Thoughts on APEC
Well, the land of Oz is hosting the APEC conference -- the gabfest where head honchos of all the Pacific states get together to discuss things. It's being hosted in downtown Sydney, the nation's most populous city.
And what have we seen? Such tight security that comedians, a man trying to cross the street and the usual suspects (i.e. protestors) have been arrested. Such good will our Pacific leaders bring with them! How trusting. How expensive! Your tax dollars and mine, good friends, saving the leaders from their constituencies. How noble an expense. How messy for the citizens of Sydney.
And while they have been negotiating trade deals and tiptoeing around issues like climate change, (wait for the communique!) small, buried stories in the daily media may indicate what is really happening.
Climate change? Some people say it's worse than has been thought. James Lovelock of "Gaia" fame may have it right: in a century there will only a few breeding pairs of humans located at the poles.
Then, add that to the concerns the international food specialists have been raising -- that due to an exploding (still!) human population, added to climate change means that there will be a severe reduction in food crops. Remember the old adage: food increases arithmetically and population grows logarithmically. 1,2,3,4 versus 1,2,4,8... Add that to the normal human patterns of refusing to use their intelligence, preferring rather to stay in their cultural comfort zones, and we have a lovely recipe for a catastrophe the size of which has yet to be seen in human memory.
If the dinosaurs were still around and had good memories, they might have something to say here. Who or what will replace humans as the 'intelligent' (word used advisedly) species on the globe? Perhaps nothing; roaches will rule OK.
And visitors from other planets will come and visit us someday to see the sad wreckage of a species who committed suicide, and will seriously wonder why...
On that fun and up-beat note, enough for now dear readers.
P.B. White
And what have we seen? Such tight security that comedians, a man trying to cross the street and the usual suspects (i.e. protestors) have been arrested. Such good will our Pacific leaders bring with them! How trusting. How expensive! Your tax dollars and mine, good friends, saving the leaders from their constituencies. How noble an expense. How messy for the citizens of Sydney.
And while they have been negotiating trade deals and tiptoeing around issues like climate change, (wait for the communique!) small, buried stories in the daily media may indicate what is really happening.
Climate change? Some people say it's worse than has been thought. James Lovelock of "Gaia" fame may have it right: in a century there will only a few breeding pairs of humans located at the poles.
Then, add that to the concerns the international food specialists have been raising -- that due to an exploding (still!) human population, added to climate change means that there will be a severe reduction in food crops. Remember the old adage: food increases arithmetically and population grows logarithmically. 1,2,3,4 versus 1,2,4,8... Add that to the normal human patterns of refusing to use their intelligence, preferring rather to stay in their cultural comfort zones, and we have a lovely recipe for a catastrophe the size of which has yet to be seen in human memory.
If the dinosaurs were still around and had good memories, they might have something to say here. Who or what will replace humans as the 'intelligent' (word used advisedly) species on the globe? Perhaps nothing; roaches will rule OK.
And visitors from other planets will come and visit us someday to see the sad wreckage of a species who committed suicide, and will seriously wonder why...
On that fun and up-beat note, enough for now dear readers.
P.B. White
Labels: APEC, climate change, disasters
posted by Peter W | 11:09 am
1 Comments:
Dear Peter,
It is very nice to find your blog on Google Search. I am Loc, your ex-student in M.A in TESOL program at The University of Queensland. I am happy to see your blog and get to know everything is fine to you. I wish you good health, happiness and luck.
Your student
Loc
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