Environmental Security: Ending the "War on Terra" »
Posted by: jcolman 1 year, 7 months ago128 Comments Report this Story
When nature stops providing, people start fighting. Gaza, Rwanda and Darfur show us how natural resource shortages have led to violence, poverty, despair and genocide. The Nature Conservancy call for us to match our resolve in the war on terror with an understanding of and commitment to ending the "war on terra."
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jcolman1 year, 7 months ago
What do you think about the connections between the environment and security, between war and the lack of natural resources? You can share your thoughts on the "war on Terra" with The Nature Conservancy at http://www.nature.org/tncscience/bigideas/
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jcolman1 year, 7 months ago
Thanks, Gold Standard; I'm a fan of Rand myself. But I challenge you to read this essay @ http://www.nature.org/tncscience/bigideas/people/a and see if you still feel that war over natural resources is inevitable and that there's nothing that we can (or should) do about it. There's some good ideas here involving science and innovation, two things that Rand highly admired, if I remember _Atlas Shrugged_ correctly... :)
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jeffery11 year, 7 months ago
Ayn Rand is an ideologue and just plain wrong. No one ever said that we have to live at the level of a sea urchin. The trouble with Ayn Rand thought is that it is all or nothing and it isn't. There is absolutely nothing in living sustainably that precludes living comfortably. Take a look at technology. The fire she lauds does not have to be polluting nor even fire.
It is obvious that Peter Schwartz hasn't a clue because his ideology is built on a very twisted worldview. There is nothing in environmentalism that leads to a society without technology, only inefficient and polluting technology.
This is just selfish nonsense from humanists who see no responsibility except to meet their own needs at everyone elses' expense.
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LordyLordy1 year, 7 months ago
I cannot say that I'm a fan of anyone; however, I think it is very evident that we have more than overpopulated this earth. What I see is tragic is that we allow developers to build houses, condo's, apartment bldgs, and skyscrapers all over perfectly good farm ground. Orange Country California is a perfect example: In the 1950's this area was highly productive in fruits and vegetables, but now is covered with houses, stores, and not growing one piece of food for anyone except rats and cockroaches, some of the two legged kind. Don't grip about farm subsidies with your mouth open, but if you'll do the research, most of these subsidies go to those who are raising crops for alcohol (beer, whiskey, liquors), not what they intended. It's difficult to eat concrete and asphalt but what we are doing is pouring that over perfectly good farm ground and poisoning our own water. Smart aren't we?
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2Labs1 year, 7 months ago
Not so long as people are allowed to vote based on their emotions. California voted to outlaw cougar hunting (Yes cougars are a natural resource). Now we got so many of them they are nocking cyclists of their bikes and kids out of their tennis shoes. If we managed the resouce on science this wouldn't be happening.
We can only dream.
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rathskeller1 year, 7 months ago
Do y'all think that the world would ever go for scientific oversight of global natural resources? Would probably have to show more profit even then what the oil companies make...highly unlikely...
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Searunner521 year, 7 months ago
Almost without exception every post-apocalyptic scenario has roving mobs of people seeking out and taking resources from where ever thay can find them. It is not all that difficult to imagine such occuring within the borders of this Nation!
In the era of JIT delivery most urban areas don't have more than, at best, a couple weeks of food and or fuel reserves on immediate hand and any massive breakdown the transportation system in this country could easily lead to a complete breakdown in society!
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jcolman1 year, 7 months ago
That's the point of this story -- it doesn't have to be like either "The Road Warrior" or "Atlas Shrugged". Instead, we can take steps to preserve and restore natural resources for the long term (helps mitigate future conflict) while providing for a sustainable present (which helps solve current issues). Science and reality should guide our hands rather than ideology or politics-as-usual.
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Searunner521 year, 7 months ago
Are you fmiliar with JIT (Just in Time) delivery? Any form of economic collapse or upheaval that directly affects the transportation sector in this country could precipitate riots as the food in the cities runs out! You can have all the sustainable crops you want, but if you can't get them to the markets you are going to have major problems!
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rwrnae1 year, 7 months ago
How about population control? Like getting the earth's population back to less than 1 billion?
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jcolman1 year, 7 months ago
Whoa, that sounds pretty radical to me, rwrnae. But I wonder isntead if there aren't ways of fostering sustainable growth and access to natural resources for everyone. Is there a role that science and conservation can play in international politics?
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IAmMine1 year, 7 months ago
I agree, although very difficult. It's such a taboo subject for most people.
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HomeGManComment removed: User banned.
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toph19731 year, 7 months ago
I agree. People need to stop having so many children. Not only here, but around the world. I had a professor that stated the earth can viably sustain 2 billion people. After that tipping point the earth can sustain more people for a limited time, but there will be global famine. Scary thought. He related the pandemics that happen to overpopulation. That it was natures way of thinning the herd. The new mutation of bird flu has a mortality rate of 70 percent. Say we have 6 billion people on the planet. Slash 70% of them. We have 1.8 billion. Now this is fuzzy math, with a lot of variables left out, but you catch my drift.
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rimbaud1 year, 7 months ago
How about we genetically engineer the next generation to be thumb-sized? A sibgle ear of corn could feed 30 people. A single watermelon could feed 100 people! Until we have re-engineered tools for operation by thunb-sized people, we, in the USA, would stay regular sized and manage the conversion.
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HomeGManComment removed: User banned.
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rrrtx1 year, 7 months ago
I think that the whole premise of natural resource depletion being the cause of the conflict in Gaza, Rwanda, or Sudan is absurd. Those conflicts are predominantly ethnic/tri... in nature.
There are plenty of places in the world with scarce natural resources where no conflict exists at all.
