The Looming Twin Disaster

It has come to my attention that we, that is, the human race, face two serious problems. These problems are unavoidable, and will not be solved by universal ratification of a Kyoto Treaty, discovering the peaceful side of Islam, or any other fool's errand on which we would pin our collective hopes. These are the big ones, and you've probably never even heard of them.

The first problem is that we are not producing oil fast enough. I do not wish to imply that we are not seeking out, drilling, pumping, transporting, or refining crude oil into gasoline and other products as we ought to be. That may be, but it's another discussion, for another day.

The problem is that we aren't planting enough oil. Whether in a few thousand or a few million years (scientists are somewhat taciturn about the exact time frame required, but it's years and years, and what with getting burned on the whole global warming fiasco, who can blame them for playing it close to the vest? Ooops, went down a bunny trail there), the raw materials in plants and tiny animals planted now will be turned into oil, which future civilizations will need if they are going to have anything over which to go to war in Iraq. As you can see, the stakes are high (though you may at this point be thinking that it is a certain Socratic friend who is high, but there we go down a bunny trail again).

The second problem is carbon dioxide (CO₂). Contrary to the hysterical pronouncements of the consensus bobbleheads, CO₂ levels are at uncomfortably low levels, compared to their geological norms. That was not a typo: we don't have enough CO₂, perhaps not even a tenth of what we should have.

Low CO₂ levels correspond to stunted plant growth, or at least, in less vegetation. Why, it's a wonder we don't have deserts all over the ... oh, wait.

Well, you don't have to shout, I can hear you: we need to ramp up our CO₂ production dramatically, so that we can produce enough plant material to regenerate our oil deposits. Future generations are depending on us. Will we be the generation which breaks the cycle, failing to pass on what we were given?

I have to tell you, it won't happen on my watch. I will not become cynical, and expect our descendants to find their own sources of energy; nor will I allow zealots to insist that the cold, defoliated planet on which we live must remain barren and frigid. We need to heat the place up and to get some plants growing. It's time to begin working for change.

h/t Power and Control

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