 
# Middle Class Lifestyle – Fatal Environmental Consequences

# Jon Van Loon

# Copyright 2013 Jon Van Loon

# Smashwords Edition

# Preface

This book is an attempt to demonstrate just how deeply embedded the now rapidly growing problems destabilizing our environment are ingrained in the common functions that constitute daily life particularly related to the upper and middle class. These range from our personal life style ritual through the various societal, political, business and other infrastructure that ticks and tocks relentlessly in the course of a typical day worldwide. Trouble is in these crucial spheres NOBODY REALLY CARES. Think that this is crazy? Please do me the kindness of reading on before passing judgment.

Lest the reader think that I am writing embedded in a democratic political system and that the material herein is a condemnation of this particular ideology; I must firmly at this early stage allay this misconception.

Yes I am a 'child' of the democratic system and have headquartered therein. However my pathway throughout my professional days has deposited me in political jurisdictions in many lands. Thereby I was required to interact and work with political systems that ranged from Communist to Dictator to the extreme right wing. I was also exposed to the problems of working among opposing religious entities and sects and could observe the evils that were wrought by colonialism and particularly the disasters this evoked on indigenous populations.

It is important to stress that this book will likely annoy a large variety of sections of our society and it was designed to do just that. My hope is that the annoyance will be the 'bur under the saddle' so to speak that will introduce into our minds the real gravity of our environmental problems. More importantly might this keep concern for the real fundamental problems of maintaining a mankind sustainable biosphere constantly in our thoughts?

What is presented here is often linked to the topics and material from my other books. This is essential. The material in these former books covers accurately most of the subject matter crucial to the fate and eventual collapse of a mankind sustainable worldwide ecosystem. Thus their validity holds and can still be recommended to those seeking the straightforward overview of our deteriorating environmental situation. There is also much new material presented and most of the former material is focused on the most culpable determinants and hence reformulated in a manner appropriate for this purpose.

It has recently become frighteningly clear to me just how intimately the significant and often even the seemingly inconsequential aspects of our existing lifestyle has become the driving force of worldwide environmental collapse in the long term. Mankind's intractable mindset focused on short term wellbeing results in the inability to sense the need make drastic fundamental changes to our current patterns of daily living worldwide and will be our downfall.

What is so disturbing is that ensuring our current wellbeing is such a natural and seemingly humanly commendable practice that even I in my recognition of its pitfalls find myself therein enmeshed. What this suggests to me is that humans may be organisms incapable of or unwilling to unleash the foresight required for effectively sensing the essentials to protract our existence on this planet. Even assuming this foresight exists humans also appear powerless to make the fundamental change.

The argument presented above is the abstract of our present dilemma. This manuscript must now delineate using well recognized examples of mankind's current daily living and the establishment shortcomings that prove these contentions. The latter are in large part direct consequences of having been shaped by middle class public demand.

Here and there will appear personal stories illustrate of my own worldwide experiences related to the points I am attempting to make. These have both the frustrating facts plus they have not been altered and contain material that makes them feel more humanly interesting and even at times amusing.

My approach as usual will to keep statistics to a minimum in a subject where such material can be overwhelming. When it is necessary to use data Instead of quoting single sources it is my habit to survey the material in several reliable sources and crunching said material to provide representative values. Here and there at the head of topics will be a 1 line statistic. These come from www.worldometers.info/ which is a unique, real time data free reference website that covers important topics such as Population Count, Environment, Energy, Health, Food and Water. It is owned by Dadax with Sir Thomasson as Chief Project Coordinator and is "run by an international team of developers, researchers and volunteers", with no political, governmental or corporate affiliations. The quoted data are rounded figures for Nov 7 2013

# Introduction

"There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself" (The Long Goodbye-Raymond Chandler, Hamish Hamilton Press, 1953). I would like to paraphrase this cogent quote as follows because it so well describes the essence of the environmental disaster that we are about to enter. Thus I would say 'There is no trap so environmentally deadly as that which we have been unremittingly setting for ourselves'.

We live in an already overpopulated world and this destabilizing fact together with the flow of technology, its consequences largely untested, citizens have evolved lifestyles both here and abroad that are largely environmentally unfriendly. The trap is that there is little we can now do of consequence quickly enough to reverse the problems that will surely lead to a worldwide biosphere unsuitable for the preservation of mankind.

My challenge in this treatise is to demonstrate the truth of this thesis. I sincerely hope someone can prove me wrong.

## My Credentials

I possess a double major BSc degree in Geology and Chemistry and a PhD in Chemistry. Thereafter I became a Full Professor at the University of Toronto and was cross-appointed to 3 divisions, the Departments of Geology, and Chemistry and The Institute for Environmental Studies. In the case of The Institute of Environmental Studies I am a founding member. In addition I was involved closely with guiding graduate students in the Department of Botany.

My research team was focused mainly towards environmental chemistry. But a factor that really broadened my perspective relating to environmental problems was being a contributing member of several multidisciplinary teams that studied and produced recommendations that related to a broad range of environmental problems. As examples those teams included 'The Lakeshore Capacity Study' and the 'Toronto Lead Study'.

As a result of research from all these sources I published over 150 Peer reviewed research papers and 6 research text books. In this regard it is important to acknowledge the contribution to these publications the efforts of a variety of talented co-workers and co-authors.

I must stress 3 factors of greatest import to the content of this book.

Firstly, the multidisciplinary teams at the Institute for Environmental Sciences having been formulated from a large pool of world ranking professors typical of a university the size and high standing of the University of Toronto provided an unusually authoritative perspective on environmental problems. These studies involved such abroad range of disciplines including not only all relevant branches of pure science and engineering but also for example medics, economists, sociologists and lawyers. Thus it provided a uniquely capacious educational perspective to all members and an important opportunity to view, discuss and report on environmental problems in a uniquely comprehensive and meaningful manner. I should add that a group in the university setting has the important advantage over similar groups formed in governments and at worldwide agencies of being relatively free from partisan political pressure as well as lacking undue influence from lobbyists and other especial interest groups.

Secondly, I was accorded the rare experience of for short periods of time living and working in a variety of jurisdictions on 6 Continents worldwide. This came about because of the development within my own research group of unique relatively inexpensive equipment and uncomplicated methodology for chemical determination of particularly noxious metals and their compounds in complex environmental and clinical samples. My involvement in these instances was sponsored by various scientific bodies, UNESCO and the World Bank.

Thirdly, it was my passion to avoid living in typical North American accommodation such as that provided by the well-known mega hotels that abounded in the larger cities. Thus I insisted that I should stay in accommodation, usually small local hotels, to maximize my exposure to the people and practices of each location. This occasioned not only these desired objectives but resulted in amusing and sometimes heartrending stories some that I have written about separately in a widely available free eBook entitled Brief Encounters with Real Life

# Chapter 1

## Perspective

### Time Log of Earth History and Mankind's Miniscule but Terribly Destructive Interval Herein

When we think about the time frame over which we can maintain a sustainable biosphere in which mankind can live with a good quality of life are we thinking in terms of millions, 100 of thousands, 10 of thousands, thousands or hundreds of years or possibly even less? One thing can be predicted with certainty without drastic changes in middle and upper class lifestyle and in areas such as economic, political and social practices such conditions cannot be maintainable for very much longer.

Let's remember that the age of the earth is in the 5 billion year range. In round numbers and ignoring the many existing disputes modern Homo sapiens (us) have been around for no more than about 200,000 years, Hominids in general about 4 million years. But it dates back to only to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution around 1830 and a world population of only about 1 billion, when modern man began the evolution to what we are today. So in less than 200 years and a phenomenal increase in population to 7 billion in 2012, we have raped the earth of vast quantities of resources and in doing so have caused desperate environmental problems, social and economic inequities and damage. Now this population of 7 million and still increasing, depleting resources at ever increasing rates is basically standing by waiting for technological measures to remediate the collateral environmental mess. In this regard are any duplicitous Governments moving forward with dispatch on the most serious problems such as climate change? Most like Canada are doing little if anything significant. Accords on this matter reached at international levels are seeing objectives continually ignored by member nations. In this light how long does the reader think humans can possibly exist as we are presently proceeding without producing irreversible damage to the biosphere that in turn causes our destruction?

### Time Emergency

Breaking News

The world's most prestigious group of climate experts that has been deliberating in a UN/WMO panel think tank (IPCC) over several years released their most recent report on September 27 2013. The results of this report are now in a negotiation stage by representatives of many countries to formulate a UN climate pact to hopefully be agreed upon by 2015 and then put into action by 2020.

On the surface this sounds fantastic and the thought in most people's minds is likely how we can possibly lose.

There are many reasons why this accord if indeed an accord is reached and enacted will never solve our climate change problems. These can be categorized by the fact too much time will pass before concerted action is begun (2020), the report's findings are already out of date so the relevance of the action taken in 2020 will be very questionable. There are many more reasons and these are discussed in the appropriate sections below.

Out of Time

Dilemmas that we face in the present century are vastly different being now complexly multilayered. However in large part in the technology field individual scientific researchers are typically deeply involved in projects of a very circumscribed nature which in themselves are inconsistent with solution of today's major problems facing mankind on a worldwide basis. Additionally the nature of today's crucial problems is far from solely technological a fact poorly developed in the popular book 'Abundance'. The exponential rise in technological research as proposed in this book will never in itself provide the solutions to many of our most crucial worldwide problems.

In the second decade of the 21st century technological innovation is one crucial but far from all-encompassing component of finding solutions to our worldwide major crises. Instead solutions involve research and inputs from multidisciplinary teams of wide variety of experts. Solutions proposed by such teams are often so labyrinthine that they cannot be understood by heads of Government or even the government departmental groups of experts who from my experience cannot hope to include input from all the relevant disciplines involved. Additionally, procedures for the approval of proposed solutions and the enacting of the required amelioration must occur quickly to prevent the possible long term consequences that can result due to today's protracted decision making.

Governance as it exists today was geared for the slowly contemplative discussions relevant to the 19th century, from which it has not significantly changed. The present disaster we are experiencing right now from Climate Change is in large part a testament to this outmoded style of bureaucracy. This is why simply spitting out technology at exponential rates as proposed by authors of the book 'Abundance' sadly into a politically and economically screwed up world represented by examples such as the oil sands and Keystone pipeline imbroglios cannot of itself make much difference. Technological proposals that might arise even with potential to solve critical world problems face a monumental uphill run. After dragging and grinding through the existing glacially moving political and other deliberation processes worldwide they would likely arrive for implementation in a adversely modified form and much too late.

### Human Nature

Please remember that my overall negative view of human nature stated below comes from having lived and performed work here and worldwide associated with universities, business and government. In this regard I have observed all levels of society from as examples the Favela's of Rio, the chaos at all levels in South Africa, working class Chinese to the wealthiest officials of sectors of the Mining Industry and almost everything in between.

Human nature traits are very pertinent to the 'standard of living' discussions below but must be mentioned under separate headings here and further along. Please be assured that I include myself as an equal to everyone else in the human race in what I write below and do not presume to be pontificating. The only difference is that being an environmental science consultant here and on jurisdictions on 6 continents a good deal more would naturally be expected of me in lobbying worldwide government and industry on crucial issues a duty which I hope I fulfill. From the considerable number of death threats I received over my career I must at least have shaken a few cages.

