Gerd Leipold - Energy Revolution

This is an excellent clip from Mr. Leipold. Setting aside the nuclear issue for now, the focus is on dramatically
increased efficiencies which is something that can begin immediately. It appears that one of the largest items 

in the Obama Stimulus Package is the funding to accelerate work on a smart grid(s). You can read further 

about the energy revolution at http://energytechstocks.com/

James Burke - After the Warming

I thoroughly enjoyed the James Burke video and appreciate the introduction. I intend to watch the video again this weekend if I can carve out an extra 90 minutes. Burke also has a fascinating website that updates and chronicles his journey.   I became keenly interested in the film when he mentioned adaptability in the introduction. As a student of integrated energy management, I focus on adaptability, enhanced efficiencies and energy sources that are properly integrated with the biosphere and the atmosphere. These ecological approaches form a sustainability pyramid that can work to create a healthy planet in much the same way that the food pyramid is designed to create healthy bodies.   I found his observation that the prehistoric humans that survived were the ones who could "walk upright and see over the top of the grass" to be especially instructive. It is now imperative that we begin to see our planetary future and move toward sustainability with all deliberate haste. His point that GHGs have the greatest impact between the natural orbit and tilt cycles is critical to sorting through the complexities of global warming and climate change.   I was intrigued by the Planetary Management Authority but was dismayed that they didn't expect real adaptability until 2050. I think there is a much closer horizon of adaptation due to many factors. The global economic contraction has already significantly decreased consumption which is the surest way to have an immediate impact and a sign that adaptation has truly begun. I was pleased that Burke sees geothermal replacing coal in China, and I think it can have a significant impact in other countries as well. I also concur that solar is the energy source with the greatest potential.   I was most concerned about the oceans and their increasing inability to absorb carbon. This was the most worrisome aspect of the film and I am aware of research that will work to offset this phenomenon.   It seems to me that most of the world has moved beyond Burke's "grunts" about global warming and can now "see over the top of the grass." We are beginning to articulate a global strategy for sustainable development and I expect great progress to be made in both the short and long term.

The Ascent to Nature

In The Creation, E.O. Wilson discusses the "ascent to nature" and its value in helping us understand the proper role that humans play in the biosphere. He states that, "To be a naturalist is not just an activity but a noble state of mind. Those who have expressed its value and protected living Nature are among America's heroes: John James Audubon, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, William Beebe, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson."

Clearing Winter Storm by Ansel Adams has long been a favorite of environmentalists because of its majestic natural beauty and its strong sense of foreboding. This image captures perfectly the inspirational, sometimes magical quality of Adams' work. The clouds are ominous and low with brilliant swaths of sunshine. You can almost feel the cold and moisture in the air and the swirling atmospherics.

As humans continue to design our pyramids of sustainability and build the steps toward our ascent, we have visual markers like the work of Adams to help guide us on our aspirational journey.