It's not scarcity that is a problem. The problem is that those people have chosen violence to settle their various differences instead of other options.
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jcolman1 year, 7 months ago
Yes, rrrtx, but *why* are they resorting to violence? Because of scarce natural resources: water for drinking, land for farming, the price of oil -- all of these are factors that exacerbate the long-standing tribal, religious, ethnic, language, economic issues. We can't choose to look at people as being separated from their environment when they're so vitally connected.
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rrrtx1 year, 7 months ago
That's my point. Scarce resources are not the "why".
I don't think for example that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is over water, oil, or farmland. It's an ancient ethnic and religious rivalry. That's the "why".
The sad fact is that humans fight each other for dominance and control. There need not be a scarce resource to fight over.
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Landshark1 year, 7 months ago
i'm all for population control. not in the sense that we should draw straws and start killing off people; it's more that we're so on the side of life that we're ignoring the natural state of things. we've created all these drugs to prolong lives that would otherwise have ended. we've disrupted the natural balance. death has to happen to make way for life. unfortunate yet true. we can't continue this way and expect an already abused planet to keep taking it.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
sorry, no insulin, and it is not long life spans, it is over population. The world can not continue to sustain a species that just continues to take in the good and omit garbage.
Water wars.....that will be next, in fact that is already a major issue around the globe.
Today there are children born and saved only by the miracle of science. My ancestor grand father in Scotland had 3 wives, all died in child birth.
The only reason I am here in the USA is because there was a thing called the "Potato Fathom" that hit that country and they were starving to death.
People would not be saved from serious accidents, Bacterial infections would be killing more.......
Any body want some "Soylent Green "???
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Landshark1 year, 7 months ago
hey i'm doing my part for population control...smoking at least a pack a day :o)
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eugenegerard1 year, 7 months ago
The ultimate goal of the global elite (fascists, illiuminati, Bilderbergers, Skull and Bones) is to get the world population to 500,000. They think that is a sustainable number for the world's resources. Everthing they do is working toward that goal. The "funny" thing is they really believe that they will still be on top of the pile after they do their evil.
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simonsez1 year, 7 months ago
Whose going to do their work, Eugene?
Quit reading that garbage; it's a waste of your time and intelligence.
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Bruedaddy1 year, 7 months ago
what ever it is I want some, just don't send it to me in the mail...
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random17341 year, 7 months ago
We talk about the fight for natural resorces and say "gee, they do that in africa, and mostly because of tribal diferences".
Yet here in the southwest we fight for water rights from the colorado river. Mexico sues us in court if they don't get their "fair" share of the run off. Mexico is right now protesting that we will be reclaiming some water that they say is theirs by rite of the spillage being leaked across the boarder. They dont want the spillage stopped as they depend on it for irigation.
We face Water wars in the near future if we don't start taking a look at this problem and find ways to econimize and was to conserve what is already there.
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LABELDUDE1 year, 7 months ago
"The United States should call for the creation of a new global...BLAH, BLAH, BLAH..." OH, bULLsH1T, WHY the U.S.A.? Why not the European Union? Why not Russia, Why not Canada? Why not Mexico? These happy do-gooders are always calling for the U.S.A. to charge in and "Do Good". HEY, We're BUSY right now!
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vidman041 year, 7 months ago
I agree. Why must it ALWAYS be us? And when we do try to do something, if it's not what THEY like, we're evil! And when we don't do something, we're evil! If the UN acted as they should, each country contributing to the overall purpose, we wouldn't have to always go it alone. I say for them to put their money where their mouth is. If you don't help, butt the h*ll out!
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looter1 year, 7 months ago
hahaha.. the only natural resource that is not available in Gaza is 'Peace of mind'... and for that yes stupid politicians and fanatic Jews and Muslims are to blame.
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2Labs1 year, 7 months ago
"the climate crisis, this century's number one threat to the natural world."
The Climate "Crisis" is perhaps the natural worlds way of mopping up and protecting the natural world. These guys need to make up their minds. Are humans part of the natural world or not. Seems we are when it suits their argument and were not when it doesn't.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
Now that is absolutley right, nature will take care of the virus that has infected her.
Mother Nature is good at creating new virus and bacteria to keep wiping some of us out. Just look at what HIV has done before we came up with a way to control it.
We are part of the natural world when we lived with nature, as an example, the way the Native Americans lived at one with nature. Now we are a parasite.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
So it didn't happen on schedule, it is only a matter of time before it does.
"are you one of those wack jobs that views HUMANITY as a virus opon the earth", I guess so, but I don't think we need to eradicate, just control poplulation and pay attention to what we are doing.
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cantfoolme1 year, 7 months ago
Don't pity him Eagle, he is probably relying on the rule of the gun to control the little that will be left.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
LMAO....I will let "Mother Nature" take care of it along with you.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
BTW, you miss quoted me, I said "Now we are a parasite", only one of many that infect the world.
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Eagle_Eye1 year, 7 months ago
What "Friends" are you refering to???? I looked at your profile and you don't have any, also you seem so full of negativity, how come you are such an angry person. It seems to be that way on every thread and I have to give you constant negative on your comments.
BTW, Nature is not my God, God created nature.
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cantfoolme1 year, 7 months ago
GVANHELSING. You and your like are the dangerous ones and are prepared to live for now and to hell with tomorrow. Get your head out the sand mate because rain is already failing in areas where it used to be prevalent and increasing in areas where it did not occur before and it will take generations for the various communities to adapt.
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jcolman
Jonathon D. Colman is the associate director of digital marketing for The Nature Conservancy, where he manages the strategic development and promotion of the Conservancy ...
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