70 years left for earth says report in Independent.

[tinfoilhat]

3 hours ago, Halibut said:

Humans will not be able able to survive without 'most other species'.

I think we'll get the number required down to a really low one. 

[Cyclone]

13 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

I think we'll get the number required down to a really low one. 

I don't think you're really considering how an ecosystem works.

[Waldo]

15 hours ago, retep said:

Your car that is up to 50%  plastic.

Not sure I get the point /  logic of this.

 

His car contains plastic (not sure it's 50%) so he may as well be reckless and wasteful in all other areas of his life?

 

I mean, surely every little bit, every effort we make to lead more environmentally friendly lives, is worthwhile?

Edited June 6, 2019 by Waldo

[Padders]

1 hour ago, Voice of reason said:

 

 

Have you ever seen a fish tank, filled with more and more fish, and never cleaned out?

The River Thames was once a dead, polluted river.. Look at it now, probably the cleanest river in Europe..

Just proves that mankind can solve problems, when it wants.

[petemcewan]

Voice of Reason,

 

You might find the principles of Deep Ecology attractive.

Deep ecologists reckon they have the solutions: sustainability and simple living are just a couple of their ideas.

But what puzzles me is how do we stop the likes of China from poisoning the atmosphere?

 

http://www.politicscymru.com/en/cat6/article22/

[petemcewan]

Padders,

 

Just a historical point. The 70s was a period of unbridled pollution. 

We have come a long way since then. Gone are examples like the Love Canal.

Edited June 6, 2019 by petemcewan

[tinfoilhat]

32 minutes ago, Cyclone said:

I don't think you're really considering how an ecosystem works.

I’m certainly considering how much damage has been done to ecosystems now, I’m certainly considering the number of species that are in decline now, nationally and globally. Th great yellow bumble bee is extinct in the Uk apart from a corner of north west Scotland. Did you know that? Insect biomass, according to the university of east anglia is down 6% a year. Honey production has declined in France by two thirds since the 1990s. I could go on if you want.

 

Only 75% of food crops need pollinators, and, as I said, human beings can be very clever and we’re already genetically modifying crops. Could that 75% be made into 60% ? 

[Voice of reason]

13 minutes ago, petemcewan said:

Voice of Reason,

 

You might find the principles of Deep Ecology attractive.

Deep ecologists reckon they have the solutions: sustainability and simple living are just a couple of their ideas.

But what puzzles me is how do we stop the likes of China from poisoning the atmosphere?

 

http://www.politicscymru.com/en/cat6/article22/

There's aspects to that I agree with, and parts I don't. I suppose in some ways, I do value ecosystems over lots of aspects of human habitation. But I don't follow the Simple Life aspect of it. I think we can have a modern world, giving us most of the comforts of modern life, without it being coupled to the wholesale destruction of the planet in the process.

[Cyclone]

36 minutes ago, Padders said:

The River Thames was once a dead, polluted river.. Look at it now, probably the cleanest river in Europe..

Just proves that mankind can solve problems, when it wants.

You can't restore the entire planet once you've trashed it.  A very small part, like a river, that can be cleaned up and it will naturally repopulate.

2 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

I’m certainly considering how much damage has been done to ecosystems now, I’m certainly considering the number of species that are in decline now, nationally and globally. Th great yellow bumble bee is extinct in the Uk apart from a corner of north west Scotland. Did you know that? Insect biomass, according to the university of east anglia is down 6% a year. Honey production has declined in France by two thirds since the 1990s. I could go on if you want.

 

Only 75% of food crops need pollinators, and, as I said, human beings can be very clever and we’re already genetically modifying crops. Could that 75% be made into 60% ? 

Only 75%... Of crops.  What about everything else.  Once the system starts to collapse, it will most likely collapse in a catastrophic manner.

[tinfoilhat]

Just now, Cyclone said:

You can't restore the entire planet once you've trashed it.  A very small part, like a river, that can be cleaned up and it will naturally repopulate.

Really? You’ve got rid of all the fish (by pollution or over fishing) and it can repopulate naturally? How des that work then? And why have certain species of fish gone and not returned?

 

You can reintroduce artificially but I’d be surprised if you can get higher-up-the-food-chain species magically reappear.