TREES OF LIFE:FORESTS IN PERIL
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December 05th, 2024

12/5/2024

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                                                       THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY
 
I GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WITH A DEGREE IN FORESTRY AND SPEND THE NEXT 34 YEARS WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE, IN VARIOUS ASSIGNMENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. MY 29 YEARS OF RETIREMENT HAVE FOCUSED ON EVALUATING MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS PLUS RESEARCHING NEW INFORMATION ON HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD.
I HAVE WRITTEN THREE BOOKS AND POSTED OVER ONE HUNDRED ARTICLES ON MY CONCERNS FOR THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY. I KEEP THINKING BACK TO MY TIME AT THE UNIVERSITY AND WHAT I STUDIED AND LEARNED ABOUT FORESTRY.  THERE WERE COURSES IN DENDROLOGY, MENSURATION, HYDROLOGY, SOILS SCIENCE, RANGE MANAGEMENT, AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT, ENTOMOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY AND MORE. WHAT I DID NOT LEARN WAS THAT FOREST COVERED LANDS WERE A LARGE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. I AM SURE THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES AND UP-GRADES IN THE CURRICULUM'S, BUT I HAVE NEVER MET A FORESTER THAT APPEARED TO HAVE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
A FOREST SCIENTIST, I BELIEVE, MUST UNDERSTAND THAT EARTH IS AN AMALGAMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO FUNCTIONING COMMUNITIES. THEY ARE A UNIT WHERE A MULTITUDE OF SPECIES FUNCTION AND SUPPORT EACH-OTHER TO OBTAIN BALANCE AND SUSTAIN LIFE. MY SECOND ASSIGNMENT WITH THE FOREST SERVICE WAS AS ASSISTANT RANGER ON A DISTRICT IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI, WHERE I ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY AND MAP THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES FOR THE ENTIRE RANGER DISTRICT. AT THE TIME WE LABELED THEM STANDS, BUT NOW REALIZE THEY WERE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. AFTER COMPLETING 34 YEARS AND FIFTEEN DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS, I NEVER ENCOUNTERED AN ATTEMPT TO BY A FORESTER TO UNDERTAKE A SIMILAR EFFORT.
UNTIL A FOREST SCIENTIST IS ABLE TO READ THE LAND, TO IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES AND UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITY OF LIFE SYSTEMS WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES, I DO NOT BELIEVE OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS CAN BE PROPERLY MANAGED!
EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL, DUE TO ADVOCACY BY RESOURCE SPECIALISTS FOR THEIR AREA OF SPECIALIZATION. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE! EVEN ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE WHERE INDIVIDUAL STAFFS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SINGLE RESOURCE PROGRAMS, HAS TENDED TO IGNORE ECOLOGICAL BALANCE AND THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE SYSTEMS.
THESE OBSERVATIONS AND CONCERNS ARE WHAT HAS BEEN DRIVING ME TO REACH OUT IN HOPES OTHERS MIGHT UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR CHANGE. WE ARE RAPIDLY APPROACHING THE LIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY OF OUR PLANET, AND OUR WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND. OUR VALUABLE FORESTED LANDS ARE VITAL FOR OUR FUTURE, AND ADJUSTMENTS ARE REQUIRED! DEFORESTATION IS EVERY BIT AS LARGE AN ISSUES AS FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. EDUCATION OF OUR FUTURE FOREST SCIENTISTS IS INADEQUATE, AND MUST BE UP-GRADED! CURRENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE CONTINUING TO ACCELERATING THE PROBLEM!
ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO INCREASE SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF RESOURCES FROM THE FORESTS, BUT WHAT YOU MUST DO TO MAINTAIN A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM HEALTHY DIVERSE FORESTS! WE MUST RECOGNIZE AND MANAGE EACH FOREST ECO-SYSTEM WHICH WILL REQUIRE MORE DETAILED AND INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT. HARVESTING LARGE ACRES OR MOUNTAIN SIDES CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED. AS GOES THE REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS, SO GOES THE HUMAN SPECIES, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER SPECIES. OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON IT!      
           
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December 05th, 2024

12/5/2024

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RESULTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE!!!

12/1/2024

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                                         THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE!
 
RECENTLY, MY ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON WHAT OUR FUTURE MIGHT BE IF WE FAIL TO SLOW THE CLIMATIC CHANGES WE ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY. THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND COLLECTING AND RECORDING CLIMATE DATA FOR DECADES. RECENTLY THEY PUBLISHED A PAPER ENTITLED, “CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS “. THE REPORT VALIDATES THE FACTS THAT ECOSYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE BEING IMPACTED BY SERIOUS CLIMATIC CHANGES TODAY. 2023 WILL GO DOWN AS THE WARMEST YEAR RECORDED SINCE WE BEGAN COLLECTING CLIMATE DATA. CERTAINLY, NO ONE CAN DENY THAT STORM FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SINCE 1960, WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER WITH THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, THE MAGNITUDE AND SIZE OF WESTERN WILDFIRES HAVE INCREASED. WE PREVIOUSLY MEASURED THE ACRES BURNED AND NOW WE MEASURE THE SQUARE MILES BURNED. WARMER AND DRYER WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE HAD A DIRECT IMPACT, ALONG WITH MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WHICH DESTROY THE DIVERSITY FOUND IN NATURAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS.
I RECENTLY PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE MENOMINEE INDIAN NATION HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS AND CERTIFIED BY THE FOREST STEWARD COUNCIL, FOR THE NATION’S STEWARDSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THEIR TREE COVERED FOREST LANDS IN WISCONSIN. THEY PRACTICE UN-EVEN AGE MANAGEMENT AND RELY ON NATURAL REGENERATION PROVIDED BY THE MOTHER TREES. TRIBAL FORESTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE HEALTHIEST MANAGED FORESTS IN THE UNITED STATES. FOREST RESOURCE PROFESSOR, DR. DOCKRY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, STATES, “IN MANY WAYS THEY ARE LEADING THE FEDERAL FOREST MANAGING AGENCY’S IN HOW TO MANAGE FORESTS”.
THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMPLEX AND MUST FOCUS ON REDUCING HUMANITY’S IMPACT ON THE ELEMENTS AND RESOURCES THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH! WE MUST REALIZE THAT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE SEEN THROUGHOUT EVERY ASPECT OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. DROUGHT HARMS HUMAN HEALTH, FOOD PRODUCTION AND WATER SOURCES. FLOODING MAY LED TO THE SPREAD OF DISEASE AND DESTROY COMMUNITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOSYSTEMS. CLIMATIC CHANGE IMPACTS WILL VARY CONSIDERABLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. UNDER SERVED PEOPLE WILL BE MORE VULNERABLE AND EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST EXPOSURE TO THE HAZARDOUS IMPACTS. SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUITIES AMONG THE PEOPLE CAUSE THOSE IN THE LOWER CLASSES TO SUFFER FIRST AND FOR SHORTER PERIODS OF TIME, WHILE THOSE IN THE UPPER CLASSES DEMAND ACCESS TO NEEDED RESOURCES, RESULTING IN LONGER PERIODS OF SUFFERING AND STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME FINAL RESULTS. DR. JERED DIAMOND, IN HIS BOOK, “COLLAPSE”, DEMONSTRATES THIS PHENOMENON WITH THE FAILURE OF THE EASTER ISLAND CULTURE.  
THE FUTURE HAZARDOUS IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NOT INEVITABLE. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND THERE IS SUFFICIENT TIME, TO INITIATE THE LIFE STYLE CHANGES REQUIRED TO MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. REDUCING THE EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE GASES IS ESSENTIAL! SUCCESS WILL REQUIRE INVESTMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE, ALONG WITH MAJOR CHANGES IN LIFE STYLES.
THE LEVELS OF THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE GASES, CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE, CONTINUED THEIR UNRELENTING RISE IN 2020 EVEN WITH THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN CAUSED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. NOAA REPORTS THAT GLOBAL TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN 1.8 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT FROM 1901 TO 2020, SEA LEVELS HAVE RISEN 3.2 MM SINCE 1993, SEA ICE HAS SHRUNK BY 40% SINCE 1979, AND CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE HAS RISEN BY 40% SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. WARMER TEMPERATURES AND DRYER CONDITIONS ARE REQUIRING FARMERS TO INCREASE IRRIGATION EFFORTS FOR CROP PRODUCTION. THE COMPOUNDING EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE LEADING TO MANY CHANGES IN ECOSYSTEMS, ACCORDING TO NOAA. WE MUST INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO “READ-THE-LAND”, AND IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. EARTH IS AN AMALGAMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BASED ON RECENT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, ONLY 3 PERCENT OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IN BALANCE AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING. SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT MUST INTENSIFY TO THE MANAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS, RATHER THAN VAST AREAS OF TREE COVERED, PRAIRIE OR TILLABLE LANDS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT GROUPS, AGENCIES AND CORPORATIONS.
WITH NEARLY 40% OF THE UNITED STATES POPULATION LIVING IN COASTAL COUNTIES, IT IS TIME TO ACTIVELY PREPARE FOR THE COMING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. WE MUST INITIATE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE IMPACTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE. TEACHING THE TRUTH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BE CHALLENGING, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN, AS THESE CHANGES WILL AFFECT MANY CURRENT SOCIETAL NORMS.
WE THINK WE ARE SO BUSY AND INVOLVED WITH OTHER CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE LITTLE TIME, IF ANY, TO CONSIDER WHAT IS OCCURRING DAILY BEFORE OUR EYES. THE FACTS ARE PRESENT, AND THE “DO-NOTHING” ALTERNATIVE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! FOCUSING ON ELIMINATING FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION IS GOOD BUT INSUFFICIENT! THE HUMAN SPECIES IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SMALL PART OF THE MAGIC OF LIFE WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD. HUMANITY’S VOLUMINOUS DEMAND FOR NATURAL RESOURCES WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS OUR WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO INCREASE. EDUCATING THE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD IS ESSENTIAL, AND MUST START NOW! HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL IS UNACCEPTABLE AND UNTRUE!
DEFORESTATION IS CAUSING ADVERSE CLIMATE CHANGES EQUAL TO FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. WITH 74 % OF OUR ORIGINAL TREE COVER ELIMINATED, THE SCIENCE OF FORESTLAND MANAGEMENT MUST ALTER CURRENT FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE EXAMPLE PROVIDED BY THE MENOMINEE NATION MUST SET THE MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR PUBLIC FORESTLAND MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE! THE PRINCIPLES OF “CONSERVATION” OR “PRESERVATION”, WILL ONLY ACCELERATE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS. “NATURE’S WAY” WILL SLOW CLIMATE CHANGES THEREBY REDUCING THE INEVITABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF CLIMATIC CHANGE! THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, EARTH HAS A LIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY WHICH WE ARE RAPIDLY APPROACHING. THE LIFE-STYLES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS DEPENDS UPON OUR ACTIONS TODAY!  WE MUST ACT NOW!!     
                 
