A Sack of Seattle

The connection between economic and environment fuck ups

Forgive me for the expletives but I heard a presentation today about the state of the environment.  Wow. I don't know what to say other than we're fucked.

The interesting thing about the presentation is that the similarities between today's economic crisis / disaster and the upcoming environmental disaster.  The foundation of today's economic crisis were seen by some many years ago but we as a human race aren't able to do anything about it until imminent danger is upon us.  In the presentation, they talked about how we as humans don't act because climate change is:

• invisible
• with complex causality
• caused by all of us (as opposed to someone else)
• unpredictable and inderect impacts
• unprecedented (no real history for it)

• drawn out (as opposed to immediate

Doesn't most of that list look like it may also apply to the economic crisis about 2 years ago?

US News and world report: Study of Chemical in Plastic Bottles Raises Alarm

By Deborah Kotz

Posted April 16, 2008

Bisphenol A (BPA), a compound in hard, clear polycarbonate plastics, is getting official scrutiny—and things are looking less than rosy for the controversial chemical. The U.S. government's National Toxicology Program yesterday agreed with a scientific panel that recently expressed concern about physiological changes that occur in people when they ingest BPA that has leached from plastics into their food. The Canadian government is even considering declaring the chemical toxic, reports today's New York Times. This could set the stage for banning it from plastic baby bottles, water bottles, and food containers. At the very least, some people will be even more eager to buy foods and beverages in BPA-free containers.

An amazing environmental statistic

I'm attending the aspen environmental forum and just heard this fact (amongst many other ugly facts):
The average american baby generates the same carbon footprint by the age o ONE as an average Tanzanian does in their lifetime. Noodle on that.