Death Threats over an Environmental Issue – A personal Example

A large smelter in the Sudbury Ontario region of Canada proposed the erection of a mammoth stack high into the air to spread its pollutants, mainly sulfur dioxide, hundreds of km southwest of the Sudbury area. The approval of this method of diluting the emissions and sending them to do damage all-be-it over a much protracted time frame was stupid for a number of reasons. Not the least of these was the total destruction of habitat in the Sudbury region that already existed. In fact that locale was so denuded of plant life that NASA in recognizing its moonscape approximation sent lunar astronauts and equipment in later years to these Sudbury barrens to train for the lunar landing!

Once the stack had been erected and fully operational I was interviewed by our main national TV network. The MC asked me whether I agreed with the "solution" the tall stack represented and if not what would I do instead. I stated emphatically that it was a ludicrously conceived idea and that my solution would be to cut the stack off at ground level and let the pollution engulf the local Sudbury area only instead of allowing the stack to over time cause destruction of hundreds of square miles. This statement was not well received and after enduring a continuous volley of vindictive phone calls including a death threat or two had to obtain an unlisted phone number.

The Human race taken as a grouping worldwide is basically selfish, greedy, narcissistic, egomaniacal, mercenary, and narrow-minded with the exception of acts such as those related to one's close friends and family members and of course this latter just amplify the former. Our own welfares are A number 1 and we can sometimes employ a variety of egregious methods to keep this so. Unfortunately the further up the power chain we go all this gets amplified and generally the worse human nature traits generally become. Think of world leaders past and present. Certainly there are a few individuals such as Nelson Mandela who represent brilliant exceptions. Another way to make understand my attitude is to have the reader make 2 lists one for leaders like Mandela that are beyond reproach and the second listing leaders who fall far short. How many individuals could you name worldwide that have Mandela's laudable characteristics? Very few indeed I am certain.

Many of us give to charity that benefit the poor but often only in a superficial hand to mouth way. There is little indication that most of this charity has permanent benefits. The ratio of well-off to poor is still rising in most jurisdictions worldwide.

There are of course other types of exceptions to the above negativity. Perhaps courage and compassion stand out here. Again individuals like Mandela are exemplary.

Then there are praiseworthy acts of large scale monetary generosity but even these too often are to serve our ego, or intended to make up for past "sins", or to give the donor a measure of immortality. Good examples are philanthropists who in giving large sums to institutions like Universities and hospitals insist or at least allow the resulting wing or building be named after themselves. Other exceptions to humanities mainly negative characteristics can be found but from an environmental point of view these good human characteristics fade when big money solutions threaten our own lifestyle status quo.

Topic of Importance to Human Nature that I don't have the Guts to Broach in Detail

Religion, Sects and similar institutions bring out the best and worst in humans. When I speak of these categories of human involvement viewed on a worldwide basis except in a few isolated cases none is better or worse than any other. The real measure of their relevance to human nature it is not in their beliefs as recorded in tomes such as Bible, Koran etc. but in the behaviour of the followers as individuals and as groups. From an environmental standpoint I have experienced nothing of real consequence from these sources in the battle to maintain a mankind sustainable environment. Considering their significant potential influence this is sad.

The Norm

Returning to the average citizen and the ramifications of our human nature as it generally exists. There will be many who claim to be very environmentally aware; seeing themselves as actively doing their part for environmental stabilization and betterment. They for example are avid recyclers, plant trees, take care not to litter, obey rules related to use of insecticides and daily do other related services as their contribution to environmental wellbeing. In the overall tally of what is needed for extended term environmental wellness these routines though very important and laudable are only very minor and totally inadequate. But this is not entirely our fault.

Governments at all levels have mandated and enabled such practices and in turn trumpet this as a major cog in the wheel to ensuring a long term sustainable environment. You and I as responsive citizens naturally buy into this notion. Meanwhile the same governments are dragging their feet on the real issues most of them costly to the tax payer, such as measures like climate change issues (e.g. spending billions of dollars on building subways and other rapid transit that would get hundreds of thousands of greenhouse gas polluting cars off the road). Remember these costly essentials must be enacted in timely fashion without which none of the recycling and other duties we as citizens contribute will be effective in providing a long term sustainable environment. Multiply this scenario many times to cover all the major worldwide governments.

_What is Essential if you seriously want to make a_ _Useful_ _Environmental Contribution_ _?_

Citizens, in addition to your daily small routine environmental contribution how many of you press your government representatives to enact crucially needed measures if such measures will hit you deeply in the pocket book? Here rests the real measure of your commitment to long term environmental health. With the multitude of such stagnating issues getting daily more problematic worldwide the costs will be monumental and would if dealt with fully lower your average standard of living resulting from massive personal tax increases. Are you this committed?

I presume I will be roundly criticized by many for emphasizing these dominant negative characteristics of human nature. Yet if we are really honest with ourselves and dig deeply into our motivations we will find daily actions are often fraught with these attitudes and that they frequently outweigh the positives. This is a book on environmental consequences of our spreading middle and upper class life style which is intertwined with characteristics of human nature so please read on and judge me and my views after finishing the book.

Rising Upper and Middle class burgeoning Numbers

Today the world middle class numbers about 2 billion and upper class nearly 350 million. Considering only the middle class due to its dominant numbers, if present growth rates persist and using figures averaged and rounded off from a variety of sources, the numbers that will constitute the middle class will be about 3 billion in 2020 and over 5 billion by 2035. The percentage of the world middle class in the developing countries (mainly Asia) today about 25% will grow to 50% by 2030. (Upper-class numbers will rise somewhat more quickly). Most commentators state correctly that the new middle class will be the main source of economic growth and consider this new economic growth a laudatory fact for the future. I will show that this 'laudatory' economic growth in worldwide prosperity will instead lead to environmental resource/energy and side effects disaster for mankind.

#### Problems Particularly Rampant Amongst the Privileged and Powerful

People in the developed privileged sections of the world are particularly guilty of having more concerned with their own wellbeing, employing in many cases mercenary and dishonest tactics and largely ignoring predicaments of their society in general and particularly that of those outside the jurisdictions in which they live. Even in the world of science fierce often nasty competition including sometimes even using fraudulent results occurs between rival individuals and groups in attempts to gain credit for important discoveries and thus be awarded large grant awards and prestigious prizes. Thus any critical world problems that don't at the moment threaten this group and their narrow sense of self, garner a much diminished concern. As a result world problems, such as long term threats to environmental well-being will most often be allowed to develop to crisis stage at the point the individual and their families are threatened before even this group, most capable of meaningful action, expresses serious concern. In an overpopulated world where critical problems are becoming much more diverse and complex than in previous decades solutions at the brink of disaster will not be forthcoming. Those of us in the privileged upper and middleclass situation are more culpable than others when we should be taking leading role in environmental issue future planning.

Human Intervention with Nature Gone Wrong – Errors Related to Basic Flaws in Humanity

Some Classic Examples

There are many examples of the introduction by humans of foreign species for the purpose of controlling local pests or as a new source of food that have led to serious unpredicted problems of their own. Other human introduced species were introduced inadvertently but have also become problematic in their new environments. Harmful consequences have usually been the result of the absence in the introduced environment of natural predator to control the foreign species.

South American native Cane toads were proposed for introduction into the cane fields initially in Queensland Australia for the control of the cane beetle. Pesticides were disavowed because of their nonspecific nature resulting in the loss of useful and harmless insect species as well. The population of cane toads has risen to over 150 million and has caused widespread environmental detriments while showing little effect on the beetles they were intended to control.

Black rats, probably originating in tropical East Asia in addition to self-migration to Europe have been transported worldwide in carriers, commonly ships. The problems caused by these pests on the other Continents are well-known. However it bears stressing the particular greater devastation that this species has unleashed in small island environments such as the Galapagos.

The Cotton White fly should be mentioned in this category because of its familiarity to North American gardeners. These pests are common particularly on indoor plants where they have little control other than pesticides (a soapy solution used as a spray id least problematic as a control). Outdoors these pests are controlled to a degree by insects like aphids which also have their own problematic characteristics. White fly extends worldwide and attack over 1000 plant species.

Common in the American south the mile-a-minute vine or more properly the Kudzu, was brought to America to help control soil erosion. It can spread in a rate of 200,000 acres per year and has wreaked serious havoc.

The European rabbit was introduced into a variety of British Colonial jurisdiction for hunting and as a food source and has become particularly problematic in Australia. The following personal story is placed here to break the tedium of all this human induced disaster.

Rabbits Unlimited-A personal Story (a Serious Error but recounted with amusing Sidelights)

In my experience, the two areas in the world that are constantly plagued by rabbits are most of Victoria and New South Wales in Australia and my Toronto backyard garden. Sadly both of these were preventable.

Rabbits are one of the most significant known reasons for species loss in Australia. This disaster dates from Thomas Austin's release of 12 wild rabbits imported from England in 1859, to satisfy his uncle's proclivity for hunting. Without natural predators in Australia, the result of their unabated population growth was predictable. Jetting forward to Lucas Heights, New South Wales in 1985 and there I am, on my hands and knees in a park like setting, observing tiny ovals of rabbit poop at an incredible 5mm interval density. Although having seen copious rabbit damage to garden foliage, my strange behaviour was due to the fact that I had not yet sighted a rabbit and I was 6 months into my tenure in Australia. Rabbits being nocturnal by nature and my penchant for early evening retirement, had forbidden me this pleasure.

Now, 25 years later, I have sighted many more rabbits and am only too well aware of their habits. The prodigious thinkers responsible for developing the area where I live, in Swan Lake, Markham Ontario, made the fateful decision to construct house decks to the exact height that best suits the nesting requirements of rabbits and other varmints. Unlike Australia, rabbits being a North American native species, we are unable to blame a Thomas Austin for their presence in this area. Anyone familiar with this species however knows the ease with which they proliferate in the absence of natural predators. Swan Lake, being an island of homes, gardens and wide open grassy spaces, all totally enclosed, is therefore as devoid of rabbit predators as is Australia. Throw into this Shangri-La protective breeding conditions and you have some understanding of Swan Lake residents' frustration in maintaining forage free gardens. In fact, particularly in Spring with most natural rabbit fodder emerging, the fresh green shoots of spring bulbs stand almost uniquely between newly weaned bunnies and starvation. Voila! Decimated gardens (with the exception of daffodils) and quickly maturing rabbits. A readymade solution to the problem would be if these pests natural instinct towards the poisonous nature of daffodils could be negated.

