Thursday, October 28, 2010

ENERCON E-44 (vol 1)

We are the children of THE SUN - the great fireball that gives LIFE and takes it away.

The civilizations of men may WORSHIP whom they please, but we cannot ignore the POWER and SIGNIFICANCE of the Sun.

Solar energy is partially responsible for shaping Earth’s climate and also for giving us ABUNDANT ENERGY resources be it renewable or non-renewable.

Have we really acknowledged this? Are we thankful or even worthy of this great GIFT?

The last time that our planet’s delicate BALANCE of nature was under serious threat happened when a supervolcano near Indonesia erupted (Toba supervolcano approximately 69,000-77,000 years ago). Although the comparison may be a bit exaggerated for the time being, still mankind’s effect on life on Earth since the start of the industrial revolution back in 18th century has been significant.

The discovery of ELECTRICITY and implementing it for mass usage through non-renewable energy resources has resulted in fundamental changes to our ways of life but also for every other living being on this planet.

Our population is witnessing exponential growth. It took us less than 80,000 years to reach a population of one billion by the early 19th century. Now there are nearly seven times more of us while this “STABLE GROWTH” is expected to continue.

According to Neo-Malthusians however we are already overpopulating the Earth that is eventually leading to “resource depletion or environmental degradation to a degree that is NOT SUSTAINABLE”.

Growing populations need additional resources and energy. Our methods of gathering and consuming both are, at best WASTEFUL and often HOPELESSLY UNECONOMICAL. We are on the verge of witnessing a serious resource and energy gap during our lifetimes.

It is believed that it is only a matter of decades when electricity blackouts in major populated areas of the world become part of everyday life. Will we be able to ADAPT again to a life without electricity? Sure, but at what cost?

“Maintaining the RELIABILITY of the electrical grid has become more than just a matter of convenience. It is required to maintain civilization as we know it”.

There is a common belief that everyone deserves a DECENT LIFE. For me this translates to decent electrified life – MY LIFE. I take it for granted, while the majority of the people in our planet can only dream of it. Still, if our use of resources and energy is already on the verge of depletion how can we ever guarantee a better life for the next generation all around the world?

We are living in a time period when very serious questions are being asked about whether or not humans really can alter the course of nature itself. According to the latest report compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 it was stated as a fact that at least for the past fifty years humans really have and still are affecting the global climate meaning that we are speeding up the NATURAL PROCESS of global warming mostly by increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Basically we are accelerating the arrival of a new (little?) ice age.

My question is, will mankind live long enough to witness it?

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