Ecologic urgency : Air traffic excess

stonebeard wrote: Ecological crisis? Depends on how you look at it. There were many extinctions before us. Most animals that were ever on the earth are extinct now. We're not really crying about that are we? So, humanity might be screwing up the atmosphere for a bit. Oh well. We'll just end up killing ourselves and most other megafauna on earth, we'll have a period of desolation, and earth will rebound, hopefully without a uncaring, out-of-equilibrium species like Homo erectus erectus around to screw it up again. Earth survives, life survives, the universe survives. Maybe it's to our benefit to care about the environment, but it's certainly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. All we are is ants builing a really large colony, and it will crash down sooner or later.

Of course; I just want people realize that it's a collective suicide
but yes for the earth it's nothing.

Ecological crisis? Depends on how you look at it. There were many extinctions before us. Most animals that were ever on the earth are extinct now. We're not really crying about that are we? So, humanity might be screwing up the atmosphere for a bit. Oh well. We'll just end up killing ourselves and most other megafauna on earth, we'll have a period of desolation, and earth will rebound, hopefully without a uncaring, out-of-equilibrium species like Homo erectus erectus around to screw it up again. Earth survives, life survives, the universe survives. Maybe it's to our benefit to care about the environment, but it's certainly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. All we are is ants builing a really large colony, and it will crash down sooner or later.

The T wrote: Good. So how do you propose that people move from country to country?

Trebuchet?

That's reasonable. If planes can fly on something other than fuel, great, I'll applaud it and support it. But just implying that people should stop flying is quite absurd and goes against all that has been made possible with the advent of technology... Families won't be able to get together, business won;t be able to be conducted, and many many other consequences of ideas like "what's more important, having a planet or moving country to country". 

Edited by The T - February 25 2011 at 12:35

I guess an alternative source of clean renewable energy needs to be found, and quick, because we are not going to change our travel habits. Unless, of course, the cost of fuel goes through the roof and stays there, and carbon taxes are imposed on all nations making air travel only the preserve of the uber rich.

It's interesting that technology allows us to telecon more and more at work, and yet business air travel seems to increase year on year. The company I work for spent over £1.3 million on travel last year, and that's just our one UK site.

Slartibartfast wrote: I remember reading that when the air traffic was suspended after the 9/11 attacks that there was a dramatic improvement in air pollution. I wasn't able to find anything to link to though. Down the memory hole.

Here it is:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2058273530743771382#


Everyone must see this video about global dimming

timothy leary wrote: What is more important.......... 1.......having a planet to live on 2.......moving from country to country

Good. So how do you propose that people move from country to country? 

After the 11th Sept 2001, air traffic stopped during 3 days causing a rising of 1°C centigrad of temperature in the USA.

During the volcano eruption of last April, all traffic stopped on most part of Europa during 3 days as well.

Have a look at the bottom of the page of this (french) blog, showing two pictures: one took when there was no plane flying, the second one took the day after when a part of the traffic had begin again.
In the two cases, the weather report announced good sunny weather:

http://www.jehaisparis-maiscachange.com/article-la-disparition-du-ciel-bleu-avec-couchers-de-soleil-45296809.html

Edited by oliverstoned - February 25 2011 at 10:05

We talk a lot about CO2 and greenhouse effect...always cars are quoted as a source of pollution as Sean said. The sad truth is that we are over the threshold of saturation of plane's exhaust since about 2007. The steam water/soot blend rejected by planes doesn't evacuate anymore.

The sky and the light become uniform everywhere: an eclipse light, even in the middle of summer. The weather is greatly disturbed since 2007: cloudy, dark, more and more humid. Because of this excessive moisture,
it's always too cold or too hot, but we never feel well outside anymore.
The sun dazzles (very dangerous when driving) and burns the skin cause
the sunbeams are not parallel anymore: it has to go through an infinity
of water drops blended with various particles. The sunlight is weaken
and scattered.

We're greatly disturbing natural water and light cycles which are vital for life on earth.

No place anymore is preserved, here's the Sahara sky



Whereas there's a very urgent need to go back at a traffic volume
less than the world level of 2005, we're about to double and then triple the traffic. I let you imagine what quantity and quality of light we'll receive then.





Edited by oliverstoned - February 25 2011 at 10:10