Now imagine our 30 square meter fenced backyard garden, replete with rabbit infested deck. What are our options? Perhaps the obvious solution would be the removal of the offending deck. The fine print in our 250 page book of condominium regulations, states that this is not permissible. As an interesting related aside, if you read this compendium of rules carefully, it's difficult to discover any activity that does not breach regulations. After several seasons of total devastation, we decided to dispose of the deck, under the cover of night. Due to its almost indestructible nature, we decided on removal intact using a forklift, in favour of an attention grabbing pile driver, or other such obstreperous tool. Thus we proceeded one cold winter's night, during the interval when most Swan Lake Officials were enjoying a warm winter's holiday in Florida. Slowly under illumination of the diminutive porch light, a small tractor crawled in, reached over the fence and lifted the offending object. Not unexpectedly a moment of bestial mayhem ensued. Creatures of every description from moles to rabbits mustered, ran aimlessly about and finally disappeared under the fence to the right and left, to take up residence beneath the neighbors' decks. The now empty area was then covered with an expanse of large flagstone pieces, which were all installed flush with the ground. Problem solved one might suppose. But no, the onslaught continued, but now they came from our neighbours' houses!

Many times I have questioned my relative resourcefulness compared to that of the so called "lower animals". The issue of the protection of our garden from bestial destruction almost became the turning point, at which I was bested. However as the battle renewed, I seemed to hold all the cards. In fact I considered this challenge as something rather trivial. We had a completely fenced property. The fence was 1.5 m high and of solid 5 cm thick pine planking, laid with each one abutting the next. The only flaw was that the fence base was 3cm above ground level and therefore presented little impediment to even adult rabbits. However, this flaw was easily addressed by nailing 7 cm planks horizontally along the bottom over the entire perimeter, with 2 cm extending below the ground surface and as an extra precaution 4cm of buried fine mesh wire. Our dining table provided a generous view of this newly protected garden area. We were now confident that we would soon be able to eat, whilst looking out upon the enjoyable panorama of a thriving flower garden.

On the second day following the precautionary fence modification, my wife looked up from her lunch time salad to find herself staring directly at an adult rabbit nonchalantly denuding flower heads from large tufts of her favourite Johnny Jump Up violas. Despite immediately jumping up from the table and flinging open the patio door, this annoying scene continued unabated and it was only when I rushed out that the varmint disappeared under the fence into the adjoining yard. So much for the common wisdom I should have retained from my youthful reading of "Alice in Wonderland"; that rabbits are proficient at digging holes.

It was becoming obvious that a more sophisticated arsenal would be essential to effectively solve this problem. Thus we set out to acquire each of the following; mothballs, pressurized can of bitter tasting spray, dog hair clippings, dog poop and fox urine. These objects were all highly recommended by friends as effective rabbit repellents. We also kept our poodle Synammon at the ready.

The rabbits simply ate carefully up to within a few cm of the mothballs. Dog poop and dog pee were useless. Dog hair was a spotty success. Effective use of the latter would have meant a garden almost completely covered in a layer of hair; not a very stunning adjunct for a flower garden. Bitter spray worked effectively on any plants that were sprayed. Unfortunately though, it wore off fairly rapidly and the frequent re-sprayings of the many plants became far too expensive. Fox urine, as one might expect, was not a commonly available commodity. This left Synammon as our final recourse.

The first and as it turns out, only, attempt to employ Synammon as a rabbit deterrent went as follows. The scene opens with a rabbit in the garden nibbling our pansy flowers. Positioning seemed ideal. The rabbit was 1.5 m away and directly in the crosshairs of a soon to be opened patio door. Synammon had been dragged by the collar and now stood in a suitable position from which to launch. A well timed sequence would be to open the patio door at the instant of releasing Synammon's collar, whereupon she could easily reach the rabbit. The expectation was that the rabbit would be so frightened, that although it would escape beneath the fence, it would, after a series of these chases, be too scared to re-enter the yard.

The chase was about to begin. The door was quickly opened and Synammon was sprightly released. However, instead of launching toward the rabbit as would be expected, Synammon remained perfectly still, gazing expectantly up at me. I pointed to the rabbit and Synammon shifted her gaze in that general direction, but with no further reaction. Then, after the rabbit carefully and completely consumed the current pansy and made a motion towards beginning on another nearby, Synammon suddenly saw it and made the long expected dash. The rabbit unfortunately decided on an extended zigzag path around the garden. Plant material and earth flew in all directions, until the rabbit finally exited, leaving Synammon barking fiercely at the hole.

A cursory examination of the garden presented a scene of monstrous devastation. Suffice it to remark that a dozen rabbits, eating over a week's time undisturbed, could not likely have produced the damage to the garden that was occasioned in this one disastrous experimental episode. As might well be expected, we still have serious rabbit problems.

Pesticide Controversies - another Type of Human Intervention gone wrong

The history of pesticide use, abuse and banning demonstrates how public perceptions of a possible major problem suffer confusion from both scientific bungling and government practice and regulatory inconsistencies. For this purpose the widespread use of DDT and a recent renewal of an Agent Orange fiasco are blatant examples.

Agent Orange used by the American Military as a widespread defoliant in the jungles of Vietnam during the war of 1959 to 1975 broke suddenly into the Canadian news a year ago and then disappeared from public scrutiny within a few weeks. The report related to the discovery of the possible widespread use of Agent Orange in Canada.

This substances name arose from the orange coloured barrels in which it was contained. Its health effect horrors were made famous by widespread use during the war in Vietnam. The 2 chemicals that comprise Agent Orange in a 1:1 mixture by volume are 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T.

2,4,5-T the more controversial of the 2 chemicals that comprise Agent Orange is actually only of moderate toxicity. However during its manufacture for use in the Vietnam War, which was done without proper temperature controls, it became contaminated with trace amounts of an extremely toxic dioxin which accounted for the major health hazards of Agent Orange.

To date there are few well documented accounts of the widespread use of Agent Orange in Canada. In the most famous case in 1966 the US military was given permission by the Canadian Government to test Agent Orange on forests adjacent to the Canadian Forces Base at Gagetown, New Brunswick. Recent accounts suggest its usage by unprotected workers as a defoliate near airports. It remains to be seen what present investigations of the possible further use of Agent Orange elsewhere in Canada will uncover. The suggestion that Agent Orange may have been used for clearing hydro right-of-ways is unsettling.

To further confuse the issue of the use of these substances they have been employed for many years separately in Canada in commonly available gardening products. The substance 2,4-D is the more commonly used of the two chemicals in this regard. When made free from the toxic dioxin the byproduct in Agent Orange both these chemicals decompose in a short period when in the environment and hence do not linger to cause later collateral damage. In this regard they would have distinct advantage over widely used predecessors.

Perhaps the best example of a widely sprayed chemical in Canada that has a long harmful lifespan in the environment is the pesticide DDT. In the 1940's and 50's this chemical was discharged in large quantities from aircraft flying over marshes in the GTA for mosquito control. Despite its harmful nature but perhaps understandably because of its cheap price and wide availability, this chemical is still extensively used in many developing countries for control of the malarial mosquito.

Presently in many urban areas of Canada the Dandelions reign supreme. Pesticide use in Canada is regulated by Health Canada but it is important to point out the inconsistency that exists in the present move to ban cosmetic use synthetic lawn pesticides for cosmetic purposes. At the end of 2010 almost 200 jurisdictions including the Provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick have adopted this cosmetic ban. However the public must be confused as am I that we conclude as many experts have, that these substances may have environmental and health risks then why has this ban not become nationwide? Additionally what prevents this ban from being enacted on golf courses and what is the current view on pesticide use in agriculture?

International Airline Travel – Source of Spreading Human Disease

Outbreak of infectious disease has a relatively new worldwide vector.

No longer must an infectious disease develop from local origins but can result from contact with sources carrying this disease thousands of miles away. At a time when recent scares such as SAARS are theoretically capable of causing pandemics this mode of rapid spreading is of particular concern. Of course an exacerbating factor is the massive population increase in the past 200 years that we seem to encounter as an added problem in many issues discussed in this book.

### Consumerism Gone Wild

Most of Brand Name consumer items sold in discount stores in North America like Wal-Mart, COSTCO, Target etc are outsourced, that is usually made Offshore in cheap labour markets such as exist in much of Asia, humans working for next to nothing in highly dangerous conditions. It is being discovered that even big "brand name" are also resorting to these sources. As a result the average household is well stocked with items that have become 'essential' to the 'good life' most of us including myself enjoy. Shopping has become an obsession with many. As I write this it is "Black Friday" 2013; the day of the year when shopping is at its peak. People even line up over night for blocks at some shops in anticipation of obtaining loss leader bargains available at opening time. Some of these bargains are in such demand and short supply that fights have been known to break out causing stores to require heightened security. But the shopping proclivity of many citizens is not restricted to such occasions but is practiced as simply an almost daily activity out of habit and often to prevent boredom.

Banks and other Financial Institutions are serious offenders in promoting excessive consumerism and in particular helping individuals to accumulate atrocious levels of personal debt. Credit Cards are perniciously pressed on consumers on the flimsiest credit worthy data. Credit card debt per household in 2012 in the US averages between $7000 and $8,000 depending on the source. Nearly 3 million US citizens seek Credit Counseling yearly. Statistics on both counts are worse in Canada.

Here is an important indication that mankind driven by its own innate greediness, intensified by the commercial interests surfeit advertising style and easy credit is headed for problems.

Although an issue relating to our shopping practices appears on the surface to be of limited consequence; it is actually a potent example illustrating a predicament that, when exacerbated by, limited and miss-apportioned resources, large scale energy consumption, labour cost inequities, and other related consequences has grown to assume something of major environmental consequence.

A major cause of inertia to dealing with issues like those that relate to consumerism looming on the horizon poised to becoming long term major impacts, again relates to our up to the present ability to successfully pull ourselves back from the brink of disaster at the last moment.

_Welcome to the 21_ st _Century_

Living styles supported by the above financial behaviour will cease to be possible in the near future. The world population has expanded in a relatively short period to levels that mean the impact of even relatively simple problems is exacerbated by mere numbers. Now in a crisis be it financial or otherwise if a solution is found be it financial or otherwise it may be ample for the short term but the impact of growing numbers of individuals involved can mean that the invented solution for coping today may have to be drastically revised or totally reinvented to handle a greater density of individuals in the near future. Long term solutions are seldom possible on a crisis basis.

### Personal Portrait-Illustration of the Typical Human Nature/Lifestyle Quagmire

My thesis in this book is that simple Human Nature and upper and middleclass lifestyles have immutable characteristics that in this overpopulated world will lead to eventual environmental chaos and a relatively short interval before the biosphere worldwide is unable to sustain mankind. How to best describe the qualities in mankind that will make this so?

Sculpting a realistic structure for this purpose poses a dilemma. I could try to describe what I felt to be approximates the building blocks of a typical human and then pick through these components to define which are the most troublesome in the context of this argument. Unfortunately I am far from an expert on this totality. Or perhaps I could pick a well-known figure known to all readers and try this exercise on them. Some might think I should pick an individual that should be chosen for this purpose because they have been particularly obvious severe offenders as environmental foot draggers the present Canadian Prime Minister would fit here. More about this will arise when we get to politics. Then there is the more positive approach by picking for this purpose someone who has an excellent environmental record and in this way attempt to construct a pattern for the rest of us to follow. There are good reasons why none of these alternatives would fit the bill. Considering the vast literature on human attributes whatever I do will have to be very selective. Thus this will be only one example of many that could be used to illustrate my contention. The reader could no doubt find many other appropriate scenarios that which would tint my argument in a slightly different shade but non-the-less not defeat my contention. Additionally I will confine my examples to the middleclass and the accompanying lifestyle. This might appear to be a contentious choice but was done for important reasons. The percentage of citizens in North America that would be placed in this category cover a wide range depending on definition and the source one consults. After due deliberation a value of between 45 and 55% has been chosen. The other propitious reason for singling out the middle class is that the goal of the majority of citizens in most large population developing countries is to attain middleclass or higher status. Thus the impact on the environment and resource consumption ramifications will be best assessed from middle class requirements and activities.

