An environmental topic...

[jade]

This has been a good discussion thus far... basically what i was trying to say in the beginning was that we are part of nature and what we do IS nature, so humas creating pollution is just another part of nature. If this will destroy the earth in the next few milleniums, then that was how the earth was destined to end, I guess...

We are part of nature and every species will have an impact on the enviroment. By nature has it worked out that some species waste is food for another and it's a cycle. There's no organism in nature can decompose the amount waste humans produce.

How much waste s produced?
A paper cup for your morning coffee may not seem like much, but multiply that by everyone that had a coffee. Try this to calculate your garbage..

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[bburk]

to the OP, that's why I always thought the whole 80's 'Save the Planet' slogan was arrogant and rediculous.

The planet aint going anywhere and it's even pretty proud of us to think that we could exterminate all life on it.
'Screw the Planet, Save the Humans!'

 

[Ericman197]

We are part of nature and every species will have an impact on the enviroment. By nature has it worked out that some species waste is food for another and it's a cycle. There's no organism in nature can decompose the amount waste humans produce.

How much waste s produced?
A paper cup for your morning coffee may not seem like much, but multiply that by everyone that had a coffee. Try this to calculate your garbage..

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Does it really matter, though? There's plenty of room (infinite) for garbage. After all, the garbage came from somewhere: we're taking it out of the ground/water/air from one place, using it somewhere else, and dumping it.

As I see it, this is all about conservation of mass and energy. The good news is that it's very unlikely that we as a species can do permanent damage to the planet. Even if we set off every nuclear bomb we have, the Earth will eventually recover.


+1 on geology over pollution: I once read that a recent volcanic eruption spewed more toxic pollution than every car in human history. Ouch.

 

[jade]

Honestly, I don't believe that "pollution" exists. Yes, there is such a thing as gasoline in cars being burned, producing carbon di/monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, unvaporized hydrocarbons, water, etc... but so what? On the molecular level, we're simply turning all of the liquid fossil fuels into water and gasses (oversimplification). While one can make the argument that our air is cleaner and happier with the fossil fuels in the ground, there is still nothing unnatural about digging them up. They exist in nature, therefore they are natural.

The same applies to nuclear energy, which is the most natural of all. Uranium rich earth is dug up and the happy uranium that's extracted is thrown into the reactor. Uranium exists and decays in nature, so the above process is simply a means to quicken the reaction and harness the energy. In some ways, nuclear power plants are good for the environment: we remove the uranium from the ground, decay it to a lower energy state and put it somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Even mercury and lead don't bother me much. After all, we're not creating more mercury and lead, we're just playing with what already exists. As long as we maintain safe levels of those (and other chemicals) in our air, food, drinking water etc. I don't see any problem with using them.

The only thing I can think of that is absolutely unnatural would be nuclear fusion. Just about everything else filed under the category of pollution is a rearrangement of atoms that could happen in nature.

Everything in nature is natural because it’s for the earth. Different molecules have different properties.

Ozone for example is just made up of 3 oxygen atoms and the number of oxygen atoms are always the same on earth because it’s a element and it can’t be broken down farther. So why does it matter if it’s in the form of ozone or oxygen gas?

Ozone has many properties and one of them is to block the UV rays from reaching the surface of the earth. Oxygen can’t do that it’s elementary form.

In your argument, you’re saying just because it’s lower in energy doesn’t mean that’s it’s better. In many cases, it’s not.

Also, when mercury, lead and all that good stuff is dug up and purified, it’s loose and can travel far distances in short amount of time and that’s where it gets into our water. We’re not creating more, we’re just change it’s properties which can be just as dangerous.

 

[jade]

Does it really matter, though? There's plenty of room (infinite) for garbage. After all, the garbage came from somewhere: we're taking it out of the ground/water/air from one place, using it somewhere else, and dumping it.

As I see it, this is all about conservation of mass and energy. The good news is that it's very unlikely that we as a species can do permanent damage to the planet. Even if we set off every nuclear bomb we have, the Earth will eventually recover.


+1 on geology over pollution: I once read that a recent volcanic eruption spewed more toxic pollution than every car in human history. Ouch.

There's only plenty of room when you only consider yourself. Something that is garbage is not used to make something else so when you want another one, new material is needed. Usually, it's non-renewable resources and even the renewable resources aren't renewable anymore. There is not infinate amount of raw materials. We aren't dumping it back into the earth the way we found it just so we have harvest it again to make a new products.

I'm not sure if you're looking at the whole picture. When nuclear bombs are going off, the earth doesn't just feel a little rumble and then life goes it. It's a chain reaction and it will affect more than just the landscape.

 

[Nick man]

There are so many other ways for us to live and develop that could preserve more of nature than we currently do. Its really a beautiful thing and you might see that if you take a step back and take a look at the whole picture.

 

[DaemonBass]

this will destroy the earth in the next few milleniums, then that was how the earth was destined to end, I guess...

This is highly questionable. Perhaps you intend to start a debate? Sounds very apathetic to me, basically means you don't really care?

Anyways, I don't have time to argue about this on a bass website but I find your viewpoint to be very depressing.

 

[FunkSlap89]

This is highly questionable. Perhaps you intend to start a debate? Sounds very apathetic to me, basically means you don't really care?

Anyways, I don't have time to argue about this on a bass website but I find your viewpoint to be very depressing.

I don't mean to offend anyone, I'm just trying to make the point that people don't realize that we are part of nature and by destroying nature, we are destroying ourselves.