                
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November 21st, 2024

11/21/2024

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                                                THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH
 
DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE TRUTH IS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE RESULT OF TWO MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. OUR OCEANS AND LANDS ARE DIVIDED INTO UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BEING DESTROYED BY HUMANITY’S INCREASING DEMANDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES THAT FOCUS ON EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES.
FOR THE PAST CENTURY, SCIENCE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE LIMITATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NON-HUMAN SPECIES THAT LIVE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEMS. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE DEVASTATING RESULTS OF OVER-POPULATION BY INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. DISEASE, PESTILENCE, STARVATION AND DEATH OCCUR IN AN EFFORT TO BRING THE POPULATION IN BALANCE WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS. SCIENCE IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THESE SAME OUTCOMES WILL RESULT AS THE HUMAN SPECIES NEARS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. IN FACT, SOME SUGGEST WE ALREADY REQUIRE 1.75 PLANETS TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT POPULATION AND LIFE STYLE. EDWARD O. WILSON, A HARVARD SOCIO-BIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO CLEAR AND SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK AN BUILD URBAN CENTERS, AS IT WILL NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO GROWING CROPS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, THEREBY REQUIRING A CONVERSION TO MEAT FREE DIETS. THIS ASSUMES THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR FOR FUTURE POPULATION LEVELS IS FOOD SUPPLY. THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY FAR MORE COMPLEX. PROJECTING THE HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH REQUIRES COMPARING CURRENT INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES, ENERGY, MATERIALS PLUS ATMOSPHERIC, LAND AND SEA POLLUTION, AND THEN COMPARING THE RESULTS TO FUTURE POPULATION ESTIMATES. EARTH’S LIMITATIONS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND ENERGY RESOURCES.
PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND LEVELS, LEVELS OF CO2 AND OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOIL EROSION AND NUTRIENT LEVELS, WASTE DISPOSAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY.
THE SURFACE AREA OF EARTH IS 126 BILLION ACRES, OF WHICH 89 BILLION ACRES ARE WATER COVERED, AND 37 BILLION ARE LAND. WE HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF OUR LAND BASE TO OCCUPATION BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL USE. THESE LANDS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND ARE VOID OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. THERE ARE NO NEW LANDS TO DISCOVER, ONLY THE REMAINING NATURAL HABITATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONVERTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. DESTROY THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD AND YOU DESTROY LIFE!
 THE WORLD POPULATION IS NEAR 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY 75 TO 80 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. EFFORTS TO DETERMINE EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY, INDICATES THE LIMIT IS BETWEEN 9 AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WE WILL REACH WITHIN THE NEXT 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, YET THE WILLINGNESS TO ACT SEEMS OUT OF REACH! WE ARE FACED WITH THE FACT THAT OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM, EARTH, HAS A LIMITED LAND BASE AND AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION. CURRENT HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE TAKEN US CLOSE TO THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED OUR SPECIES EXISTENCE. OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, HOWEVER, IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. ONLY 26% OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS IN A FORESTED STATE. REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION WITH AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION MAY NOT BE REALISTIC. OUR SEA’S HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES SINCE 1880, DUE TO THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES. OUR LEVELS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CO2 THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS. WE CAN OBSERVE POLLUTION CLOUDS OVER MOST OF OUR PEOPLE CONCENTRATED URBAN AREAS. OUR RIVERS ARE DYING FROM STREAM SILTATION AND WASTE POLLUTION AND SAFE DRINKING WATER DOES NOT EXIST IN MANY WORLD LOCATIONS. WE RECEIVE DAILY SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF SEA AND LAND ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE COLLAPSING AND FAILING. THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TELLS US TO HANG ON, HOPE IS POSSIBLE! WE CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM WITHIN A BUBBLE, WHICH WILL SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE. WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING WE CAN PROVIDE THE VOLUME OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN THE HUMAN BODY, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE REDUCING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE PRODUCT. WE CAN DESIGN A LIGHT-WEIGHT SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND ALLOW YOU TO BREATH. WE MAY EVEN FIND ANOTHER PLANET WHICH CAN SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE IN A COCOON-LIKE ARTIFICIAL DOOM. IS THIS THE DESIRED FUTURE YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I WANT TO PASS ON A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE. ONE THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND MAGIC OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WHERE MILLIONS OF SPECIES LIVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. WHERE FREEDOM ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE THE GRANDEUR OF CREATION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF BELONGING.
IF A BETTER VISION IS TO BE REALIZED, MAJOR CHANGES MUST OCCUR IN LIFE STYLES AND THE WAY WE MANAGE THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD.  WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH IN THE ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE. OUR ALIENATION FROM NATURE AND THE LAND MUST BE REVERSED, SO WE CAN FIND HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE MILLIONS OF LIVING SPECIES ON OUR PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE VIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE-UP OUR NATURAL WORLD. HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST FOCUS ON OUR GRADUATES HAVING A SOUND ECOLOGICAL BASE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES. 
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS, WE MUST DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ASSIST EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE THEIR ORIGINAL DIVERSITY, VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE SEA OR LAND COMMUNITIES. WITH 82% OF OUR WORLD POPULATION NOW URBAN DWELLERS AND REMOVED FROM THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND; IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. IT MUST START WITH OUR YOUTH AND NEW CURRICULUMS IN THE CLASS ROOM.
OUR NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO DEVELOP LIFE STYLE STRATEGIES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMPTION LEVELS. THIS WILL REQUIRE MEASURING WELLNESS RATHER THAN MONETARY SUCCESS. CONVERTING FROM CONSUMPTION TO WELLNESS WILL REQUIRE STRONG LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT. MUCH OF THE LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED BY OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. WE MUST DEVELOP A NEW APPRECIATION FOR CREATION, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
TOP PRIORITY MUST BE TO CHANGE OLD MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. THIS MEANS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS (COMMUNITIES) AND THEIR COMPLEX COMPONENTS MUST BECOME ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENCOURAGING NATURAL DIVERSITY. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BECOME THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE, AND NATURAL REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY. OVER-UTILIZATION AND EXTERMINATION OF SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM MUST BE CONTROLLED. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-INTRODUCE PREVIOUSLY LOST SPECIES, TO RETURN THE REQUIRED BALANCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. I USE THE WORDS COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERCHANGEABLY AS THEY BOTH REFER TO A DIVERSE FUNCTIONING SUB-UNIT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. DURING MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY, I OBSERVED A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WERE NORMALLY DESIGNED BY LOCAL TECHNICIANS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF LOCAL RESOURCE CONDITIONS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE MANAGERS. NEVER DID I OBSERVE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT RECOGNIZED AND TREATED THE INDIVIDUAL UNIQUE COMMUNITIES. TREATMENTS WERE BASED UPON THE NEED TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS RATHER THAN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I HAVE SEEN LITTLE EFFORT TO RE-FOCUS AND ADJUST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AWAY FROM WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM THE FORESTS, EVEN TODAY.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SEEM CONTENT TO RELY ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE CONVINCED IF WE CAN ELIMINATE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION BY FINDING GREEN ENERGY ALTERNATIVES, OUR FUTURE WILL BE POSITIVE. IT WILL PROVIDE LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH LARGER! A COMPREHENSIVE WORLDWIDE PLAN WITH NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS IS ESSENTIAL.  
CONTROLLING POPULATION EXPANSION IS DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE. STOPPING DEFORESTATION WHEN WORLD POPULATION DEMANDS ARE DESTINE TO INCREASE, IS QUESTIONABLE. NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT IMPROVE FOREST HEALTH, DIVERSITY AND ORIGINALITY, OFFERS HOPE. THE FOCUS MUST BE ON THE CONDITION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, NOT THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE. EVEN OUR ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ABILITY TO INVENT AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED MATERIALS AND ITEMS, CAN NOT PRODUCE THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH. WE ARE EVEN WORKING ON REPLACING HUMANS WITH MACHINE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT. THINK OF THE EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS ON THE HUMAN PSYCHE WHEN WE CAN DO AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR HUMAN WORKERS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT TO DATE HUMANITY’S THRUST FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY FROM EARTH AND THE NATURAL WORLD HAS ONLY ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REQUIRED LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM NATURE! I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC EVEN THOUGH EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, HAS MOSTLY FAILED. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH ESTABLISHED ROUTINES, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH FUTURE PREDICTIONS! WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE MAY BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER ALL. TIME WILL TELL!      
 