The only reasonable model to use for the personal assessment example is obvious and that is me. Although experts on human nature might claim picking oneself for this subject would be the worst choice to be made. I mean how objective can I be? It is obvious that many people are expert at hiding and or denying certain traits of their character in themselves. But actually this fact about human beings counts as my first relevant characteristic to be noted in this analysis. Using myself will be sadly confirming of this hypothesis considering that my life's work and hobbies have been very deeply slanted toward developing infrastructure to aid in promoting a sustainable worldwide ecosystem and yet I persist in remaining a typical example of the problems that beset the middle class.

So we will first look at a typical period in the life of Jon Van Loon at my most active and productive stage in life about 40 years ago. The pertinent foundation of my family life consisted of a larger home than was essential in Toronto that was typical of the upper middle class. I owned a modest family car which in order to meet mortgage and other household expenses I drove over 300,000 kilometers in a period spanning approximately a decade. I carried for many years substantial debt, mostly relating to mortgages. I was low average as consumers go but lacked none of the usual household essentials and bought luxury items (at that time) like a dishwasher and TV that although not essential I reasoned made life more relaxing and fulfilling. My family lived hand to mouth in our early years but as we gained equity we enjoyed the good life. Please remember or refer back to the above section describing 'My Credentials' to see the details of nature of my daily work environmental work. Thus even given my intimate knowledge of serious developing world environmental issues at that time I like most everyone else failed to understand that my lifestyle was not compatible with avoiding the escalation of these to pending disasters like climate change! My epiphany came with a broader view of the world situation that unfolded with my worldwide consultancies yet to come beginning in the 1980's. Yes I am for the most part as much to blame as any single citizen can be for the present serious worldwide problems.

# Chapter 2

## Existing Basic Fundamentals

### Population

Population on Nov 7 2013 is 7.2 billion and is projected to reach 8 billion in 2024. The current growth rate of 80 million per year is currently on a slight decline since its peak in the late 1960's.

As has been done in my past books on the Environment apart from much new material I find it essential to recast and or reposition parts of the former topics of most pressing constraint to retaining a biosphere that will support the continued existence of mankind sometime not too distant in the future. Human Overpopulation has arguably become the dominant predicament facing the world today. Important problems that we face today would likely not exist in their present desperate situation in the absence of overpopulation. Overpopulation is the factor that shrivels the time interval for their solution to impossibly small time intervals

The influential journal Science devoted a special edition to the question of population, in July 29/11. The lead editorial written by Babatunde Ostimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, states "As the World's Population reaches 7 billion this year, we should reflect on the many ways in which population dynamics matter to the planet's future. Population growth patterns are linked to nearly every challenge confronting humanity, including poverty reduction, urban pollution, energy production, food and water scarcity and health".

World population expansion at unsustainable rates is the main problem threatening mankind's earthly sustainability and continues unabated. Those dealing in the subsets of this issue are constantly forced to play catch up with the variety of resultant predicaments. The most pressing of these other than those mentioned by Ostimehin include climate change, resource depletion, economic inequities and recycling and waste disposal.

David Pimentel, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Agriculture at Cornel University, has stated that "With the imbalance growing between population numbers and vital life sustaining resources, humans must actively conserve cropland, freshwater, energy and biological resources". Further a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) entitled 'Global Environmental Outlook' involving 1,400 scientists over a 5 year period found that "human consumption had far outstripped available resources. Each person on earth now requires a third more land to supply his or her needs than the planet can supply". It faults "a failure to respond to or recognize the magnitude of the challenges facing the people and the environment of the planet". It further notes "The systematic destruction of the earth's natural and nature-based resources has reached a point where the viability of economies is being challenged – and where the bill we hand to our children may prove impossible to pay".

Many will be familiar with China's 1 child per family population control initiative introduced in 1979. This laudatory program however has a spotty history of implementation and enforcement throughout the country. The result has been a continued pattern of substantial population increase through the latest figures available to me of 2010.

Using the World Population clock provided by Princeton University on their website <http://opr.princeton.edu/popclock/popupclock.html>the world population at the time of writing was just over 7 billion and increasing by an astounding 2.4 persons a second. Relating births to deaths the figures for 2010, according to the UN population Reference bureau show there are 19 births and only 8 deaths per 100 people. The world population was estimated to have reached the 1 billion mark in 1805 and has increased almost 700% in the last 200 years. With a World already facing overpopulation, a 30% increase from 7 billion to an estimated 9 billion in 2050 is truly frightening. The pre-eminence of the overpopulation problem prompted Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry W. Kendall to state, "If we don't halt population growth with justice and compassion, it will be done for us by nature, brutally and without pity – and will leave a ravaged world".

It is difficult for most to conceive that North America, a relatively large area with a population of about 370 million, could suffer from overpopulation when compared to our usual benchmarks of India and China with combined populations in the billions. However when considered in the light of interrelationships related to disproportionate consumption of resources, consumer demand for goods and services and the wastes generated there-by, a relatively small highly developed population can indeed exhibit the properties consistent with a population surplus. US National Research Institute on Food and Nature (INRAN), estimate the maximum US population for a sustainable economy at 200 million. According to their theory, in order to achieve a sustainable economy and avert disaster, the US would have to reduce its population by at least one-third and the world population would have to be reduced by two-thirds.

An appreciable portion of the population in Canada and the USA were born In North America and have had little need to contemplate the world in its most urgent contexts, with the probable exception of climate change. Yet consider the large number of world citizens migrating to Canada and the USA in search of an improved future. What better indication of the good fortune that most enjoy simply because of their birthright. Thus it becomes clear that North Americans have the duty to amplify their global concerns and send strong directives to the government to change their priorities to emphasize actions that might help to promote prolonged worldwide human sustainability.

The above written, presented and published in different forms in a number of jurisdictions has failed to have any degree of widespread acceptance. Governments in particular have little interest in this logical but unpopular view. Thus I am undertaking in this book to place the argument in a much more detailed and expanded format. I truly believe that in this matter, even though fully cognizant of many of the essential remedies but without the willingness to make substantive sacrifice for change, the human race is acting like proverbial Lemmings, and is about to leap over the cliff to oblivion.

### Technology as a Perpetrator of Today's Major Problems

There is a dangerous and erroneous belief pervading the public mind that an exponential output in research presently being experienced particularly in North America, will contain answers that will save mankind from all the present and future serious problems threatening worldwide sustainability of a biosphere suitable for the continued existence of mankind. This belief is dangerous because it suggests that the general public can continue sitting back living on the large scale an environmentally unfriendly lifestyle waiting for the skilled researchers to solve our major life endangering problems.

Incredible Technology Related Naivety Proffered in Books like "Abundance"

One dimensional technological solutions for our critical environmental problems are being popularized. They are one dimensional because the technology is presented bare without sufficient consideration of the multitude of disciplines, organizations government and private, time and money consuming aspects necessary to establishing functional facilities for any proposed technology worldwide which always complicates and delays such innovation. Naïve books Like "Abundance" (Abundance by P.H. Diamandis and S. Kotler Published by Free Press, February 2012) exacerbate the problem of convincing the public of the unlikelihood that a sustainable long term biosphere callable of supporting mankind is possible without fundamental changes in many of our time worn institutions including governments capable of accepting and establishing multidimensional solutions to the worlds many critical environmental and related problem that must be arrived at soon. These solutions must be vociferously demanded by the public at sacrifices to our present standard of living.

In my view this bestselling book "Abundance" is particularly misleading to the public. That having been said I am totally convinced the authors wrote the truth therein as they understand it. Thus its conclusions represent their honest contentions. In anything that follows I am in no way questioning their veracity or their heart-felt belief in the views they present.

Also I have no argument that the pace of technological innovation as described in "Abundance" is tremendous and accelerating daily. I also agree that technological developments may occur in this massive spouting of technology that may hold answers too many of the worlds pressing problems.

Okay then where's the problem? Why will we not only never have this abundance nor solve some, maybe most, of the world's critical problems?

The difficulty of installing these problem solving technologies on a worldwide basis, for example one that might possess the potential to solve the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission dilemma, are legion. Inventing the technology though the crucial first step and praiseworthy can be likened to having constructed a firm base for a house of cards. Unlike attempting to build a house of cards the time involved in this analogy would be measured in many years, time that may take us well beyond the point of no return. A technology developed in a laboratory represents a concept proven on a small scale only. Prototypes often involving several size and complexity levels must be designed, components constructed and then the device assembled and tested. The results of the prototype in operation must be analyzed. On the basis of the results adjustments minor or major must be made. This must be repeated for every prototype necessary to result in a commercial unit.

Meanwhile other time delaying factors await related to human nature involving vested interests and the institutions that regulate and govern our progress. Hurdles created by governance, lobbyists, the nature of the economy, religious and sectarian special interest groups are bound to arise and be of different nature depending on each country involved. Until recently the developed world of about 25% was the main player in such dilemmas. Thus these hurdles were predictably met in these relatively few jurisdictions and strategies though often still time consuming could be handled. Now the above difficulties have severely increased with the rapid rising middle class lifestyle in the worlds large population countries such as China and India. These governments, their decision making institutions and business practices have come into this mess big time with predictable time delays. The delays, regional antagonisms and other complications that disabled the ill-fated Kyoto Accord provide proof of the seriousness of the failures of disparate governments in environmental negotiation. Yes new dialogs have been put in its place but can we reasonably expect a positive result given existing world discord.

Human Nature Characteristics that Impede progress - A Personal Story

After retirement I became a bit of a useless lay-about so one morning out of the blue, after getting ready for work Maureen inveigled me into the car. She drove without any explanation to a local nursing home parking lot and commanded me to get out and go in and ask for a volunteer's job. Then she reversed quickly back onto the street and drove away. What I was about to enter was a rather pedestrian quality nursing home certainly would not have ranked on my list of good career choices. As I stood there feeling like a typical homeless waif in a Dickens novel, I was comforted by the thought that I would most certainly be refused. In fact it came to mind just to turn on my heels and walk back home without even entering, and lying that I had been turned down. This latter thought took flight however, when I remembered that Maureen always seemed capable of seeing through me and extracting the truth. Thus I was horrified, bewildered and in many other ways in discomfiture, when the friendly woman in charge said she was thrilled to have acquired another volunteer.

My work was scheduled for two days per week, including free lunch and as time moved along my old enthusiasm returned and I began to even look forward to my work. Such could not be said though for the free lunches, which lived up to the reputation of institutional food in every insipid regard. When I happened to comment on this to my boss, the Physiotherapist, she kindly began driving us to the local restaurant, where I enjoyed excellent fare. She also enjoyed the lunches, although she was on a diet, the type in which food portions had to be pre-purchased as part of the plan. These dietary allotments were not only diminutive, but unappetizing and amusingly after consuming one of these offerings, she regularly could not resist the temptation to purchase a desert, or a plate of fries and yet was continuously complaining that her diet plan was not providing the desired result.

