Let's touch on the recent (oh, wait, 87 days ago isn't recent? You're right.) gulf oil spill. It's not even exciting to me that they've finally "capped" the gusher, and I'm more than underwhelmed at this supposed progress they've made on it. Not cool. This entire situation has DEFINITELY made our nation's dependence on oil an even more disgusting habit. No matter how you look at it. And it's a seemingly unbreakable habit that has been making our planet... Hot.
In the late 1700's, our country took amazing steps in technology and resources during the Industrial Revolution. Society was advancing through innovative thought, incredibly hard work and The Big-Boys-of-then getting just as dirty as the people that worked for them. And it worked. And our country took giant steps. And we became powerful. And the American Dream was born (more about that later -- see how it's impossible to stay on one topic?). But since those late years of the 1700's, very little innovation has occurred, leaving us to rely on these fossil fuels (coal, crude oil, natural gas)... fuels that emit Carbon Dioxide (CO2). [p. 69]
[Imagine me going on a personal rant, and insert that paragraph here, because I wrote it and then remember this is Fridays with Friedman...]
So flashback to gradeschool when we all learned about the Model T car built by Henry Ford in 1896. Between the years of 1908 and 1927, Henry Ford's "use of the modern industrial assembly line" had produced over 18 million Model T cars. [p. 70] Umm... that's a lot of automobile stuff, and that's a lot of oil. So, excuse me, but why are we here 100 years later, and still using the same method for getting around? Burning oil and puttering around in the same transportation system with mere comfort enhancements like air-conditioning, adjustable seats, and fancy surround sound being our ONLY progress in advancement?? ANYONE? blegh.
Anyway... with this new technology, society was finally going places. People were able to move quickly and on their own time. They were exploring and discovering a completely new idea of freedom. And with this, people had the ability to live privately and not feel confined to living so close to city-centers. People could live further from work because driving in became the norm... and, in turn, became glamorous. All of this gave birth to urban sprawl... the thing that I despise the most. So people are driving anywhere and everywhere, all the time, and life is good.
But WAIT! For every mile we drive, we are basically throwing a pound of CO2 into the atmosphere [p. 71], and that isn't something we can pick up like a nasty styrofoam cup that some idiot tossed out of the passenger-side window now, is it. That's staying there. In the atmosphere. For good. And each molecule that's hanging out up there is absorbing heat from the earth's surface. (And methane does this too only to a higher degree. And methane comes from things like cows. And then you have to wonder if we really need the large number of cows that we seem to have dotting our nation, but then that goes into America's diet and obesity, and that's a topic like urban sprawl to me where I can't believe it's so bad and I'd just need to see you face to face to hash that one out...)
I'm sure you already knew all of this; how global climate change is really happening and where it all started... but I don't think it's talked about in the seriousness that it deserves. People still flippantly toss the topic aside and trick themselves into believing that it is either a) 'not actually happening', or b) 'it's not going to affect me and my family'.... Anyone else hear things like that and think, yikes?
You ALL... I'm so sad that I have to leave for now, and that the topic is such a heavy one and that we only got, like, a millimeter of depth into a mile deep subject (and only touched on 3 pages of this book -- what?? I know!), buuuuuut..... WHAT DO YOU THINK???
Anyway... with this new technology, society was finally going places. People were able to move quickly and on their own time. They were exploring and discovering a completely new idea of freedom. And with this, people had the ability to live privately and not feel confined to living so close to city-centers. People could live further from work because driving in became the norm... and, in turn, became glamorous. All of this gave birth to urban sprawl... the thing that I despise the most. So people are driving anywhere and everywhere, all the time, and life is good.
But WAIT! For every mile we drive, we are basically throwing a pound of CO2 into the atmosphere [p. 71], and that isn't something we can pick up like a nasty styrofoam cup that some idiot tossed out of the passenger-side window now, is it. That's staying there. In the atmosphere. For good. And each molecule that's hanging out up there is absorbing heat from the earth's surface. (And methane does this too only to a higher degree. And methane comes from things like cows. And then you have to wonder if we really need the large number of cows that we seem to have dotting our nation, but then that goes into America's diet and obesity, and that's a topic like urban sprawl to me where I can't believe it's so bad and I'd just need to see you face to face to hash that one out...)
I'm sure you already knew all of this; how global climate change is really happening and where it all started... but I don't think it's talked about in the seriousness that it deserves. People still flippantly toss the topic aside and trick themselves into believing that it is either a) 'not actually happening', or b) 'it's not going to affect me and my family'.... Anyone else hear things like that and think, yikes?
You ALL... I'm so sad that I have to leave for now, and that the topic is such a heavy one and that we only got, like, a millimeter of depth into a mile deep subject (and only touched on 3 pages of this book -- what?? I know!), buuuuuut..... WHAT DO YOU THINK???
1 comments:
cars -> roads -motels - fast food -ammusements - vacations - commute -family distance -
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