 
 
 
    
 
 

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THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE!

11/8/2024

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THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE!
 
RECENTLY, MY ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON WHAT OUR FUTURE MIGHT BE IF WE FAIL TO SLOW THE CLIMATIC CHANGES WE ARE EXPERIENCING TODAY. THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA) HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND COLLECTING AND RECORDING CLIMATE DATA FOR DECADES. RECENTLY THEY PUBLISHED A PAPER ENTITLED, “CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS “. THE REPORT VALIDATES THE FACTS THAT ECOSYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE BEING IMPACTED BY SERIOUS CLIMATIC CHANGES TODAY. 2023 WILL GO DOWN AS THE WARMEST YEAR RECORDED SINCE WE BEGAN COLLECTING CLIMATE DATA. CERTAINLY, NO ONE CAN DENY THAT STORM FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. SINCE 1960, WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER WITH THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE, THE MAGNITUDE AND SIZE OF WESTERN WILDFIRES HAVE INCREASED. WE PREVIOUSLY MEASURED THE ACRES BURNED AND NOW WE MEASURE THE SQUARE MILES BURNED. WARMER AND DRYER WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE HAD A DIRECT IMPACT, ALONG WITH MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WHICH DESTROY THE DIVERSITY FOUND IN NATURAL FOREST ECOSYSTEMS.
I RECENTLY PROVIDED INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE MENOMINEE INDIAN NATION HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS AND CERTIFIED BY THE FOREST STEWARD COUNCIL, FOR THE NATION’S STEWARDSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THEIR TREE COVERED FOREST LANDS IN WISCONSIN. THEY PRACTICE UN-EVEN AGE MANAGEMENT AND RELY ON NATURAL REGENERATION PROVIDED BY THE MOTHER TREES. TRIBAL FORESTS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE HEALTHIEST MANAGED FORESTS IN THE UNITED STATES. FOREST RESOURCE PROFESSOR, DR. DOCKRY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, STATES, “IN MANY WAYS THEY ARE LEADING THE FEDERAL FOREST MANAGING AGENCY’S IN HOW TO MANAGE FORESTS”.
THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IS COMPLEX AND MUST FOCUS ON REDUCING HUMANITY’S IMPACT ON THE ELEMENTS AND RESOURCES THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH! WE MUST REALIZE THAT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE SEEN THROUGHOUT EVERY ASPECT OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. DROUGHT HARMS HUMAN HEALTH, FOOD PRODUCTION AND WATER SOURCES. FLOODING MAY LED TO THE SPREAD OF DISEASE AND DESTROY COMMUNITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECOSYSTEMS. CLIMATIC CHANGE IMPACTS WILL VARY CONSIDERABLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. UNDER SERVED PEOPLE WILL BE MORE VULNERABLE AND EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST EXPOSURE TO THE HAZARDOUS IMPACTS. SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUITIES AMONG THE PEOPLE CAUSE THOSE IN THE LOWER CLASSES TO SUFFER FIRST AND FOR SHORTER PERIODS OF TIME, WHILE THOSE IN THE UPPER CLASSES DEMAND ACCESS TO NEEDED RESOURCES, RESULTING IN LONGER PERIODS OF SUFFERING AND STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME FINAL RESULTS. DR. JERED DIAMON, IN HIS BOOK, “COLLAPSE”, DEMONSTRATES THIS PHENOMENON WITH THE FAILURE OF THE EASTER ISLAND CULTURE.  
THE FUTURE HAZARDOUS IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NOT INEVITABLE. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND THERE IS SUFFICIENT TIME, TO INITIATE THE LIFE STYLE CHANGES REQUIRED TO MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. REDUCING THE EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE GASES IS ESSENTIAL! SUCCESS WILL REQUIRE INVESTMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE, ALONG WITH MAJOR CHANGES IN LIFE STYLES.
THE LEVELS OF THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE GASES, CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE, CONTINUED THEIR UNRELENTING RISE IN 2020 EVEN WITH THE ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN CAUSED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. NOAA REPORTS THAT GLOBAL TEMPERATURES HAVE RISEN 1.8 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT FROM 1901 TO 2020, SEA LEVELS HAVE RISEN 3.2 MM SINCE 1993, SEA ICE HAS SHRUNK BY 40% SINCE 1979, AND CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE ATMOSPHERE HAS RISEN BY 40% SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. WARMER TEMPERATURES AND DRYER CONDITIONS ARE REQUIRING FARMERS TO INCREASE IRRIGATION EFFORTS FOR CROP PRODUCTION. THE COMPOUNDING EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ARE LEADING TO MANY CHANGES IN ECOSYSTEMS, ACCORDING TO NOAA. WE MUST INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO “READ-THE-LAND”, AND IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. EARTH IS AN AMALGAMATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BASED ON RECENT SCIENTIFIC STUDIES, ONLY 3 PERCENT OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE IN BALANCE AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING. SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT MUST INTENSIFY TO THE MANAGEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS, RATHER THAN VAST AREAS OF TREE COVERED, PRAIRIE OR TILLABLE LANDS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR FOREST MANAGEMENT GROUPS, AGENCIES AND CORPORATIONS.
WITH NEARLY 40% OF THE UNITED STATES POPULATION LIVING IN COASTAL COUNTIES, IT IS TIME TO ACTIVELY PREPARE FOR THE COMING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. WE MUST INITIATE SOLUTIONS THAT WILL SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE IMPACTS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE. TEACHING THE TRUTH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BE CHALLENGING, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN, AS THESE CHANGES WILL AFFECT MANY CURRENT SOCIETAL NORMS.
WE THINK WE ARE SO BUSY AND INVOLVED WITH OTHER CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE LITTLE TIME, IF ANY, TO CONSIDER WHAT IS OCCURRING DAILY BEFORE OUR EYES. THE FACTS ARE PRESENT, AND THE “DO-NOTHING” ALTERNATIVE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! FOCUSING ON ELIMINATING FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION IS GOOD BUT INSUFFICIENT! THE HUMAN SPECIES IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SMALL PART OF THE MAGIC OF LIFE WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD. HUMANITY’S VOLUMINOUS DEMAND FOR NATURAL RESOURCES WILL CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS OUR WORLD POPULATION CONTINUES TO INCREASE. EDUCATING THE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD IS ESSENTIAL, AND MUST START NOW! HUMAN CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL IS UNACCEPTABLE AND UNTRUE!
DEFORESTATION IS CAUSING ADVERSE CLIMATE CHANGES EQUAL TO FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. WITH 74 % OF OUR ORIGINAL TREE COVER ELIMINATED, THE SCIENCE OF FORESTLAND MANAGEMENT MUST ALTER CURRENT FOREST LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE EXAMPLE PROVIDED BY THE MENOMINEE NATION MUST SET THE MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR PUBLIC FORESTLAND MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE! THE PRINCIPLES OF “CONSERVATION” OR “PRESERVATION”, WILL ONLY ACCELERATE CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS. “NATURE’S WAY” WILL SLOW CLIMATE CHANGES THEREBY REDUCING THE INEVITABLE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF CLIMATIC CHANGE! THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, EARTH HAS A LIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY WHICH WE ARE RAPIDLY APPROACHING. THE LIFE-STYLES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS DEPENDS UPON OUR ACTIONS TODAY!       
                 