The patient base at this nursing home consisted of 70% Dementia patients, mostly Alzheimer in nature. As a large city run organization with full medical facilities, all stages of severity of these problems were represented, providing a wide range of challenges. Typically, family interest in the affected family member, varied from daily visits to total disregard. As Dementia proceeds the patient becomes less and less aware of every facet of daily life, while even losing control of bodily functions. Towards the end, the family members suffer much more severely than the afflicted person. Sad cases of the patient declining to the point of not even recognizing a close family member, often produced very emotional responses from their family. Worse still, patient cognitive abilities varied daily. Family members might arrive and suddenly become very excited thinking a vastly improved recognition of family and surroundings were a sign of permanent improvement. In fact these temporary high points were just a blip on a decline curve. Part of a volunteer's purpose was to attempt to explain, but in a kindly way, this typical behavioral pattern, without totally dousing the flames of enthusiasm. In my case, while finding this initially severely challenging, I became more polished with time.

As the assistant to the Physiotherapist, my main job was to aid patients that were requiring therapeutic exercise. I had a fairly hard and fast routine that I was supposed to enact and this involved the following. First I was to chase down wheelchair patients and bring them to the physiotherapy room. This "chase down" phrase was a slight exaggeration in the majority of cases, as the requisite patient could usually be found asleep in the TV lounge. As many of them were nearly deaf they usually had the electronics at ear splitting volume. Waking them was always a potentially dangerous act, depending on their current demeanor. I then wheeled them into the Physio room and strapped their feet into a stationary bike. This unit when activated revolved their feet and legs at a prescribed rate and for a fixed time interval and was strangely termed exercise, despite no effort on the patient's part. After this "strenuous" activity, I unstrapped their feet and wheeled them back to repose again in the TV lounge. And so it went, one after the other, until the entire group had been exercised. If I was lucky a patient or so would require the application of heat for strains and pains and I might be required to perform this treatment, with a careful choice and application from the abundant heating pads available.

Now it may have entered the reader's mind that my pursuits so far described, might be a bit mundane and lacking in challenge and perhaps even utterly boring and if so this has been very perceptive. I never could handle boring work willingly and as a result, I looked for alternative tasks. These tasks, which I could easily perform, were supposedly the purview of the regular staff, but in my view were going begging. Strangely such initiative was not appreciated and as a result my position at this facility was becoming more and more tenuous.

Increasingly horrified by the needlessly slow pace of many of the Nurses and particularly the Ward Aids, I continually overstepped my volunteering boundaries. Even the Doctor seemed to me to be incompetent, although there were some Nurses and Aids who were excellent. The majority of incompetent staff was mistreating patients more by errors of omission, than by any physical abuse. Unfortunately, all regular workers on the wards belonged to a strong union, which protected their lazy behavior.

I did a number of things which incensed the unions. One involved my favorite patient, James, who I came early to visit for a half hour or so each day before my work began. James suffered severely from angina attacks and as a result had been prescribed the habit forming painkiller Percocet and became quite contrary if its administration should be delayed. When this occurred he would beg me to hunt down the medication cart and the Nurse in charge and procure his medication. Although I usually persuaded them to give it to me, such an act was of course highly irregular.

Other acts which put me at odds with the union were things like finding a male patient who was left in a dirty diaper for hours on end and either raising hell about this situation or in a few cases performing the job myself. These latter actually involved two volunteer infractions against the union members

1. Purloining a clean diaper from carefully tended supplies while the attendant was on coffee.

2. Actually then performing the task.

Well you can probably get the drift of how I was now mounting up union infractions on a regular basis, some of which were coming to the attention of senior management.

Perhaps the coup de gras was when I was discovered closing the eyes of a deceased patient who had been left unattended for several hours in his bed. Or it might have been when the physio had taken sick and retired home for the afternoon and I decided to finish the session on my own. The union did the usual posturing which ended with the threat of strike action if I did not desist. When this in my case proved ineffective, I received the fateful summons to the Director's office. Apparently my actions were threatening a precipitation of a serious problem and unfortunately were grounds for dismissal, after 5 years as a volunteer. It wasn't much consolation when she added that I was the best volunteer amongst the bunch.

The above story is not in any sense meant to demean Unions in general but is placed here to show how human nature related niggling problems can slow down progress.

Onward and Downward – Humans Tendency to One Dimensional Perception

Let's pretend we have conquered all the time consuming technological and human nature related hurdles and have a crucial new technology installed, operational and working worldwide. Problem solved? Maybe unless like the internal combustion engine and coal and gas fired electrical generating stations there are long term unpredicted side effects that threaten to destabilize some aspect of a mankind sustainable biosphere. Unpredicted harmful side effects are usually population dependent. The magnitude of the greenhouse gas emission side effects was small in the 1920's with a population of 1 million but a mere 3 generations later with a population 7 times greater their effects could be catastrophic. This means that unpredicted side effects of technologies installed today could become catastrophic in a much shorter time interval. We have much more sophisticated means of assessing technologies in the 21st Century so unpredicted side effects from any process may expected to be fewer. However our accelerating dependence on technology stimulated by the growing population and middle class life styles basic requirements and demands harmful unpredicted side effects of proliferating technologies will still pose serious threats.

Then how have we managed to dig humanity into an abundance of major world problems? Mankind consists of a large number of talented innovators of technology. The appearance of new technology is occurring at an accelerating rate. Many of these developments have been of great benefit to mankind and in this regard the medical field should be noted. Unfortunately technology also has caused serious problems.

The world before the Industrial Revolution was largely free of technologies that caused serious pollution. Of course without technology the world at that time was plagues by problems in urban locals of pollution caused by such as untreated sewage running through the streets together with related untreatable disease. Medical procedures were crude and largely ineffective. Today despite a 7 fold increase in population the average life span of individuals in most developed jurisdictions has increased many fold together with the middle class and upper class standard of living. Yet still a staggering percentage the world as a whole remains caught up in poverty.

Traditionally we divide the world into 2 camps the developed and the developing nations. The explosion in technology has occurred largely in the developed countries but its side effects have become a threat to all nations worldwide. Developing nations without the means to broadly adopt the latest technology use old dirty technologies which are also a major part of this threat. There is one large difference in the nature of the waste substances of the rich and the poor nations and that is the much more complex chemical and biochemical nature of waste substances from the former which may have consequences now and in the future that are much more serious than we now can predict.

It is important to stress that the technological acceleration is largely confined to developed nations. Thus the good and the bad effects of this technology are first felt there-in. However pollutants that are air and water born or which transform into such become a threat worldwide. Thus those of us in the developed nations bear a responsibility to take care in the deployment of our new technology to identify harmful side effects that must be controlled and kept out of the environment. This latter problem historically and at the present has been a serious omission.

Let's look at the invention of the internal combustion engine to illustrate this point. Here is only one example of a technology that when it first was deployed to propel vehicular devices seemed to have only positive consequences. This engine appeared upon its inception to portend few adverse environmental side effects. The benefits of vehicles to the public seemed unchallenged.

Fast forward to 2013 and observe what has occurred related to this invention. Together with combustion based electrical power generation and other combustion dependent technologies the internal combustion engine side effect mainly carbon dioxide has become a major source of the ongoing Climate Change problem that threatens mankind's sustainability worldwide in the long term. Although this internal combustion engine hazard has existed for many years very little has been invented to effectively deal with the problem. Catalytic converters were developed to control some of the harmful emitted components in vehicular exhaust but not the carbon dioxide levels. Electric vehicles have existed for years but have never been a serious competitor for internal combustion engine powered devices mainly because of the lack of a suitable battery. Although battery research has been tackled by many talented innovators there appears to be little hope of vast improvement in this technology. Thus we have carbon dioxide spewing vehicles an essential part of our lifestyle but also a major contributor to the ongoing climate change problem that threatens the sustainability of a biosphere that will allow mankind to persist into the future. Such a side effect scenario was not predicted when the internal combustion engine was first introduced. Worse, when the carbon dioxide threat became clear many years ago and despite warnings from International groups of experts, most governments and indeed those from the key offending counties failed to take remediative action and still do.

What about other technologies that might be developed to propel vehicles? For example research to use induction to either propel cars wirelessly from electrical fields generated by infrastructure embedded in roads or to charge electric cars wirelessly on the fly. Any radical new technology such as this has huge new infrastructure requirements which apart from being costly have inherent problems. The point remains that even if some revolutionary technology is proposed, this or any other approach could unlikely be installed and fully operation in a timely manner, that is before the climate change problem is irreversible.

Other ramifications of new technology that may be developed now and in the future to solve any major problems are not completely predictable. Apart from the possible obvious usefulness of selected new technology, unperceived harmful side effects, cost and operation of associated infrastructure and the question of its timely widespread adoption especially in developing countries can be problems that will prove insurmountable in many cases.

What about Non technological Approaches-Example-Limit the Numbers of Polluting Sources

The enormous critical environmental problems relating to cars exacerbated by their current proliferation particularly in new jurisdictions with the emergence of appreciable upper and middle class societies worldwide could well be a major downfall in the attempt to maintain a mankind sustainable biosphere. Not only this factor alone but the related problems tied to the resources and infrastructure required to maintain this situation add immeasurably to the urgency for a solution.

The number of cars and 2 wheeled motorized devices in China using an average of multi sources increased 25 to 30 times between 2009 and 2011 to the point that China already has the largest number of such conveyances in the world. India is second to China in the above growth rate. In contras in the US the number of vehicles owned per 1000 people (men woman and children) has remained almost steady in the 800 range.

In a related vein let's look at the long range transportation of goods industry. Comparing transport, averaging a number of sources, on aircraft, shipping, rail and trucks greenhouse gas emissions mainly carbon dioxide, emissions may be roughly estimated as being in the following ratio with aircraft taken as 1, then comparatively shipping is 18X rail 45X and rail 100X. Particularly factoring in infrastructure switching to ships and rail from trucking which transport the majority of our goods over long halls makes ultimate sense. Of course the above does not consider the many side effects of each of these transport modes which though abundant are of similar consequence magnitude. The particularly serious nature of aircraft injecting pollutants directly into the very low temperature stratosphere does deserve note.

No realistic technological solution to the vehicular greenhouse gas problem appears immanent or even likely to occur before the Climate Change problem becomes overwhelming. Why not for example try a non-technological approach? Let's set a limit of one car per family unit? This would probably be politically impossible. Apart from citizen complaints, obvious exceptional cases of need and the vehicle lobbies etc. Another approach would be to double the price of fuel (presently in Toronto the price of gasoline exceeds that of an equal amount of most high end waters of a similar volume.) again impossible for similar reasons.

Human Nature being what it is do you think that any action like the above would be possible unless I could 'prove' that without such action we would all be dead within a week? Even then there would be many who would balk with the view that my methodology in developing the 'proof' must be faulty.

