying the world, killing anything that gets in our way of complete domination of our environment. This way of life started around 10,000 years ago, with the start of the agricultural revolution. The problem of overpopulation was pretty much inevitable when we took control of our food supply, allowing us to outgrow the restrictions of our environment. Soon, tribes were wiped out and replaced by cities. Today, more than 30% of the world's land is being used to grow crops or raise cattle! There is almost no more room to grow food. But every year we increase our food supply and every year our population grows. By 2050 we are projected to have at least 9 billion people on Earth. It is very unlikely that the planet can support that much biomass as 1 species is already dying each day to support our growth. Im running out of room to type so I will just say this: if the food supply stops growing so will the population. I encourage anyone who reads this to do your own research and specifically, look up Daniel Quinn.
Nuclear Power Is Contraindicated as a Solution to Global Warming Because of Nuclear Mutagenesis. Watch: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4397307903287515932
Nuclear Power Is Contraindicated as a Solution to Global Warming Because of Excessive Cost: "When it comes to nuclear power specifically, every dollar invested in new US nuclear electricity will save approximately 2-11 times less carbon, and will do so roughly 20-40 times slower, than investing in the same dollar in energy efficiency and "micropower" (cogeneration plus renewables minus big hydro dams). Buying new nuclear capacity instead of efficiency causes more carbon to be released than spending the same money on new coal plants!
"These conclusions and the empirical evidence supporting them are summarized in "Forget Nuclear," and fully documented in "The Nuclear Illusion," available for download here, which is to be published in early 2009 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' journal Ambio. (courtesy of rmi.org)
Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming Program has said, "Switching from coal to nukes is like giving up smoking and taking up crack."
Here is the Natural Resources Defense Council's position on Nuclear Power: http://nrdc.org/nuclear/power/power.pdf.
Make a small statement. Join our My.BarackObama.com group, Nuclear Power?, here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NuclearPower
Barack Obama is a man of integrity. Our belief is that when all the facts about nuclear power are presented to him clearly, that he will reject it as an option.
The large utilities eager to build nuclear power plants are now suddenly pressing Congress about global warming. Very convenient. But is nuclear power a solution for the problem of global warming? Hmmm, No.
1)Nuclear power plants are too expensive to build. The nuclear power industry refuses to accept responsibility for the unique risks of nuclear power and demands massive federal subsidies so that they can rake in profits on their suspect investments. To quote the Rocky Mountain Institute (rmi.org) position on nuclear power: "Contrary to an argument nuclear apologists have recently taken to making, nuclear power isn't a good way to curb climate change. The power they produce is so expensive that the same money invested in efficiency or even natural-gas-fired power plants would offset much more climate change." Quoting the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC): "Our national electricity needs could be met, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent or more, through a combination of increased energy efficiency, wind power, solar power, advanced coal-fired plants with carbon capture and storage, and high-efficiency natural gas turbines."
2)Nuclear power is extremely unsafe. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has acknowledged in a reference document "that early containment failure cannot be ruled out with high confidence for any of the plants." Even with the most technologically advanced checks and safeties, eventually some critical part of everything man makes fails. If an explosion occurs at a gas-fired or coal-fired plant, this is not good. But if a nuclear reactor melts down and breaks through its containment vessel, we have at least a regional catastrophe. Large areas of necessary habitable land are rendered uninhabitable, and people die of radiation-caused cancer.
3)To again quote the Rocky Mountain Institute's position on nuclear power: "Nuclear power poses significant problems of radioactive waste disposal."
4)Quoting the NRDC: "Plutonium is a normal by-product of electricity production in conventional reactors. Thus, the same reactors and fuel-processing facilities that are used for energy production can also be used for the manufacture of weapons." "Perhaps the most serious of all the problems that would be exacerbated by dramatically increasing global nuclear capacity is the threat of nuclear proliferation."
Join our My.BarackObama.com group, Nuclear Power?, here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NuclearPower
Even though it may not look like it or feel like it, you are making progress.
Continue working towards progress instead of perfection.
Nothing or no no one is perfect.
Just keep taking steps.
Keep making those phone calls.