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October 31st, 2024

10/31/2024

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                                                   TREE COVER AND CLIMATE CHANGE
 
THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS SHOULD BE A PRIORITY CONCERN TODAY, FOR OUR WORLDWIDE CITIZENS! RECENT REPORTS CONFIRM THAT THE SUMMER OF 2023 HAS BEEN THE WARMEST SUMMER MONTHS SINCE WE BEGAN RECORDING TEMPERATURES. MAJOR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO FIND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES TO REDUCE THE RELEASE OF GREENHOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROGRAMS FOCUS ON THE REDUCTION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS. MANY NEW POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS, SUCH AS SOLAR AND WIND GENERATING FIELDS, HAVE BEEN QUITE CONTROVERSIAL, DUE TO THE OBTRUSIVE APPEARANCE OF THE STRUCTURES AND LOSS OF USE OF THE LAND. DEVELOPMENT PERMITS HAVE BEEN DENIED IN NUMEROUS CASES AS A RESULT OF LOCAL PRESSURE. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED MANY OF THESE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PROJECTS, IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. WE NEED TO CONTINUE OUR SUPPORT FOR THESE FORWARD-THINKING PROJECTS, BUT MUST ASK, ARE THERE OTHER WAYS OF INFLUENCING CLIMATE CHANGE?
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING YES! SCIENCE REPORTS THAT DEFORESTATION HAS AS MUCH OF AN EFFECT ON CLIMATE CHANGES AS DOES THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS. MOST OF US ARE AWARE THAT TREES ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR STOREHOUSE OF CARBON DIOXIDE. PLANTS ABSORB CARBON FROM THE ATMOSPHERE, MIX IT WITH WATER AND MINERALS TO FORM A SUGAR SUBSTANCE THAT FEEDS THE TREE OR PLANT. THE TREE TAKES IN A LITTLE OVER ONE POUND OF CARBON DIOXIDE TO PRODUCE A POUND OF WOOD FIBER AND DISCHARGES CLOSE TO ONE AND A HALF POUNDS OF OXYGEN BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE PROCESS IS KNOWN AS PHOTOSYNTHESIS. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF REDUCING THE ATMOSPHERIC LEVEL OF CARBON DIOXIDE. TREES BEING ONE OF THE MAJOR STORE HOUSES OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND ARE VITAL TO FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. WHILE THIS PROCESS IS AT WORK, ANOTHER PROCESS IS OCCURRING, KNOWN AS TRANSPIRATION. THE TREE ABSORBS LARGE QUANTITIES OF WATER THROUGH IT’S ROOTS AND LEAVES, BUT ONLY USES THREE PERCENT OF THE WATER IT TAKES IN AND RELEASES THE REMAINDER INTO THE ATMOSPHERE TO FORM CLOUDS AND RAINFALL. WITH ONLY 26% OF OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS REMAINING, THESE TWO PROCESSES HAVE LOST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. THESE PROCESSES DO AFFECT CLIMATE CONDITIONS BY SUPPLING THE REQUIRED OXYGEN AND MOISTURE FOR VEGETATION GROWTH ON EARTH, WHICH DOES PROVIDE A DEGREE OF COOLING TO SURFACE TEMPERATURES. SHADE PROVIDED BY TREES COOLS THE SURFACE OF OUR PLANET, AND ALSO SLOWS THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION PROCESS OF OUR VALUABLE SURFACE WATER SOURCES.  
DURING LEAF-ON PERIODS TREES PROVIDE SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES BY SHADING THE EARTH FROM THE DIRECT HEAT ENERGY FROM THE SUN. OBVIOUSLY, HAVING DESTROYED SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF OUR FOREST COVERED ACREAGE, THE COOLING EFFECT OF TREE SHADE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. DEFORESTATION HAS A MORE DEVASTATING EFFECT BY ALLOWING THE ABSORPTION OF EVEN LARGER AMOUNTS OF THE SUN’S ENERGY, AND RAISING SURFACE TEMPERATURES SIGNIFICANTLY. RELYING ON CLEAR-CUTTING, AS THE PREFERRED SILVICULTURAL TREATMENT TO MAXIMIZE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION PER ACRE, INCREASES SURFACE TEMPERATURES AS HIGHER LEVELS OF SOLAR ENERGY IS ABSORBED. WE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT FORESTS HAVE ON WHAT IS CALLED, ALBEDO. ALBEDO IS A METHOD OF MEASURING THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR ENERGY THE EARTH’S SURFACE ABSORBS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE. CLEARED LAND HAS A RATING OF ZERO AND ABSORBS ALMOST 100 % OF THE ENERGY, THUS WARMING THE SURFACE MORE. A RATING OF .5 MEANS THE SURFACE IS REFLECTING 50% OF THE ENERGY BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE TYPE OF SPECIES AND THE DENSITY OF THE TREES EFFECTS THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY BEING ABSORBED BY THE LAND SURFACE, AND AFFECTS CLIMATE CONDITIONS. HOW OUR FOREST ECOSYSTEMS ARE MANAGED CAN ACTUALLY INFLUENCE EARTH’S SURFACE TEMPERATURES. ONCE AGAIN, AS OUR FORESTED ACREAGE SHRINKS, SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.
LARGE AREAS OF FOREST COVERED LAND PROVIDE A ROUGH SURFACE WHICH EFFECTS WIND VELOCITY AND DIRECTION. ALTHOUGH, HIGH VELOCITY WINDS, SUCH AS TORNADOES AND HURRICANES CAN DEVASTATE LARGE TRACKS OF FOREST COVER, TREE COVER DOES REDUCE WIND VELOCITY AND THE SEVERITY OF STORMS. LOWERING WIND SPEEDS DOES SLOW THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATE OF SURFACE MOISTURE, HELPING TO DECREASE THE EFFECTS OF MORE SEVERE STORMS.
WITH THE WARMING OF TEMPERATURES ON OUR PLANET, THE TREE LINE IS ACTUALLY EXPANDING IN OUR NORTHERN BOREAL FORESTS DUE TO THE RAISING TEMPERATURES WE ARE EXPERIENCING. THIS CREATES ANOTHER PROBLEM WHICH IS RESULTING IN CLIMATE CHANGE. AS THE TEMPERATURES WARM, THE ARTIC PERMAFROST MELTS CAUSING THE TREE LINE TO MOVE NORTH. THIS IS CAUSING MAJOR CHANGES IN THESE FAR NORTH ECOSYSTEMS. THE PERMAFROST CONTAINS VERY HIGH LEVELS OF STORED CARBON DIOXIDE, AND AS IT MELTS THE CARBON DIOXIDE IS RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN ATMOSPHERIC LEVELS OF GREEN HOUSE GASES. IF ALL OF OUR PERMAFROST WERE TO MELT, THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE WOULD FAR EXCEED WHAT HUMAN BEINGS COULD TOLERATE.
THE TRUTH IS, FOREST COVER DOES EFFECT CLIMATE CHANGE AS MUCH AS THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS. WE HAVE 194 COUNTRIES FOCUSED ON TRYING TO SOLVE THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE BY REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. MOST PROGRAMS ARE FOCUSED ON REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS BY FINDING ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES THUS, THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS HAS BEEN GETTING THE VAST MAJORITY OF ATTENTION. EQUAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE FOCUSED THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS! CURRENT MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOCUS ON THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES FROM THE FORESTS, AND DEMAND CHANGING TO A FOCUS ON THE HEALTH AND DIVERSITY OF THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY TREE COVER AND HOW THESE TREE COVERED AREAS ARE MANAGED. IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS THAT THE CURRENT PREFERRED EVEN-AGED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, TO INCREASE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION, ARE NOT THE BEST OPTION FOR SLOWING CLIMATE CHANGE. DEFORESTATION IS EVEN MORE DEVASTATING ON CLIMATE CONDITIONS. AS THE WORLDS POPULATION CONTINUES ITS CURRENT RATE OF EXPANSION, THE DEMAND FOR LAND CLEARING WILL EXPAND. THE UNITED NATION’S ESTIMATES THAT WE ARE DEFORESTING 10 MILLION HECTARES OF FOREST LANDS EVERY YEAR.  WITH ONLY A LITTLE OVER ONE QUARTER OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAINING, WE MUST FOCUS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF WHAT REMAINS, AND ATTEMPT TO REDUCE DEFORESTATION TO MINIMAL LEVELS.
YES, FOREST COVERED LANDS DO IMPACT CLIMATE CONDITIONS AS MUCH AS THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS! WE MUST CHANGE OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE REMAINING FORESTED AREAS, AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE LEGISLATIVE ACTION. THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON OUR PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS AND IT ONLY REQUIRES EXECUTIVE ORDERS OR LEADERSHIP DIRECTION. CLIMATE CONDITIONS ARE CHANGING AND WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PROPER FOREST MANAGEMENT GOALS ARE ESSENTIAL AND MUST FOCUS ON A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS THAT ARE PROVIDED BY HEALTHY AND DIVERSE FORESTS ECOSYSTEMS. WE CAN IMPROVE OUR FUTURE DESTINY! LIVING IN BALANCE WITH THE NATURAL WORLD AND REALIZING WE ARE BUT ONE PART OF NATURE, MUST BE OUR GOAL! FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE DEPENDING UPON THE ACTIONS WE TAKE TODAY!         