### Government

_Twenty First Century Complex Problems face 19_ th _Century Styled Governance_

Many of the following issues have been simply introduced in sections above. Here is a more contemplative discussion.

I strongly believe in democratic systems of government but must note the following:

Consider the day to day activities of your government. Are these contributing in a timely manner to the solution of our major problems? Or do personal vendettas and other discord slow much the urgent legislation to a crawl? Are there any countries worldwide whose governments move swiftly ahead in a timely thoughtful manner? Are many of the major countries debt free or in a regular fashion abating their debt? Does the average politician have the long term wellbeing of the country and the world as their priority? Could you see your own countries government capable of dealing quickly with suddenly appearing critical situations? In my worldwide experience the answer to all the above is basically in the negative. This is sad and potentially fatal to maintaining a mankind sustainable biosphere in this fast moving, highly populated, rancorous world of the 21st Century.

The 21st Century **is c** haracterized by issues that differ from those even in the fairly recent past. Many problems are now multilayered and involve research and inputs from multidisciplinary teams of many experts. Solutions proposed by such teams are often so technologically complex that they cannot be understood by heads of Government or even the government departmental groups of experts who from my experience cannot hope to include nearly all the relevant disciplines involved. Additionally, procedures for the approval of proposed solutions and the enacting of the required amelioration must occur quickly to prevent the possible long term consequences that can result due to today's protracted decision making.

Governance as it exists today is still 19th Century style, being geared for a less populated jurisdiction and simpler life style where slowly evolving decisions were appropriate. The ongoing gridlock in the US Congress over the counties crucial financial affairs is a typical of this outdated style of governance. Worldwide the disaster we are experiencing right now from Climate Change is in large part a testament to our outmoded bureaucratic reality.

### Business/Industry

Does business and industry in general have the best interests of the public in mind? Does most advertising in the media represent business products and sales practices truthfully? Do you think environmental concerns and their solutions are voluntary initiatives in most business planning? In my international experience as a scientific consultant I found the majority of businesses unconcerned and often antagonistic about environmental issues

Business in large part panders to the demands of a fanciful, poorly motivated and misinformed public. With businesses it's usually the bottom line that dictates their basic undertakings. Laws requiring controls on pollutant emissions generally impose cost factors including purchase of salient equipment its installation and maintenance.

But it's difficult to generalize about the role of business in the scheme of environmental dilemmas. Business ethics can and do run the gamut. A good example of the negative is presently most obvious to the public in the East Asian sweatshop scandals where well respected companies have been found complicit in having their name brand merchandise manufactured in dehumanizing dangerous factories. Additionally industries which on the surface seem to operate in an environmentally neutral or friendly mode are often using components that have been manufactured by sweatshop type technology elsewhere.

Government and industry have complex interrelationships on many fronts. Lobbyists from industry often unduly influence government decisions to negate or reduce environment regulations which for reasons stated above will have negative effects on the profit margin.

The Canadian Tar Sands Debacle – an Environmental Disaster waiting to Happen

A particularly serious example of adverse government and industry complicity is the development of the Tar Sands projects and associated infrastructure. If allowed to reach large scale production oil extraction from the Tar Sands will result in worldwide environmental calamity. This point is made particularly well in as follows.

"The fate of the Alberta's tar sands-and climate change-may come down to the Keystone XL Pipeline" is an eye opening quote from a July 2013, Scientific American feature article entitled "Green House Goo" by David Beillo, Associate Editor. This article based on data from a variety of experts in the climate change field, coincides with 3 potentially related issues now receiving broad coverage in this newspaper and most other media outlets throughout North America. These are Obama's seemingly irrational condition that the XL Pipeline will only be completed if it doesn't worsen the carbon pollution problem, the recent erratic behavior of the weather determining Jet Stream and the increased ferocity of storms examples of which include the 2005 and 2013 floods in Alberta and this year's Oklahoma City tornadoes. Perhaps the basis for the Obama conundrum comes from the even more ludicrous US State Department's conclusion that Keystone XL Pipeline would not result in increased development of the Canadian tar sand deposits. Contrast this with the conclusion from the above mentioned Scientific American article that "If built, the Keystone XL Pipeline will be a spigot that speeds star sands production" and you have the classical rational science based conclusion in marked contrast with the an economy motivated and vested interest lobbied political body comment.

The Tar Sands problem is exacerbated by pressures from especially the US and China. The business of extracting petroleum from the vast Canadian Tar Sands deposits in the North West is at a relatively early stage in the proposed development of this resource. Yet it is already the source of a large fraction of Canadian pollution of water, land and air. Much controversy exists in further massive proposed developments in this area. Front and center of potential vast increases in production from this source are pipelines that are essential to deliver product to existing customers in greater amounts and servicing new customer who would come into play with the increased availability that new and expanded pipelines would provide. As mentioned earlier the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is presently key to this endeavour. Further mention of the Tar Sands occurs in the section on mining below. This is because the process is really strongly related to mining and the problem of needing to process low grade ores (the tar sands) as the cheaper and less energy intensive consumptive sources of obtaining a resource become depleted.

Business and job creation is a large factor influencing the performance of stock markets and this seems natural since more jobs mean more consumers with purchasing power and hence improved business bottom lines. Older factories become noncompetitive and often require expensive alteration to meet new environmental standards. But there exists here a 'Catch 21' situation because on the other hand the more a business automates the operation in plants the cheaper the product becomes. Also a more environmentally friendly plant generally results which is a praiseworthy side effect yet for most industry is 'small potatoes' in the overall scheme. But this also means loss of jobs for the lower skilled workers. Also the fewer the full time workers a business possess the less the hassles with unions. Thus not only are lower skilled workers losing jobs many new hires in this skill category are part time, another method of avoiding union troubles and creating greater flexibility in allowing lower wage and benefits payouts. Okay you say but business requires workers to operate maintain and innovate an automated production environment. Trouble is such workers must be highly skilled and many fewer individuals in number are required than formerly.

Governments often offer retraining programs to help the former lower skilled workers and others compete for jobs in the newer more automated plants. These programs are successful to a degree but still the majority of the jobs in automation have such exceptional and unique skill requirements that new highly qualified college and university trained individuals are preferred and required. Today in the major cities in North America because of the surfeit of highly trained individuals vying for the fewer jobs many have to work in the service industries doing jobs well below their skill level. Older workers (those over 40) that have been let go from jobs often are unable to find employment. Thus the result is that while there is a growing middleclass related to a greater number of skilled well paid employees in today's plants there is a growing lifestyle disparity between these and the lower skilled.

Worldwide in the developing nations a growing middle class creates a demand for resources which is a new phenomenon for the resource dominating western world to face and these resources require energy to process. Remember the increase of 25 to 30 times in just 3 years of vehicles in China outlined above as an excellent case in point. Much of the production in the developing world is still done by 'dirty industry' using energy produces by 'dirty' means.

From an environmental standpoint to satisfy the worldwide growing group with a higher standard of living the demand for depleting resources leaps ahead as does the demand for energy to process these resources into product. How long can this go on without threatening the destruction of a sustainable environment for the existence of mankind-a decade, several decades' a100 years?

Industry Deceit

My slight Brush with Hell - A Personal Story

Jail was just about the last place I considered I might ever land. But there it was, an ugly possibility unknowingly staring me in the face. I was a young, idealistic, fearless researcher. Publishing the truth, or what in this case I strongly believed to be rigorously accurate chemical results, dominated my priorities. It was therefore a total shock being legally challenged by one of Canada's Mining Industry giants and sent my fearless idealism into an unexpected spin.

They were cool but bright days in early May 1972. A colleague and I were studying the fish population and water quality of a suite of lakes near the Mining Capital of Central Ontario. Emanations from the nearby smelter stacks were sulphurous and metal bearing in nature. Nets had been set in the target lakes at strategic points to allow an estimation of the fish population. The acid levels were measured in situ and typical water samples were taken and stabilized for lab analysis.

We were surprised to note that he numbers of fish netted were few and mainly elderly, indicating that the fish, mostly trout, were unable to spawn in these waters. We were using scale rings (similar to counting tree rings) and also the calcium content of reproductive organs, to determine their age. However, being young and idealistic, I was engrossed in my work and enjoying the great outdoors. Our Camp Director, a trapper and hunter, made the most delicious fish stews from our catches. These eaten with sour dough bread slathered in butter were a delight. (The fish had been taken in gill nets and were not in a fit state for release). Life was grand; yet unknown to us shadowy images of high, razor wire topped walls and cold concrete floored cells were dogging our every move.

A Government report was compiled using our results. Our work was on behalf of the local indigenous peoples who depended on fishing for a large part of their livelihood. The story becomes hazy at this point. Whether the government sued the large industrial complex for contamination of the large suite of lakes that we found almost bereft of fish and highly contaminated with metals and acid I don't know. Our results had disappeared into a Government document stamped "Confidential". That said results that were undeniably ours were suddenly and mysteriously being quoted verbatim in the press. All I do know for sure is that soon we were in a situation in which a trial for circulating erroneous and slanderous data and jail had become a distinct possibility.

Having been one of the few laboratories in North America using standard reference samples to verify our results seemed like a slam dunk for vindication, but strangely the challenging industry were claiming results showing ours to be about 10 times too high! The situation was escalating daily and before we knew it a trial date was set. I was too panicked to attend (so much for the fearless, young researcher) and any way the lawyers had my co-worker and all the results. On the last day of the trial it was clear the judge had become seemingly ensnarled in legal diatribe woven by some of this country's most prestigious lawyers and in his asides to opposing council appeared to be hinting at conviction.

Just by chance, as the spectre of jail was closing in on us, an anonymous person from within the complainant's organisation, placed a smuggled document onto the prosecutors table. This document apparently showed that their results in fact did agree with ours. After a very short consultation amongst combatants the industry settled with the affected Indigenous people for the full amount!

Sometimes beads of perspiration still break out on my forehead when I think of this quandary. One question continues to haunts me though; how can I have taken every possible step to be certain of my results and then still be dragged into court and brought so close to internment?

# Chapter 3

## Fundamentals of Existing/Ongoing Tipping Points to Disaster

## (Much of Chapter 3 appears in my other books-But updated here and there as is essential)

### Water

Up to 1.8 million children die yearly due to water related disease!

About 800 million people worldwide have no safe drinking water.

In my view problems in maintaining an adequate world supply of fresh water is most likely the tipping-point in the fate of mankind and a sustainable earth's biosphere.

"While the amount of freshwater on the planet has remained fairly constant over time—continually recycled through the atmosphere and back into our cups—the population has exploded. This means that every year competition for a clean, copious supply of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and sustaining life intensifies". This is a quotation from a recent National Geographic article entitled Freshwater Crisis.

A related statement occurs in the Executive Summary of The UNEP/GRID- publication Sick Water? "The world is facing a global water quality crisis. Continuing population growth and urbanization, rapid industrialization, and expanding and intensifying food production are all putting pressure on water resources and increasing the unregulated or illegal discharge of contaminated water within and beyond national borders. This presents a global threat to human health and wellbeing, with both immediate and long term consequences for efforts to reduce poverty whilst sustaining the integrity of some of our most productive ecosystems".

