|
Home::Environment
Another Doomsday, Another Dollar: Shifting Science Towards P
Author : Charlotte Laws
In his book, Our Final Hour, Cambridge professor and Britain’s “Astronomer Royal” Martin Rees predicts humanity has no more than a 50/50 chance of survival into the next century and that by 2020 a million people will perish due to scientific error or terror. Some would call him prescient, while others would interpret his words as alarmist, resembling a layer cake with environmental fears on top of nuclear fears on top of chemical and biological threats, ad infinitum. With a sci-fi flare, he warns of runaway technology, human clones and an ability to insert memory chips into the brain.
Doomsday predictors get much the same respect as the “toxic fumes” sign at the local service station; they impart their wisdom, yet we yawn. Situations which seem grim and overwhelming, even potentially lethal, tend to be ignored. Attention on more immediate and “American” concerns, such as consumer goods and personal advancement, monopolize our daily thoughts. This is arguably foolhardy and indicative of the “another doomsday, another dollar” mentality.
Rees is not a lone voice on the scientific stage. The “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists” reports we have seven minutes until our final bow at midnight. Other reputable experts surmise that a “gray goo” or nanotechnological catastrophe poses the greatest threat. This involves the invention of miniature, self-replicating machines that gnaw away at the environment until it is devoid of life. It need not be deliberate sabotage—as in technological warfare by one nation against another--but could result from a laboratory mishap.
Astronomers speak of fugitive asteroids that could destroy major sections of our planet within the next 30 years. Others point to atom-crashing tests and their potential for a lethal strangelet scenario. Strangelets are malformed subatomic matter, which could distort all normal matter and dissolve the earth in seconds.
There are streams of alerts from environmental experts who tell us natural disasters are on the rise. They warn of climatic change and tell us the world's species die at a rate 1000 times greater than they did prior to human existence due to habitat destruction and the introduction of non-indigenous species into the ecosystem. Their conclusion? If we do not reverse the damaging trend, Earth itself will be extinct.
Should we open our minds to doomsday predictions? And if we accept them, what is the next step to insure or increase our chance of planetary survival?
In his book, Science, Money and Politics, Daniel Greenberg follows a trail of suspicion. He condemns what he believes to be the self-serving, greedy scientific community with its bungled research, conflicts of interest and findings that never see the light of day due to suppression by corporate sponsors. But this seems to be an overly cynical, embellished perspective; there are surely many scientists dedicated to discovery and social responsibility, apart from any personal gain. And we should not forget that offering controversial insights can be at a cost; proponents of “radical” theories often expose themselves to public and professional ridicule.
Regardless of skepticism, the “Pascal’s Wager” game plan seems a good bet. This essentially means we should not gamble with eternity, but instead urge the scientific community to take precautions since Armageddon allows no second chance. Better to err on the side of life, even if it means some black holes will go unexplored and some research grants will be pulled.
Precaution means building contingency plans--such as shields and containment measures--into emerging technologies so that if an experiment goes awry, a safety net will kick into place. It means the scientific community should better police itself. It means committees or boards—both local and international—should be established for oversight and regulations, much like Albert Einstein proposed in 1947 to maintain worldwide peace. Many nation-states and multinational corporations are known for fighting even minimal efforts to regulate dangerous technology, and they must be countered.
There are pragmatic hurdles to be negotiated when trying to impose rules on private parties or on authorities in renegade lands, but the ozone hole “near disaster” demonstrates how the world can cooperate when it comes to life-and-death matters. As cultures dovetail, as communications rise, as borders become more porous, and as the world figuratively shrinks, it will be easier to impose structure and scientific parameters on nations that seem combative today
Science must shift its course and find new mountains to climb. It looks to us for cues. Due to our materialistic bent as a culture, our cursory endorsement of “progress” and our captivation with the Prometheus-like aura of technology, we subtly ask the scientific community to scale those mountains that are the highest (great accolades can be received), the easiest (the path of least resistance) or the most profit-oriented (grant money from special interests or an emphasis on reducing labor so companies can realize greater proceeds) rather than those that are the most ecological and peace-enhancing.
The research community has rivers of creativity and forests of energy that could instead be directed towards rivers and forests. It could move towards ecological preservation and restoration, peaceful alternatives to conflict and a furthering of life on this planet.
We will know a cultural transition is underway when news reports following fires, earthquakes and other disasters address the impact on natural systems and nonhuman species, rather than just the human and economical consequences, such as the number of homes lost. Our capitalistic culture thrives on the fact that nature is cost-free, which in turn, reinforces the notion that it is expendable and devoid of value. This reality must change. Our reality must change. And science must change. It must shift towards peace and ecology. It’s as plain as doomsday.
About the Author
Charlotte Laws is a nationally syndicated columniust, councilmember in Valley Glen, California (GVGC) and the President of the League for Earth and Animal Protection (LEAP). She has attended Oxford University and earned a Ph.D. in Social Ethics from the University of Southern California. Her political website is www.ValleyGlen.us and her nonprofit website is www.LEAPnonprofit.org Spam emails More free articles Related articles
|
More related feeds |
Another Doomsday, Another Dollar: Shifting Science Towards P
This is arguably foolhardy and indicative of the “another doomsday, another dollar” mentality. Rees is not a lone voice on the scientific stage. The “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists” reports we have seven minutes until our final bow at ...Libertarian Democrat Point Of View: "Suddenly risk adverse reserve ...
a) By shifting out of one asset and into another asset. Selling Agencies and buying Treasuries for example. Or selling equities to buy Treasuries. ( GOOD POINT ). b) By shifting out of the dollar ( GOOD POINT ) ... Libertarian Democrat Point Of View: "We call this "circling the ...
So the idea that somehow there is a glut of money because one country or another is holding a big stash ignores the fact that no matter what that country did with the money it would still exist. If it were spent it would represent sales ... naked capitalism: Links 1/2/09
31 (Bloomberg) -- Developing nations plan to sell the most dollar-denominated bonds since 2005, reversing a shift into local debt, as commodities prices fall, foreign reserves diminish and emerging-market currencies weaken. ... another doomsday, another dollar: shifting science towards p
in his book, our final hour, cambridge professor and britain’s “astronomer royal” martin rees predicts humanity has no more than a 50/50 chance of sur. naked capitalism: Cautionary Tales: Central Bank Liquidity ...
A review of 26 episodes of financial distress and crises in Latin America – from the mid-1990s onward – shows that growing financial assistance to impaired banks led market participants to shift portfolios toward foreign currency assets ... naked capitalism: Has Beggar Thy Neighbor Started?
At each step that the fog begins to clear investors and decision makers are caught out. Protectionism is just another step which will cause investors and decision makers to be caught out with unanticipated results. ... naked capitalism: Super Low Treasury Rates Reducing Repos and With ...
Just another reason why you should never put an academic, like Bernanke, in charge of anything in the real world. December 17, 2008 1:44 PM · FairEconomist said... I know I'm starting to be a broken record, but it's very simple. ... Libertarian Democrat Point Of View: "The number of dead just keeps ...
"Truly speaking, it is not instruction, but provocation, that I can receive from another soul." "car les vrais paradis sont les paradis qu’on a perdus.” "Will Time say nothing but I told you so? If I could tell you I would let you know. ... naked capitalism: The Fed Has Become a Prime Broker, Will Lend to ...
another way to look at the fear stated that the fed will have to 'sell/dump' bad stuff when inflation rears its head above 3%....would be to assume that the fed does not believe deflation will be defeated anytime soon and might be ...
| |