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CAN WE CONTROL POPULATION EXPANSION?

10/17/2024

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                                                  CONTROLLING POPULATION GROWTH
 
THE UNITED NATION’S INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS CONCLUDED THAT WORLD POPULATION EXPANSION AND ECONOMIC (CONSUMPTION) GROWTH ARE THE TWO MAIN CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING! THE WORLD POPULATION NOW STANDS AT JUST OVER EIGHT BILLION PEOPLE AND IS CONTINUING TO EXPAND BY SEVENTY-FIVE MILLION ANNUALLY. THE CENSUS BUREAU ESTIMATES WE WILL BE CLOSE TO TEN BILLION BY 2050, AND ALMOST ELEVEN BILLION BY THE END OF THE CENTURY. THE MAJOR QUESTION FACING MANKIND IS, WHAT IS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH?
CARRYING-CAPACITY IS DEFINED AS THE ABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED RESOURCES AND ENERGY TO SUSTAIN THE BALANCE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE WIDE VARIETY OF SPECIES LIVING WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE CONCEPT OF CARRYING-CAPACITY FOR A NUMBER OF NON-HUMAN SPECIES FOR DECADES, AT THE EXPENSE OF HUMANITY.
POPULATION GROWTH RATES, SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, HAVE BEEN EXPANDING AT AN ALARMING NUMBER. IN 1804 THE WORLD POPULATION WAS ONE BILLION PEOPLE, AND HAS EXPANDED TO SLIGHTLY OVER EIGHT BILLION PEOPLE TODAY. ALTHOUGH LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO DEFINE EARTH’S HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY. ONE STUDY IN 2007, SUGGESTS THAT A WORLD POPULATION OF TEN BILLION PEOPLE WILL STRESS THE EARTH’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE FOOD, ENERGY AND RESOURCE REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN LIFE.
WHEN COUNTRIES BECOME MORE AFFLUENT AND DEVELOPED, THEY TEND TO EXPERIENCE A SLOWING IN BIRTH RATES. CURRENT PREDICTIONS SUGGEST THE GLOBAL FERTILITY RATE, WHICH IS NOW 2.5 CHILDREN PER FEMALE, WILL FALL TO 1.8 CHILDREN PER FEMALE BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY. THIS IS A POSITIVE EFFECT; HOWEVER, LIFE EXPECTANCY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH IMPROVED MEDICAL PROCEDURES, THEREBY INCREASING OVERALL POPULATION NUMBERS. AT THE CURRENT TIME THE FASTEST GROWING POPULATION GROUP IS THE NINETY-PLUS AGE GROUP. THERE ARE SCIENTIFIC EFFORTS WORKING ON METHODS TO EXTENDING QUALITY OF LIFE AS SOME PROJECTIONS SUGGEST WE CAN EXPECT WOMEN’S LIFE EXPECTANCY TO REACH 125 YEARS IN THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE. BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE THERAPY IS A RAPIDLY EXPANDING PROCEDURE IN THE FIELD OF AGE-MANAGEMENT. THE PROJECTED POPULATION ESTIMATES, BY THE CENSUS BUREAU, CONSIDERS THESE POSITIVE EFFECTS, BUT STILL PREDICTS ELEVEN BILLION BY 2100. THE UNITED NATION’S STATE;” A POPULATION INCREASE OF THIS SCALE WILL CREATE MAJOR INCREASES IN POLLUTION, REQUIRE A DOUBLING OF GLOBAL FOOD PRODUCTION UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS (INCLUDING CLIMATE DISRUPTION), AND RESULT IN MORE PEOPLE SUFFERING DURING CONFLICTS AND FAMINES”. THIS MEANS WE WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH BY THE END OF THE CENTURY.
THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER, IS CONSIDERABLY MORE COMPLEX! MOST OF THE STUDIES AND REPORTS TO DATE, FOCUS ON THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE FOOD, RESOURCES AND ENERGY. I FIND LITTLE EVIDENCE OF CONSIDERATION OF THE ADVERSE IMPACTS INCREASING POPULATION WILL HAVE ON THE NATURAL WORLD AND INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. IN 2014 THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER REPORTED THAT EIGHTY TWO PERCENT OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS REGARD THE GROWING WORLD POPULATION TO BE A PROBLEM AS, “THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH FOOD AND RESOURCES”. THE GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOUNDATION, IN A SURVEY THE SAME YEAR, FOUND “POPULATION INCREASE TO BE AN ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL FUTURE THREAT TO MANKIND”. MASSIMO LIVI BOCEI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE STATES, “POPULATION….. HAS BECOME IRRELEVANT FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT, NOT WITH STANDING THE EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY”. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY SCIENTISTS AND WORLD LEADERS SUGGEST TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING WILL PROVIDE INNOVATIONS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN FUTURE LIFE. WITHOUT MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NATURAL WORLD, THIS EXPECTATION IS UNREALISTIC!
THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ISSUE MUST BECOME A SERIOUS CONSIDERATION IN OUR DISCUSSIONS. THE PREDICTED POPULATION INCREASES WILL HAVE DEVASTATING ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD, RESULTING IN MAJOR CHALLENGES TO THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE. THINK ABOUT THE DETRIMENTAL IMPACTS OF INCREASED POLLUTION IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, WATER SOURCES AND CLIMATE. WHAT ABOUT THE CONTINUED IMPACT OF DEFORESTATION ON OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS, AS WE ARE FORCED TO CLEAR MORE LANDS FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEMS HUMANS DEPEND UPON HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVASTATED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE. A RECENT STUDY FROM SPAIN, SUGGESTS ONLY 3 PER CENT OF OUR WORLDWIDE ECOSYSTEMS ARE IN BALANCE AND FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED THREE QUARTERS OF OUR ORIGINAL TREE COVERED LANDS, THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVEL IN OUR ATMOSPHERE IS THE HIGHEST IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS AND OUR RIVERS, LAKES AND OCEANS ARE BEING POLLUTED DAILY. WE CONTINUE TO DISPOSE OF MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WASTE AND TOXIC MATERIALS INTO OUR OCEANS, ALONG WITH THE CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS THAT WASH INTO THE LAKES, RIVERS AND SEAS DAILY.    
THE UNITED NATIONS HAS SEVENTEEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS DESIGNED TO, “END POVERTY, PROTECT THE PLANET, AND ENSURE PROSPERITY FOR ALL”. THEY JUST ADDED THE EIGHTEENTH, “DAMPEN POPULATION GROWTH”. IT SOUNDS EASY, BUT ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL FERTILITY RATES HAVE HAD LITTLE SUCCESS. THE TWO COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST POPULATIONS, INDIA AND CHINA, HAVE MADE ATTEMPTS WITH LITTLE IF ANY SUCCESS. FROM 1979 TO 2015, CHINA LIMITED COUPLES TO ONE CHILD. SINCE 2021, THEY HAVE GONE TO A LIMIT OF THREE CHILDREN. OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE TRIED TO INCREASE FERTILITY RATES WITH LITTLE SUCCESS. RUSSIA ENCOURAGED LARGER FAMILIES TO REBUILD THE LOSS OF POPULATION FOLLOWING WORLD WAR I AND II. SOME COUNTRIES HAVE EVEN ATTEMPTED TO DICTATE STERILIZATION TO DAMPEN BIRTH RATES. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO CONTROL FERTILITY HAVE FAILED PRIMARILY DUE TO OBJECTIONS TO LOSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND AUTOCRATIC CONTROL OF FAMILY PLANNING. FINDING ACCEPTABLE POPULATION PLANNING STRATEGIES WILL BE DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE.
THE UNITED STATES IS CURRENTLY DEEPLY INVOLVED IN A DEBATE OVER WOMEN’S HEALTH RIGHTS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS OBJECTING TO POLITICIANS AND COURTS DICTATING CONTROL OVER ACCESS TO ABORTIONS. I SUSPECT THIS WILL BE A LOSING ISSUE FOR THOSE PUSHING THE CONTROLS. OVER-POPULATION IS A SOCIAL, MORAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE THAT DEMANDS CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. IF WE EXPECT TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS; WE MUST FOCUS ON EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, REDUCTION OF POVERTY AND PROPER MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. MANKIND CANNOT SURVIVE WITH THE LOSS OF OUR NATURAL WORLD! MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR LAND AND SEA ECOSYSTEMS MUST FOCUS ON MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING THESE SYSTEMS SO THEY REMAIN IN BALANCE AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE LIFE-SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR FUTURE LIFE. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE; HOWEVER, WAITING REDUCES OUR CHANCE OF SUCCESS! MAJOR CHANGES ARE REQUIRED IF WE HOPE TO LEAVE A DESIRABLE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS. LEADERSHIP WILL NOT PROVIDE THE DIRECTION AND SOLUTIONS; IT IS UP TO YOU AND ME. GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM MUST BE REPLACED BY A TEAM EFFORT. WE HAVE DONE IT IN THE PAST AND WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!
            