There is a persistent migration throughout the world but particularly in developing countries from rural to urban centers. This trend is particularly troublesome for dwindling freshwater supplies and the ultimate pollution of nearby water bodies by the polluted waste water remnants of that water. These discharge areas, frequently depended upon as a local aquatic food supply are damaged by the pollutants so that they no longer are useful for this purpose.

Most mammals including humans are over 60% water by composition making continuous water replenishment on a daily basis essential. The world is 70% covered by water but of this less than 3% is fresh and of this 2/3 is tied up in polar ice caps and glaciers. With Global Warming melting this latter this fresh water is mixing into the surrounding salt water oceans and hence relentlessly depleting the small existing fresh water supply. These figures emphasize the tiny amount of water, about 1%, in the world that is directly useful to humans and much of the rest of the water dependent world's life forms. Since there is no desalination process that is simple, not highly energy consumptive and economical on a large scale for use widely on ocean water we remain dependent on the present fresh water supply.

A look at the map of North America shows a landscape dotted densely with fresh water lakes in the north including the Great Lakes. These latter large fresh water bodies contain 20% of the world's fresh water and 80% of the freshwater in North America. Statistics are boring but the essential point in this data is the revelation concerning the relatively tiny amount of fresh water available to the bulk of the rapidly expanding human race.

Not all available fresh water is visible on the surface of the earth, 30% being below the ground level in the form of large bodies of water known as aquifers. Several large cities such as Phoenix which are appreciable distances from an adequate source of surface water must obtain their fresh water supply from sources natural and man constructed from some distance away. Often aquifers exist beneath the surrounding area and even underlie the cities themselves. In many cases as with Bangkok replenishment of these sources is slower than the withdrawal causing potential problems due to subsiding of inhabited areas residing above and in the case of this city a 1.6m subsidence has occurred in only 10 years. Some of the world's largest aquifers are brackish in composition that type of water being unfit for human consumption. Probably the most famous of these brackish aquifers, the Great Artesian Basin, underlies much of Australia and although too salty for human use fortunately some major farm animals such as cattle can tolerate water in this condition.

On average over 70% of the world's available freshwater is used agriculturally. Depending on location the fraction of domestic to industrial sources vary. In North American locales domestic and industrial usages are about equal. Whereas in Southern Asia only a small percentage of available water is used by industry and for domestic purposes the vast majority being required for agriculture. This situation is changing with rapid urbanization and the associated large scale industrialization that must result.

Climate Change, often termed global warming is certain to have an effect on the water cycle if only to change precipitation patterns perceptibly. Changing patterns involving drought and excessive rainfall are already being noted in many parts of the world. Climate Change and problems related thereto will be covered in much greater detail in a section to follow.

Pollution of fresh water by human, industrial and farm use rises rapidly as a threat to the sustainability of adequate supplies. Water pollution in Developing countries remains largely unabated. This problem is now being addressed in many jurisdictions in the developing world in some cases with new ingenious technology. Schemes have even been developed whereby the water in sewage steam arriving at sewage treatment plants is recycled and purified to the point of being suitable for drinking. Yet presently even in many Developed Country urban centers poor quality waste water treatment abounds.

The urban populations present astounding rate of increase will likely result in doubling the current 3.5 billion urban value by 2050 thus being the main contributor to the rise to a total 9 billion estimated world population in 2050. Sadly the population rise in the associated slums will be even greater than that of the urban population as a whole. Only a miracle can hope to solve the attendant increasing urban fraction of discharge of largely untreated wastewater outside those forward looking large Developed Country urban centers with installed advanced wastewater treatment. With the concentration of most large urban centers being positioned on the world's major waterways the destruction of self-sustaining aquatic ecosystems due to waste water pollutants in both salt and fresh water is rapid. The attendant damage to natural aquatic food resource follows in lock step.

The greatest benefit to dealing with wastewater in urban areas is to have a system whereby the sewers that connect to homes, industry and businesses are separated from storm sewers that carry waste water from urban runoff. Thus by concentrating the waste water that requires special treatment in sewage treatment plants by separating this from the runoff waste water, treatment plants will not suffer raw sewage overflow problems during storms and other periods of high volume waste water runoff. Low Impact Development (LID) is a program that takes this sewer separation a step further in treating runoff sewerage as a resource rather than a waste. A variety of practices are already available for this bio-retention of runoff. These include, rain gardens, vegetated roof tops, rain barrels and permeable pavement. In areas where road salt run-off into storm sewers occurs in winter care is required in making choices in the receiving area that do not involve the salty discharge contaminating any soils.

Sewer separation is an expensive proposition, especially as a retrofit procedure. Thus to avoid municipal tax increases many municipalities are wary of this approach. Again we find ourselves facing the problem that environment related choices that will be essential in the long term often fall by the wayside to prevent expenses that could contribute to a loss of constituent spending power and hence an assault on living standards.

The supply of potable water in Developing countries is sadly restricted since half the population in these jurisdictions does not have adequate sanitation facilities. Under present condition of rectification the problem is bound to become worse with climate change and population increase. Currently over 1 billion people suffer from water shortage likely to increase to close to 3 billion as early as 2050. My experience of working with environmental chemistry problems in developing countries indicates a persistent lack of will within governments to tackle even such dire problems.

Although seldom mentioned in well informed sources that I had read the problem of corruption at all government and government services levels is rampant in many of these counties. Thus money often donated from foreign sources diminishes significantly through pay outs to officials at all levels and is greatly reduced before reaching its intended beneficial destination. In my view this is a problem that in magnitude and nature is often more atrocious than most others.

Attempted Corruption in a Transaction - A Personal Story

I possessed in my own laboratory a very functional but dated piece of equipment which was no longer of use to my work. However I recognized its still intrinsic value to modernizing and expediting work in my fresh water/waste water analysis laboratory in Brazil. It was important that the equipment should be shipped here and I was quite anxious to do this even at my own expense. The request was made to approve the paper work. Somewhere up the line and outside the University (which was pleased with the idea), a snag developed. Someone wanted the equivalent in cash and then would purchase similar equipment made in Brazil. Firstly I knew such quality equipment did not exist in Brazil and secondly I had been informed by a colleague that such a sum would be much diminished before, or if it ever came to the proper place. As I was wrestling with the situation an unexpected solution appeared. I complained bitterly in the presence of my contact in the group providing this consultancy opportunity. A representative asked me where the equipment currently stood; I explained that it resided on such and such bench in my lab. He then asked, "When do you wish it to arrive" and I replied "the sooner the better". Next week there it stood in my Brazilian lab. It was in full working order already engaged in waste water analyses. The secret of its travel to Brazil was that the consultancy group had diplomatic status that allowed items to bypass government import procedures.

Thus the reader must understand that promising sounding solutions to problems often go awry because of personal greed and the fact that a genuine will to implement such programs is frequently sadly lacking.

Despite the availability of high tech solutions to wastewater treatment, many of these processes being energy intensive require consumption of large amounts of energy resources and often result in other forms of pollution during the process. This cycle of the abating of one form of pollution requiring large energy consumption while often resulting in an additional other type of pollution is a dilemma that ranks high amongst those that inhibit the process of establishing worldwide sustainable conditions of the biosphere. As in most problem issues debated here exacerbation due to the mushrooming population and the larger proportion of the growing population demanding a standard of living equal to the average in North America pertains.

### Climate Change/Global Warming

Breaking News, Geneva, 13 November 2013

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Press Release No.981 on this date states that; "The year 2013 is currently on course to be among the top ten warmest years since modern records began in 1850". In an earlier release also in November 2013 the WMO noted that major greenhouse gases reached a new record in 2012.

Perspective

To understand the urgency that is being appended to climate change it is important to have the following perspective. The diameter of the earth is approximately 12,000 km. The layers surrounding the earth that contain 99% of our atmosphere are the troposphere and stratosphere. You can think of this in terms of an orange where the skin representing the troposphere is thinner than the skin on a thin skinned typical orange. The troposphere, the band which intersects the earth's surface containing 80% of the world's atmosphere, is 15 km thick. This mere 15km band of the atmosphere where weather phenomena occur is uniquely essential to all life on earth.

Any adverse changes in the composition of this 15 km thick layer are a direct threat to our continued existence. Then consider that anthropogenic (human activity sources) carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions were about 34 trillion tons in 2012 and are being continuously spewed into this relatively thin layer and likewise are accumulating in ever increasing amounts yearly. A frightening imponderable with gauging the present status of the global warming progression is that the effect of the carbon dioxide that is emitted into the atmosphere today is subject to a time delay before its repercussions can be known.

No meaningful concrete plans are currently in place to limit this anthropogenic source carbon dioxide accumulation in the troposphere anywhere worldwide. This is true now and for the foreseeable future.

An article relating to science in the news observations in the October 2013 volume of Scientific American bemoans the paucity of climate change education in the American classrooms. It fingers political and economic philosophy as mostly responsible for this problem. In this manuscript our present political and economic infrastructures will commonly be noted as fundamental reasons for our no win environmental future.

Greenhouse Gases, the Issues

The so called greenhouse gases include mainly, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, ozone and fluorocarbon compounds. All except fluorocarbons are present naturally in the atmosphere.

The consequence of excess accumulating anthropogenic sources of these gases in the atmosphere is designated by many under the umbrella of Global Warming, Climate Change is a weather related phenomenon; a very obvious consequence of global warming. This public confusion has been generated through over use of the moniker "Global Warming" to represent the total consequence of anthropogenic, greenhouse gasses.

A further confusion in understanding the ramifications related to human source greenhouse gas emissions is the slow deleterious acidification of the world's oceans resulting from the dissolution of carbon dioxide in ocean water, which sets up a reaction whereby carbonic acid is a product. Carbon dioxide the most prominent of the human source greenhouse gases is emitted into the atmosphere and causes increased levels there-in, but it is also dissolvable in water accounting for the present ocean acidification trend. The most immediately proposed ocean acidification consequence is the partial dying off of ecologically important coral reefs in some localities. But for this treatise we will look at the better understood atmospheric consequences of greenhouse gas emissions.

Presently the phenomenon of global warming is most obvious in Polar Regions where the predominant rise in average temperature is now occurring. In particular the 2011-2012 discovery in the Western Antarctic, a region some distance from the atmospheric ozone hole, that temperatures in this region are rising at rates 2-3 times the global average is particularly ominous.

Weather is a phenomenon related to air pressure differences from one locale to another, the latter thus being responsible for daily weather patterns. Mid-latitude yearly seasonal weather variations are due to the change in the angle of the rays of the sun passing through the troposphere (atmospheric layer that intersects the earth's surface) and hitting the earth's surface. The temperature difference between polar and equatorial regions generates the "Polar" Jet Stream in the mid-latitudes. The Northern Hemisphere jet stream is a thin band of fast flowing air which itself moves from west to east together with the daily weather causing high and low pressure zones.

Climate is the yearly combination of changing weather trends on a seasonal basis. Climate Change is a phenomenon whereby the average weather patterns undergo a permanent change. Ocean temperatures vary seasonably to a lesser degree than those on the land and hence have a buffering effect on coastal temperature fluctuations. Warm or cool ocean currents occur along most coastal regions and these can have a very tangible effect on climate. In the Northern Hemisphere the warm temperature massive Gulf Stream is of particular importance. By this system which travels far north the climate of Western Europe is moderated.

