If you want to kill trees or any other plant organism you start with shutting off the oxygen. That was the principal of the agents used in defoliating Vietnam Jungles. You spray and come back two or three days later and the trees are already turning brown. They do grow back but that has to be at the root level, not above ground. I'm sure both could be worked out and not kill people ! There were actually 3 agents used not just one named Agent Orange. I think one of those was a close relative of the old cotton sprays that have killed thousands of farmers and no one ever suspected the sprays. People were dying young if they lived around cotton spraying because it did get into the underground water systems.
w I see a place for smart machines in the very important areas of environmental repair. For example, there is a fish called the Lion Fish, quite attractive really, that is rapidly expanding into ocean areas beyond its 'natural' (whatever natural means) environment, crowding out other species to the point of extinction in some cases. It reproduces at an alarming rate. View attachment 55762 I can envision a smart robot that could be manufactured in the thousands that can recognize and destroy most of these pests, thus restoring variety and health to the ocean ecosystems. Such a machine could operate at depths impossible for humans, then come to the surface for solar recharge of its batteries. Closer to home, we have an invasive species of tree around here that's taking over forests and crowding out other trees. It propagates very fast though both seeds and root sprouts. I'd apply the same tactics as for Lion Fish except that I haven't come up with a way of killing the tree without poisoning it's immediate area. Cutting them off at ground level just causes them to spread faster. The Lion Fish could be killed mechanically with some type of extruding retractable spear without damage to the surroundings. View attachment 55763 [/QUOTE] I would rather people would harvest invasives for food and go after cleaning up all the plastic in the oceans. It is only just starting.
I would rather people would harvest invasives for food and go after cleaning up all the plastic in the oceans. It is only just starting.[/QUOTE] Hi Mary, sounds like great thinking outside the box!
I don't think they school like some other fish, so either baited lines or nets wouldn't reduce their numbers significantly, plus you'd be catching other species they might be preying on. I'm no expert in these areas. I just think we have opportunities to make our industry and tech work towards making ecosystems better, rather than exclusively damaging our environment. That 'better' is, I suppose, just our own preference, but I'd rather see more variety in wildlife ecosystems than less. One just feels healthier than the other from an intuitive standpoint. Also, I've not read any speculation about whether the Lion Fish explosion has been caused by some human activity. I need to go back to school and get my Doctorate Of Everything degree.
Hi Mary, sounds like great thinking outside the box![/QUOTE] I have the box my half-sized refrigerator came in and I often climb in it to do my thinking. Are you saying it would be better outside? Hmm, I'll think about that outside the box.
I don't think they know exactly how the first lion fish were introduced here. So much of this stuff happens from freighters engaging in global commerce. They dump their ballasts (I think that's the term) when entering the destination port. I believe the ballast is water (and critters) sucked up from their home port. I know that's how invasive mollusks were introduced here. Of course, it could have all started with someone's unwanted pet getting flushed down the toilet.
AI is like a very decandent dessert - a little eaten slow and savoring the taste buds is delightful - over eat and you get sick.
That's a strong possibility. Also, I think any ballast water can have fertilized fish eggs mixed in. People truly have to take on the role of stewards of the planet even if we don't always get it right.
The Earth can pretty much take care of itself, I think. Physical pollution should be controlled, but ecosystems find their own balance...it's survived way worse. "Being a steward" usually manifests itself into controlling others in inane ways. Mary mentioned plastic in the oceans. That's mostly from Asia, which creates islands in the Pacific, then hits our west coast. So what's the solution??? Why, banning plastic straws in New York. Makes perfect cents.
Some private groups are working on clean up. But if governments were actually for the people, they would get involved. More proof.
Perfect cents. So cynical, John. I'm seeing that people with their unrestrained population growth are probably the most important and destructive influence on the global ecosystem. It's sad that our individual choices affect nothing and we must put in place systemic policies that really work, which means that governments are parts of any solutions. Trivial stuff like going back to recyclable glass and eschewing this toxic plastic crap are little parts of broad problem solving. Back in my papers is a design for an electric car with a 75 mile range, plain ole cheap lead acid batteries, that, in conjunction and duel use with a gas car, could cut pollutant emissions to a livable level. 90% of our driving are those short trips under 75 miles daily. 4000 bucks would buy it, instead of the 60,000 they want for the tesla and others.. It'll never get built because it's not profitable or wasteful enough and makes basic sense. Own nothing, eat bugs, take our happy pills, don't worry, be happy. The New World Order (Great Reset, Illuminati, Freemasons, Satanists, aliens, whoever) is using the threat of ecological disaster to eliminate the nation state and put us all under totalitarian world government. There is a middle ground where the money, power and control is taken from the psychopathic billionaires. Unfortunately the world population will take a nosedive no matter which side wins. I'm losing all my labels. I'm not a greenie, nor a socialist, nor an anarchist, nor a demoncrat or depublican. Sometimes I think I might be a Martian. I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with being a handsome, brilliant, sexy 70 year old whom you seriously don't want to mess with.
Its not so much the youth ,its the parents and society they live in. Most kids don't know how to do anything because they never had to do anything. I was a young grandmother 37 when my first one was born so I had time and energy to teach the first 7 spent every summer, Spring Break and xmas with us. They leaned real fast not to tell me they were bored. Florida summers are no worse than Georgias. No TV, cell phones allowed till evening for a couple hours. When the grandson ask why we only had 2 channels I told him that's all we need. But we did have a roller rink in next town and the beach of course. Yet every one of them wanted to come here instead of nursery or baby sitter.
Unrestrained population growth takes care of itself when societies modernize. The birth rate of First World Nations is below replacement levels, meaning that their populations are shrinking. The nations that are continuing to explode are China and India, and the continent of Africa. AND those nations/continent in their 3rd world ways physically pollute more than the rest of us do. But for "some reason" they continue to be held back. Maybe their damaging influence is required to maintain the crises that justify exerting control over the rest of us...like banning straws on the east coast of North America because of plastic pollution in Asia. If nothing else, we may destroy the planet's ability to sustain humans, but once we're gone Earth shall find a balance. It always has. Even after asteroids.
I can remember when there wasn't any plastic and it is a terrible problem,I watched a special about how bad. We are running out of fresh water, only 2% of the earths water is fresh the rest is salt. Water is the next gold according to experts.