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EXTENT OF DIVERSITY

10/17/2024

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                            THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
 
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO HUMANITY? WE ARE FACING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE EXTINCTION OF BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES. SCIENCE ESTIMATES THAT WE LOSE 3 TO 6 THOUSAND SPECIES ANNUALLY. SPECIES EXTINCTION UPSETS THE ECOSYSTEM THEY OCCUPY CAUSING THE SYSTEM TO FALL OUT OF BALANCE AND UNABLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, WE ARE DISCOVERING 3 TO 4 THOUSAND NEW SPECIES EACH YEAR AND SCIENCE SUGGESTS, WE HAVE ONLY DISCOVERED SLIGHTLY LESS THEN 20% OF THE TOTAL SPECIES ON EARTH.
A RECENT STUDY IN SPAIN, CONCLUDED THAT ONLY 3% OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS, TODAY, ARE IN BALANCE AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES KEEP THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEMS IN BALANCE, AND PROVIDE THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT HUMANS REQUIRE TO SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE REQUIRES DIVERSITY, AND SUSTAINS ALL OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE MAJORITY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES COULD NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE TREE COVERED LANDS ON EARTH. THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) DESCRIBES DIVERSITY AS, “THE DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES, BETWEEN SPECIES AND OF ECOSYSTEMS. IT INCLUDES PLANTS, ANIMALS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGI”. THE IMPACT OF THE HUMAN SPECIES UPON THE NATURAL WORLD HAS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE NATURAL WORLD SIZE AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM NATURE. 80% OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS REQUIRE FORESTS AND TREES FOR SUSTENANCE. MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON FORESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD. TODAY, ONLY 27% OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAIN TREE COVERED, AND HARVESTING TECHNIQUES AND REGENERATION EFFORTS ARE DESTROYING BIODIVERSITY AT AN ALARMING RATE. ECOSYSTEMS CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT BIODIVERSITY!
THE UN HAS A GOAL OF “A WORLD LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE BY 2050”. MUCH WILL HAVE TO CHANGE, IF WE ARE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO REACH THIS GOAL. AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACTS OF MANKIND INCREASE. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL EXPAND TO 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. THIS POPULATION LEVEL, WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. WE MUST EXPECT THAT AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPSET ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION BY CONTAMINATING OUR WATER AND LAND SYSTEMS, DEFORESTING MORE NATURAL FOREST LANDS, ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTING OUR ATMOSPHERE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT WE HAVE A CRISIS WHICH MUST BE CORRECTED FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE, INCLUDING THE HUMAN SPECIES!  
THE WAY WE USE THE LAND AND SEA IS THE LARGEST CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS. IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, WE HAVE DEFORESTED 420 MILLION HECTARES OF FORESTED LANDS, PRIMARILY TO CONVERT THESE LANDS TO AGRICULTURAL USE. OUR GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS, IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ARE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE PAST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SALT MARSHES AND MANGROVE SWAMPS, ALONG WITH THE MELTING OF THE ARTIC PERMAFROST, IS ADDING LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE INTRODUCTION OF ALIEN SPECIES TO ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, IS CAUSING THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF NATIVE SPECIES AND DEGRADING ECOSYSTEMS. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THESE HUMAN ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN THE DECLINE OR EXTINCTION OF ONE MILLION PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS. THIS WOULD BE THE LARGEST LOSS OF LIFE SINCE THE DINOSAURS. THE SKYROCKETING LEVELS OF POLLUTION, THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY ARE RESULTING IN SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NUMEROUS AREAS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE NATURAL WORLD CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT DIVERSITY. THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS TRULY THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
IN 2022, THE UNITED NATIONS ADOPTED A LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO GUIDE GLOBAL ACTION ON NATURE THROUGH 2030. 196 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE AGREEMENT WHICH ADDRESSED LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY, RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. THE AGREEMENT COMMITS THE NATIONS TO REVERSE THE LOSS OF THE NATURAL WORLD BY 30%, AND PROTECT AND RECOVER 30% OF THE DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS BY 2030. WE HAVE ONLY SIX YEARS LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL AND LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO DATE. SETTING REALISTIC GOALS AND ESTABLISHING MEANINGFUL PLANS OF ACTION ARE ESSENTIAL, BUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS DEMANDS ACTION BY THE PEOPLE! IT IS LITERALLY UP TO YOU AND ME TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE ACTION. IT WILL NECESSITATE CHANGES IN OUR LIFE STYLES AND ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE OUR HABITS SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN SHARE IN THE GOOD LIFE ON EARTH! I FIND A GREAT DEAL OF WRITTEN MATERIAL ABOUT THE ISSUE AND OBSERVE POLITICAL PRESSURE FROM ONE PARTY TO CONSTRAIN THE RELEASE OF GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE, BUT THE ISSUES IS LARGER THAN JUST FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS NEEDS A NEW FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS NEED TO HELP OUR YOUTH UNDERSTAND THE NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS LIFE REQUIRES. OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLEXITY AND NECESSITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD TO SUSTAIN LIFE. CREATION MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN DETAIL, SO WE CAN BEGIN TO APPRECIATE THE DAMAGE HUMANITY HAS CAUSED. CORPORATE AMERICA MUST SUPPORT INITIATIVES TO CLEAN UP AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL WORLD. IF WE LOSE OUR LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS ONLY NATURE CAN PROVIDE, CONSUMPTION WILL SHRINK AND BUSINESS PROFITS WILL DIE. HAVE WE PROCRASTINATED TO LONG, IS THERE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES? ONLY TIME WILL TELL! THE GREEDY PRACTICES OF OUR PAST AND THE INABILITY TO SHARE, IS ACCELERATING THE DEMISE OF LIFE ON EARTH! IN ACTION WILL RESULT IN PAINFUL DEVESTATING RESULTS. IT IS TIME TO JOIN HANDS AND TAKE A GIANT STEP FORWARD! SPREAD THE FACTS, HELP ORGANIZE YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SUPPORT KNOWLEDGEABLE POLITIAN’S AND MANAGEMENT LEADERS’. BE THE SPARK THAT HELPS  LIGHTS THE EIGHT AND FINAL FIRE OF THE ANCIENT ANISHINAABE FIRE PROPHECIES.  ITS OUR COMMITMENT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS!      
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IMPACTS OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