Continue following your plan.
Remain focused on your goal.
Do what you have to do right now to get to the next level.
Complete every task.
Keep every promise and commitment.
Don't look back.
Let no one weaken your walk of faith and determination.
Remain teachable.
Place yourself in a blessing position by associating with people on-the-grow.
Talk with teachers.
Walk with winners.
Climb with champions.
Study successful people.
Something great is about to happen for you!
Start giving thanks right now before you can even see the outward manisfestation of your prayers and desires.
Everything you do from this day forward will take you further away or closer to your potential for successful living.
-by Dr. Jewel Diamond Taylor, Motivational Speaker & Author
George W. Bush, "DICK" Cheney, Karl Rove, Andy Card, and John McCain have pushed very hard to bankrupt the United States. Their reckless war is the equivelent of your parents going to Vegas and losing all their money. Their reckless disregard for environment has left us behind on energy efficiency. The top floating layer of ice in the arctic is expected to fully melt at some point this summer. Global warming is creating a growing sense of urgency, and dread for the future whereas once many believed the future would be superior to the past.
The future of our nation, and indeed Earth, does not have to be bleak. Luckily we have a shining ray of hope in Barack Obama. However, in my support for him, I look back to see if what he really wants to accomplish can be done. Although people have compared him to Former President Jimmy Carter for reasons of attitude and goals I will draw a different connection to him and portrait not only differences, but requirements to avoid failure.
Pending the election of senate seats to Alaska (Republican scandal removes alaskan senator!), the Democratic Party is very close to the golden 60. This refers to having a majority of senators, 60, in which voting along party lines presents a veto-immune environment. Coupled with a Democratic Congress, and a Democratic President one may begin to think everything is possible. The last time the senate had 61 democrats was in 1977. Coincidentally, this was when a man named Jimmy Carter took office with a fully capable senate.
During Carter's time he worked to create the Department of Energy to combat rising oil prices and to ensure the United State's independence from foreign oil. Although Carter shared some of the same energy goals Obama now aims at, as well as the goals all may hope for, they differ greatly in the enactment and action taken. As a side note, energy is really the only area where these two can be seen to overlap. Carter may have created the DoE, but he did not have the full support of his party to prompt any real change. Hefty 20 year goals were set.
First, the "Dependence Day" was never supposed to fall so early in the year. In 2008 I believe it landed on May 17th. According to Carter it should never have come before August to stay in line with a 40% target for importing foreign oil. Currently the amount of oil imported is roughly 57%.
The second, and in my opinion holy grail, goal was to increase solar power production to account for 20% of energy produced by 2000 (this goal being set in 1977). This was the major failure of not only Carter, but the entire country. 31 years later, THIRTY ONE YEARS LATER, our current solar power contribution is 0.1%. I have seen better results from third world countries in enacting national goals. However, to be fair I will shed some light on factors which hurt this process. We were in the middle of the Cold War, Carter inherited a very rough environment when taking office, the appointment of Volcker created a faltering financial market, and Soviets were beginning to be seen in Afganistan. Rough. All this meant solar got overlooked either in funding or in support.
Solar is the power of the future and it is the sole solution to our current situation. Solar has the power to unite the world. An interesting claim which I will offer support for.
Obama, much like Carter, has put a wide, unspecific goal of removing the influence of foreigh oil in 10 years. However, unlike Carter, Obama has the support of not only his party but a large amount of the opposing party as well. Obama's wide sweeping goal is hard to achieve. Not only must it ween us from foreign oil, but it must provide the hardest answer, an alternative. Luckily we here in the United States have the best researchers in the world. I love MIT. These guys are so great, they claim to have a viable solar solution which could produce 10 times the current amount of energy from PhotoVoltaic units. And yet, even if this solution existed in 1977, would it be feasible?
Let me answer my own question with another question: When is collection of energy from a seemingly limitless source not top priority?
Rhetorical...back to the point. Solar cannot currently be implemented as a main source of energy! Yikes, that sucks. Allow me to explain why. Infrastructure. It would take a lot of infrastructure to implement a solar solution but it has to be done. It must be done, there is no longer an alternative. In this jar, our sand is running out. In this globe, our air is running out as pollutants threaten to make current living situations a mute point.
