Coffee Notes from a Fringe Mind
Posts related to the environment, Climate Change, and sustainability issues.
We already crossed six of the nine boundaries. This is not the hopeful message we were all waiting for. We really are screwed. Our Planet is a complex entity. That means that the consequences of degrading earth’s systems are complex to predict.
Politicians encouraged many households and businesses to switch to wood pellets for heating. Wood pellets, woodchips, and biodiesel were advertised as a climate-friendly alternative. Plus, you could save a ton of money on your heating bill. Wood pellets for heating were a clear winner. For climate and wallet. Until now.
In the western world, we have held a long philosophical tradition. It is the idea, that we are not separate from nature. Instead, the guiding philosophy has been that we are above nature. We believed that we can control it. We had a strong belief, that we could bend natural forces to our will.
About 3 years ago, I first began researching the impact of military activities on our planet. A notable example I found was the poisoning of groundwater wells in California.
Germany is in deep shit for several reasons. For years, we relied on cheap fossil fuels from Russia. Now we are begging for oil from equally vile regimes, instead of pushing for energy independence. And that dependence will not go away. Not if the only solution to solve the transport needs of millions of citizens is the private car.
The airlines are reeling after Covid. The lockdowns are a major reason for that. The flight companies had to fire many employees during the pandemic. Now, they are not coming back.
Almost unmentioned by mainstream media, the Supreme Court issued another ruling. It has just given the green light to capitalists to destroy the environment at will.
Until now, we westerners have relied on an assumption. Western countries will not suffer too much from the effects of climate change. That assumption is wrong. I believed it as well. After all, we have so many possibilities, that other countries don’t have. We have enormous wealth we stole from our former colonies.
People buy plenty of cars. Not necessarily out of need. But because we bought into the idea of owning a car. It is a symbol of freedom and self-realization.
Electric Vehicles will not change that.