9/4/2024

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                                            HUMANITY’S FUTURE
 
HUMANITY’S FUTURE IS CURRENTLY IN QUESTION DUE TO THE IMPACT OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. MY PAST WRITINGS HAVE EMPHASIZED THAT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY HAS PRODUCED POSITIVE RESULTS FOR OUR LIFE STYLES, BUT HAD DEVASTATING ADVERSE IMPACTS UPON THE NATURAL WORLD. MODERN CONVENIENCES HAVE COMPLICATED, YET SIMPLIFIED OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY IMPROVING OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND OUR PRODUCTIVITY. FOR MANY OF US, PARTICULARLY OUR SENIORS, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY HAS COMPLICATED OUR LIFES AND MADE COMMUNICATIONS MORE DIFFICULT. MUCH OF THE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EFFORTS HAVE BEEN DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A LARGER WORK FORCE. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR HUMANS BY RELYING ON THE INTERNET, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND ROBOTS; WILL DO TO THE HUMAN PSYCHE? MOST HUMANS SPENT AT LEAST 40 HOURS A WEEK IN A TECHNOLOGY WORLD ENVIRONMENT.
THE WAYS OF INTERNET USE HAS SHAPED HUMANITY OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS, WITH THE PROBABILITY OF INCREASED POTENTIAL IMPACT IN THE FUTURE.  MANY TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS DESCRIBE THE STATE OF OUR SOCIETY AS TECHLASH. THE HOPE IS OF COURSE, THAT FURTHER ADVANCEMENTS WILL PRODUCE MORE INCLUSIVE AND REWARDING USES. THE TRUTH IS, EXPANDED USE OF THE INTERNET AND AI WILL RESULT IN INCREASED COMPLICATIONS, UNTRUSTWORTHY INFORMATION, CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, CIBER INTERFERENCE AND ACTUAL WARFARE. THE LATE HISTORIAN, MELVIN KRANSBERG, HAS SUGGESTED,” TECHNOLOGY IS NEITHER GOOD OR BAD; NOR IS IT NEUTRAL. IN FACT, THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE INTERNET HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIVE AND DISRUPTIVE. IN THE NEXT 50 YEARS, INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND AI TECHNOLOGY SHOW EVERY SIGN OF BEING EVEN MORE SO”.
WE HEAR, ALMOST DAILY, ABOUT THE ADVERSE IMPACTS SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE INTERNET IS HAVING, PARTICULARLY ON OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. THE IMPACTS EVEN INCLUDE INCREASED SUICIDE RATES. WE HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WITH SEVERAL NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND THE IMPACT IT IS HAVING ON THEIR YOUTH. THESE PEOPLE HAVE HELD ON TO THEIR TRADITIONAL CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD THROUGH STORY TELLING AND DAILY INTERACTION WITH NATURE. WE HAVE ATTENDED SEVERAL POWWOW’S, AND ARE HEARTENED BY THE WILLINGNESS OF THEIR YOUTH, PARTICULARLY TEEN AGERS, TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR DANCES AND CEREMONIES DRESSED IN THEIR TRADITIONAL REGALIA. THE ELDERS ARE NOW EXPRESSING CONCERN THAT TODAY THEIR YOUTH ARE BEING DISTRACTED BY TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS SMART PHONES AND THE INTERNET. THEIR TRADITIONAL CONNECTION TO NATURE AND CULTURAL ART IS SLOWLY SLIPPING AWAY. I STILL BELIEVE STRONGLY, THAT THE EMPIRICAL OBSERVATION WHICH PROVIDED THE NATIVE WISDOM ABOUT NATURE, IS CRITICAL FOR SUSTAINING HUMANITY’S FUTURE.
I HAVE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED THE FACT THAT EARTH HAS A LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY FOR THE MILLIONS OF ORGANISMS THAT LIVE ON OUR PLANET. OUR MAIN CONCERN IS WITH OUR OWN SPECIES. WE MUST REMEMBER, WHAT IS TRUE FOR HUMANS IS TRUE FOR MOST ALL SPECIES. WE HAVE OBSERVED NUMEROUS PAST SITUATIONS WHERE A SPECIES POPULATION HAS EXCEEDED ITS ECOSYSTEM’S CARRYING-CAPACITY. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE SPECIES EXPERIENCES SICKNESS, DISEASE, STARVATION AND EVEN DEATH. RECOVERY SOMETIMES IS POSSIBLE, HOWEVER EXTINCTION OF SOME SPECIES MAY RESULT. THERE HAVE BEEN FEW EFFORTS TO PROJECT WHAT THE CARRYING-CAPACITY ON EARTH IS FOR THE HUMAN SPECIES. MANY BELIEVE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE. AFTER ALL, WE CAN PURIFY THE WATER, CLEAR THE FOREST LANDS TO GROW FOOD CROPS, GENETICALLY ENGINEER PLANTS TO PROVIDE MORE FOOD, LEVEL THE MOUNTAINS TO CREATE CITIES AND AGRICULTURAL LANDS, AND THE LIST GOES ON. YET, ALL THIS DESTROYS THE NATURAL WORLD THAT SUSTAINS 80% OF LIFE ON EARTH.   
HUMANITY’S FUTURE WILL REQUIRE CONTROLLING AND HARNESSING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IF WE HOPE TO PROLONG THE SUSTENANCE OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. JUAN ORTIZ FREULER AND NNENNA NWAKENMIA, OF THE AFRICA AT THE WEB FOUNDATION, WROTE, “UNLESS WE SEE A RADICAL SHIFT SOON, THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT WILL LIKELY BE RECALLED AS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY. HISTORY WILL UNDERLINE THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE BASIS FOR RADICALLY INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES WHERE NETWORKED COMMUNICATIONS COULD CERTAINLY DEFINED THEIR COLLECTIVE FUTURE. A TOOL THAT COULD HAVE EMPOWERED THE PEOPLE BUT BECAME A TOOL FOR MASS SURVEILLANCE AND POPULATION CONTROL. A TOOL THAT COULD HAVE STRENGTHENED THE SOCIAL FIBER BY ALLOWING PEOPLE TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND SHARE THEIR STORIES, BUT OUT OF IT GREW HUGH INEQUALITIES BETWEEN THE CONNECTED AND NOT-CONNECTED, BOTH LOCALLY AND ACROSS COUNTRIES”.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT HUMANITY IS AT A PRECIPICE, AND ITS FUTURE IS AT STAKE. RELIANCE UPON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY MAY IMPROVE OUR LIFE STYLE, BUT PROBABLY FAIL TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO SHARE AND WORK TOGETHER. IT WILL MOST LIKELY ACCELERATE THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES, INCLUDING OUR OWN SPECIES! OUR EXPANDED RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY WILL ADVERSELY IMPACT THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGERS MUST FOCUS THEIR EFFORTS ON SUSTAINING WHAT REMAINS OF THE NATURAL WORLD. LIP-SERVICE IS NOT SUFFICIENT, ACTION IS REQUIRED! WE ARE NOW FACED WITH THE QUESTION, IS IT TO LATE TO PROLONG OUR FUTURE? I CHALLENGE YOU TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, JOIN HANDS AND FIND REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO PROLONG HUMANITY’S EXISTENCE ON PLANET EARTH. MANY OF THE CHANGES WILL FOCUS ON NEW AND DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR WHAT REMAINS OF THE NATURAL WORLD!  MUCH OF THE NEEDED WISDOM REQUIRED FOR FUTURE MANAGEMENT CAN BE FOUND WITHIN OTHER CULTURES, LIKE OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE!               
    
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August 02nd, 2024

8/2/2024

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?
 