As Barack Obama so eloquently put it, we are all citizens of the world. And we must come together now and make sacrifices. However, these sacrifices should not be in vain! No longer can we afford the likes of puppets, liars, cheats, and theives to run the greatest country in the world. We must build infrastructure. Solar collection can be difficult in places like New York and Michigan during the winter. Currently, Coal energy is produced locally nationwide and is a good source of raw energy. Coal is polluting the world we love, and killing the nature which we hold awe struck from its sheer beauty.
To work towards providing energy from solar collection to places which have hard times producing it we must build infrastructure. The United States is not set up to share large amounts of energy over long distances and this must be changed. Solar collection can provide enough energy, clean green country running energy. But this energy cannot currently be distributed. Long distance energy transfers must be made available in order to allow solar to become a viable energy source.
Just think, your house running off of a solar system which would cost close to the amount of one months current energy bill. A car, running off of a clean 0% emission hydrogen fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel station, distributing hydrogen fuel created from solar powered electrolysis. Full power, 0 emissions.
Currently, automobiles account for roughly 25% of global warming, coal another 40%. Many other factors go in to what creates global warming, but one thing is certain from the mere word, it is global. 6 Billion plus people are affected by this. For america to present a clear, viable, working solution to curbing emissions, and then to distribute it would truly put many of the most powerful nations in allegiance. Thus giving relatively free sustainable energy to the entire world.
In times of strife seperate people come together to fight a common enemy, or to work towards a common goal. It is now time for the "citizens of the world" to come together and unite against the threat of an Earth with no human population. We must unite, as one world, to solve this problem. And upon the United States delivering such a solution the world will truly have a reason to unite.
John McCain offers none of this. John McCain offers lies, deception, and the Karl Rovian tactics which has tainted the past 8 years of our national image. Obama is truly a visionary. Vote Obama '08.
PURPOSE: The "Green Matters" event is a grassroots, one-day mass-donation event with the purpose of bringing the ENVIRONMENT into the forefront of the 2008 Presidential race. HOW IT WORKS: A massive one-day donation event on a nationally celebrated day of environmental awareness (Earth Day), and on the same day as the Pennsylvania primary, will penetrate the national dialogue, once again moving the environment to the forefront of Presidential politics. Our idea is to combine concern for the environment with Barack Obama's wide appeal and extensive grassroots support by recruiting people to make an official campaign donation in support of Barack Obama and the environment, on Earth Day - April 22, 2008. The success of this endeavor will show that the environment is a strong viable issue in the 2008 campaign, that Barack Obama is the right candidate to tackle the issue, and that Green Matters to many Americans.
WHY?:
Why do we feel it is so important to send this message now, more than ever?
* The health of the environment is a health care issue
* Environmental insecurity is an issue of national security
* A poor environment disproportionately affects the poor
* The environment is an issue that affects everyone
WHAT TO DO: 1. Go to www.envirobama.com/greenmatters to sign up and be a part of making history this Earth Day. 2. Sign up for the MYBO Environmentalists for Obama group at my.barackobama.com/page/group/EnvironmentalistsforObama
3. RSVP for the Green Matters! event at http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/4r89v
4. Go to www.envirobama.com to learn more about Barack Obama's strong environmental positions. 5. Pass all of this info on to as many people as possible, spread word across the internet, and help us get word out to powerful people and media outlets. 6. JOIN US BY PARTICIPATING ON APRIL 22 IN A ONE-DAY, MASS-DONATION EVENT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT GREEN MATTERS! Thank you,
Environmentalists for Obama
Envirobama.com
4. Go to www.envirobama.com to learn more about Barack Obama's strong environmental positions. 5. Pass all of this info on to as many people as possible, spread word across the internet, and help us get word out to powerful people and media outlets. 6. JOIN US BY PARTICIPATING ON APRIL 22 IN A ONE-DAY, MASS-DONATION EVENT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT GREEN MATTERS! Thank you, Environmentalists for Obama Envirobama.com