WITH 86 YEARS OF LIVING ON PLANET EARTH, MY RETIREMENT YEARS HAVE CAUSED ME TO FOCUS ON WHAT MANY CONSIDER PROGRESS WE HAVE ACHIEVED AND WHAT EFFECT IT WILL HAVE ON HUMANITY’S FUTURE. SCIENCE BELIEVES THE HUMAN SPECIES WAS INTRODUCED TO PLANET EARTH ABOUT 650,000 YEARS AGO, AND EVOLVED TO BE THE DOMINATE SPECIES WITH HIGHLY INTELLIGENT CAPABILITIES. OUR SPECIES HAS MADE AMAZING ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROGRESS THROUGH THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION. WE HAVE EVOLVED INTO A HIGHLY TECHNICAL SOCIETY WITH MOST AMERICANS LIVING AN AFFLUENT LIFE STYLE. UNFORTUNATELY, THESE    PROGRESSIVE ADVANCEMENTS TO DATE, SEEM TO HAVE INTENSIFIED DIVISION BETWEEN US, OUR NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITIES. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN IT WAS COMMON TO SHARE AND HELP ONE ANOTHER, PARTICULARLY IN RURAL AMERICA.  I THINK BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD WHEN WE VISITED MY GRANDPARENTS’ FARMS, AND OBSERVED A WAY OF LIFE FAR DIFFERENT FROM TODAY. NEIGHBORS WOULD GATHER TO HELP WITH GRAIN THRASHING, SILO FILLING, CROP HARVESTING AND OTHER LABOR-INTENSIVE CHORES. I HAVE PERSONALLY OBSERVED A GATHERING OF A HUNDRED PLUS AMISH MEN AND WOMEN TO RAISE A NEW BARN FOR A YOUNG COUPLE READY TO BEGIN THEIR FARMING LIFE TOGETHER. TODAY, LABOR HAS BEEN REPLACED BY LARGE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT CAPABLE OF PLANTING A LARGE FIELD OF CORN IN AN HOUR. LARGE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY MACHINES. TODAY, OVER 80% OF AMERICA’S POPULATION ARE URBAN DWELLERS. MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 70 YEARS.
IN A WORLD WHERE WE SEEM TO HAVE LOST OUR WILLINGNESS TO SHARE WITH NEIGHBORS, IT HAS BECOME ESSENTIAL WE REKINDLE OUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT, IF WE HOPE TO SOLVE CRITICAL ISSUES THREATENING HUMANITIES FUTURE ON PLANET EARTH! GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM HAS RESULTED IN UNACCEPTABLE DIVISION WITHIN OUR SOCIETY. ARE WE WILLING TO ACCEPT OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO COMMUNITY AND CHANGE OUR CURRENT FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALISM?
IT SEEMS THE FIRST QUESTION WE MUST FOCUS ON IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN? BEYOND THE BIOLOGICAL DEFINITION OF THE SPECIES, ARE THERE TWO PEOPLE THAT HAVE EVERYTHING IN COMMON JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS? RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS EMPHASIZE WE ARE ALL CREATED EQUAL, FREE AND BORN WITH A PURPOSE. THERE IS NO QUESTION, WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT, WHEN WE COMPARE THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES OF HUMAN BEINGS. IT IS MANKIND THAT HAS DEFINED AND SEPARATED THE DIFFERENT CULTURES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. DIVERSITY BECOMES EVIDENT WHEN WE EXAMINE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE HAVE VERY DIVERSE SKILLS, TALENTS, ABILITIES, BELIEFS AND DESIRES. THESE DIFFERENCES ALLOW OUR COMPLEX WORLD TO FUNCTION. I HAVE BEEN EMPHASIZING THE FACT THAT, “THE EXTEND OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION”. I STILL ACCEPT THIS TO BE TRUE AND BELIEVE THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL SUCCESS. IT IS THE SHARING OF THESE DIVERSE SKILLS AND TALENTS THAT ALLOW US TO SUCCESSFULLY SOLVE COMPLEX ISSUES TOGETHER. THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS A HUMAN AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? IT BEGINS BY ASKING OURSELVES WHO WE USE TO BE, WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE WANT TO BE?
THERE ARE NUMEROUS ADJECTIVES THAT HELP DESCRIBE THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF A HUMAN BEING, HOWEVER DESCRIBING A HUMAN GOES FAR BEYOND THEIR APPEARANCE. HUMAN BEINGS HAVE FEELINGS, PERCEPTIONS, MEMORIES, INTELLIGENCE, DESIRES, SKILLS AND WISDOM; BASED UPON THE ENVIRONMENT THEY ARE RAISED IN. WE LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE AND STORE OUR MEMORIES FOR FUTURE USE. EVERY HUMAN IS BORN WITH A PURPOSE AND A SET OF SKILLS AND TALENTS THAT MAKE THEM DIFFERENT FROM EVERYONE ELSE. BEING A MEMBER OF THE HUMAN SPECIES ALSO PLACES RESPONSIBILITIES AND REQUIREMENTS ON EACH PERSON. UTILIZING OUR DIFFERENCES HAS ALLOWED OUR CULTURES AND SOCIETIES TO GROW AND SUCCEED. WHEN WE FOCUS ON INDIVIDUALISM, IT RESULTS IN DIVISION AND DESTROYS HUMANITY RATHER THAN ENHANCING IT. REMEMBER, “NOTHING IS ITSELF WITHOUT ALL THE REST”. THERE IS LITTLE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH WITHOUT SHARING. COUNTIES, COMMUNITIES, CORPORATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS SUCCEED WHEN EMPLOYEES SHARE AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNIT. KNOWING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN, IDENTIFIES THE ROLE WE MUST FILL IF LIFE IS TO BE SUSTAINED.      
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CONSIDER OUR SHARED RESPONSIBILITY TO COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY, AND HOW IT WILL IMPACTED THE FUTURE WE ARE BUILDING TOGETHER. EACH OF US ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THAT FUTURE IN SOME WAY, AND THEREFORE MUST UNDERSTAND WHO WE ARE AND WHAT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES ARE. THE HUMAN SPECIES, WITH INCREASING INTENSITY, HAS BEEN IMPACTING EARTH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A PLANET RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES THAT HAS ALLOWED OUR WORLD POPULATION TO EXPAND TO ALMOST 8 BILLION PEOPLE. WE HAVE EXPANDED FROM A HUNTER-GATHER ECONOMY, TO AN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY, THEN A MANUFACTURING ECONOMY, FOLLOWED BY A TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY AND NOW A SERVICE ECONOMY. YES, I HAVE OBSERVED MAJOR CHANGES, OR WHAT SOME MIGHT CALL PROGRESS, AND ALTHOUGH IT HAS PROVIDED POSITIVE LIFE STYLE CHANGES, IT HAS ADVERSELY IMPACTED THE NATURAL WORLD.
THE PROBLEM IS, IT HAS CHANGED YOU AND ME AND OUR WAY OF LIFE. WE WERE CREATED AS THE DOMINATE SPECIES ON EARTH, AND COMMANDED TO CARE FOR AND NURTURE, NOT DOMINATE AND CONTROL EARTH. MUCH OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN IS BASED UPON WHAT WE ARE CAPABLE OF. THIS MEANS OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES MUST EVOLVE WITH TIME AS WE CREATE NEW METHODS OF AUGMENTATION. TECHNOLOGY NOW IS PART OF OUR LIFE AND HAS EXPANDED OUR CAPABILITIES. NUMEROUS FORCES ARE DIVIDING US AT A TIME WHEN OUR FUTURE PLANS REQUIRE SHARED UNDERSTANDING AND TRUST. UNDERSTANDING OUR HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS TO THE NATURAL WORLD IS ESSENTIAL. BEING HUMAN DEMANDS OUR COMMITMENT TO THE BIBLICAL COMMANDMENT TO CARE FOR AND NURTURE PLANET EARTH AND ITS RICH NATURAL RESOURCES! BEING HUMAN ASSIGNS RESPONSIBILITY AND DEMANDS ACTION! IT REQUIRES REACHING OUT TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND SHARING THE WORKLOAD! BEING SELFISH DIVIDES AND DESTROYS, SHARING AND CONTRIBUTING BUILDS AND PROVIDES FOR A DESIRED FUTURE! COMPASSION, ACTION AND SHARING WILL MAKE OUR WORLD STRONGER AND PROLONG OUR SPECIES FUTURE! WE MUST REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER AND REDEEM OUR RESPONSIBILITIES SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF HUMAN LIFE ON EARTH! IF WE CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE, WE MUST BECOME INVOLVED!   
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