In the mid- latitudes which possess the greatest world population density, climate change is the more prominent vestige of the global warming phenomenon. For this reason the public's attention to dangers there-from are more easily captured noting presently occurring changes in local weather patterns. Shifting regions of wet and dry zones, increased frequency and ferocity of storms and widely fluctuating seasonal temperatures both hot and cold are presently occurring. It is important to stress not all weather changes in every locale are reflected in phenomena suggestive of rising temperatures; some few regions are actually showing colder trends at present. A frightening comment indicative of human non concern of Climate Change vagaries is the common statement, on a particular cold winters days here in Ontario; "wouldn't a little global warming go well just now"?

It is not uncommon to encounter in the press and by word of mouth the view that human source global warming is not occurring. Even a few well-known scientists engender this concept. Many try to reason that the warming being noted today is similar to some of the many natural warming cycles that have been noted in the earth's history over hundreds of millions of years of geological time. Fast forward to an article in the July 2012 Scientific American reporting on a fact finding scientific expedition to the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The study was carried out by a group of scientists under the jurisdiction on the Worldwide Universities Network by world renowned experts representing a wide variety of specialties and emanating from England, Norway and The Netherlands. The following is an interpretation in my own words of what I felt most relevant in this content.

The concept was to compare the rate of temperature change and consequences that occurred in a particularly notable natural cycle of global warming 56 million years ago, which will be designated (GW 56M), with that occurring today. The (GW 56M) temperature rise maximum of 8 degrees C, with catastrophic consequences, occurred after an ascent lasting about 20,000 years. However it then took another 200,000 years for the earth's natural defenses to decrease the temperature to what we consider normal. In (GW 56M) there were many consequences including a large rise in ocean levels, rapid ocean acidification that destroyed much of the ocean life and a forced migration of much terrestrial life both plant and animal toward the poles to ensure survival.

Unless drastic measures are very soon taken to cut human activity sourced carbon gas emissions, the same catastrophic 8 degree temperature rise on today's earth will occur in only a few 100's of years. Grievously all the same (GW 56M) consequences would happen but ever so much more quickly. Considering the massive human population involved, heading the consequence list this time would be unthinkably large losses of human life. As demonstrated through fossilized evidence found in cores drilled in many locales into the oceanic subsurface there becomes a point-of-no-return. That is at a presently uncertain point in the temperature rise curve; the disastrous upward temperature rise becomes self-sustaining and hence continues unaffected by any human intervention. At this point-of-no-return mega tons of methane gas now trapped safely in the oceans depths in the form of methane ice begins to melt in the warming ocean water and bubbles into the atmosphere. At that point the unstoppable methane gas release becomes the dominant cause of Global Warming.

Is anything of real consequence presently being enacted to slow or prevent the present calamitous human induced greenhouse gas emissions damage to the earth's environment? In a word - no.

What if one morning we woke up to find that throughout the world the air had turned inky black? If scientific findings related to climate change had predicted that such might at some unknown time in the future occur, would this not likely spurn those in charge into a flurry of drastic action? Trouble is at this point it would be too late. Of course with climate change no such sudden obvious events are likely to occur before our potential to remediate climate change has past.

Unfortunately decision makers are unlikely to act decisively on problems like climate change without facing blatantly obvious already occurring consequences. This approach has been proven time and again throughout history. Why should we believe that this is going to happen in the case of climate change?

The very savvy Bill Gates, ex CEO of Microsoft and the personal computer guru is one of the World's richest persons. Through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation he gives billions to charity and in support of innovative research and technology. In this regard one of his largest grants is supporting a particular favourite, the production of ultra safe Nuclear Power technology. On the other hand the Ontario Government while speaking of expanding Ontario's nuclear power capability has spent billions of your tax dollars on Wind Power and Solar power projects the former Gates terms sarcastically "cute" and the latter he treats as so expensive as to be not worth considering. For emphasis again, remember that when comparing wind and nuclear power, 1GW of energy requires 1 nuclear power plant. In contrast a wind farm covering ¼ of the surface of Lake Ontario and running at full power 100% of the time (impossible) would be necessary to generate a similar amount of energy. Meanwhile our yearly output level of carbon containing, greenhouse gas emissions remains undiminished. Remember also that for now, climate change is an appropriate term to describe the present consequences of human source greenhouse gas emission. But under existing political and economic circumstances global warming will soon have migrated to cover even our temperate zones. Most disconcertedly, due to worldwide changing greenhouse gas emission dynamics, the time in the future when the point-of-no-return will occur is not known and cannot be predicted.

Let's look at the earth from another perspective that casts global warming in an innovatively different light. To give present this unique theory in its full contexts the reader will find statistics especially related to greenhouse gas compounds repeated from what appears above.

Gaia-A Novel Concept

Gea better known as Gaia, is the Greek Goddess of the earth (Ge=earth).

In my view this novel concept is most realistic in its field and better fits with the resource/energy conundrum related to the environmental consequences of a quickly growing middleclass

What possible connection to anything relevant in modern times, could be ascribed to Gaia? James Lovelock in 1968 while working at NASA, chose this name for his world renowned and revolutionary theory. Here-in he postulates that the earth can be best described as being much like a living organism, particularly in determining earth's atmospheric compositional makeup from its inception until its final hot passive state hopefully sometime in the very distant future. This precept replaced for most scientists the static earth concept of previous theories.

Since the earth is in dynamic interaction with the atmosphere the composition of the latter is then dependent to a major degree on the reactions occurring in the biosphere and the lithosphere. This self-regulation is crucial not only to maintaining the 20% atmospheric oxygen content into which the human race evolved, but also to preserving life sustaining climatic conditions. Reasoning that helps verify the Gaia approach is convincing, but involves points concerning the need to employ nonlinear rather than linear differential equations in all climate modeling, the first law of thermodynamics and the natural regulation of methane and is beyond our scope here.

But in any case through this approach we can see that the maintenance of this self-regulation must be considered important in deliberations of today's urgent climatic concerns.

In his latest book, "The Vanishing Face of Gaia" 2009, James Lovelock outlines the indomitable threat that human sourced emissions, now and in the near future, pose to this self-regulation mechanism named Gaia. It is important to emphasize that after the title is appended the phrase "A final warning" which should be ample to garner our rapt attention. But why should this book be singled out from the many others on climate change? Like other authors of popular Climate Change/Global Warming books Lovelock carefully hunts amongst the available data for material that best serves his purpose. However as the inventor and main purveyor of the dynamic earth theory he builds his arguments in a scientific, yet very readable format, around this theory, a fact in marked contrast to most others which have no accepted central theoretical dictum. This scientist who possess earned degrees in Chemistry, Medicine and Biophysics, all from first rate universities, looks at climatic problems as an expert from a multidisciplinary perspective, also unique from writers of other popular treatments.

Some may ask, how with some current local trends to cooler, wetter, summers and cold winters could Lovelock and indeed I, still offer an urgent plea to please take seriously the present warming trend of this planet as caused by the activities of man? This brings out one of the strengths of the Gaia based approach. Lovelock bases most of his important conclusions on average Northern and Southern hemispheres open ocean temperature trends and accompanying biochemical changes rather than terrestrial local variations. The rising ocean temperatures are most discernible closer to the poles and as stated above the oceans have a buffering effect against short term land based temperature fluctuations providing a truer picture of the serious Global Warming trend.

_Greenhouse Gases a Closer Look_

What are Greenhouse gases and why is the situation relating to man's contribution to these so urgent now? Greenhouse gasses are substances that when introduced into the atmosphere impedes the reradiating of heat produced at the earth's surface by radiation from the sun. This can occur because the wavelength of the pertinent radiation from the sun is of such values that they freely penetrate the greenhouse gas laden atmosphere; while on the other hand the heat radiation thus produced is of different wavelengths and upon attempted re-radiation are susceptible to greenhouse gas interaction thus becoming trapped. Of particular note; when we introduce "greenhouse gasses" into the atmosphere their effects are not instant but take several years to develop. Thus should we find some time later, maybe even in the near future that human source atmospheric discharges are causing a serious problem, it may be too late for meaningful action. This could transpire since the warming trend will continue regardless, based on the delayed effect of years of previous uncontrolled emissions. That could then result in 'The Demise of Gaia' as this indispensable self-regulation gives up and leaves us in an essentially out of restraint situation.

Of the 5 most common greenhouse gases 4, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone are present naturally in the atmosphere; the fifth a fluorocarbons (a commonly used refrigerant) is not. Each of these naturally occurring gases has a different efficiency of effect as a factor in Climate Change/Global Warming. For example methane is many times more severe a problem than is carbon dioxide based on the radiation spectral region in which it is most active. On the positive side methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime than carbon dioxide. Up to the present time carbon dioxide has largely been the greenhouse gas released due to human induced activity. It is important to understand that methane, largely a low volume human induced greenhouse gas emission presently results mainly from cattle husbandry in agriculture venues. However it is important to remember that humongous quantities of methane ice, most at great depths cover large areas of costal ocean floor. Some of these deposits; most particularly in the Russian North have been noted to have been subjected to warming typical of far northern localities and hence are releasing methane gas that has begun slowly bubbling into the atmosphere.

Over millions of years variations in the levels of the naturally occurring greenhouse gases, solar radiation intensity, volcanic activity and other factors have themselves caused climatic disparities. As noted above there have been well defined cycles of natural climatic warming and cooling on the earth each normally lasting 10's to 100's of thousand years. Yet variations of climate under natural circumstances have been recorded that lasted for much shorter times, some even as short as a few hundred years. Again this has led some few scientists to question whether present climatic change trends are just a natural occurrence. Although no absolute proof exists of human sources being the cause of present climate change, the best meteorological models absolutely do require a human induced component to account for the magnitude of present global warming trend. Thus approximately 90% of meteorological experts are now convinced that human activity, particularly extending since the period of the industrial revolution and rising in a lockstep relationship to the magnitude of this human activity is the cause of this phase of Climate Change/ Global Warming.

"Fiddling While the World Warms" is the title of a climate change opinion and analysis article by the Editors in the October 2013 Issue of Scientific American. The sub heading of this article, "Assessments of climate change must come faster and more frequently" is particularly pertinent to the now intolerable typical delays when major committees such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 4 years in the deliberations and out in 2013 presents major findings which because of the long interval in study will of course be in many cases out of date. The IPCC, formed in 1988 issued its most recent former report in 2007 and a variety of authoritative groups have bemoaned the fact that governments have typically been slow to act on the advice. This is not because reports, the result of overly long periods of deliberations, are out of date when released, a fact unknown to most, but because of the usual human nature properties pertaining to conflict between economic issues, special interest lobbies and political expediency.

This delayed reaction time associated with emitted greenhouse gases is an important parameter of unknown magnitude in establishing the size of the problem being caused by present and predicted greenhouse gas emissions. This unknown affects all models of Global Warming and not only Lovelocks Gaia model just discussed above. Thus in attempting to establish the point at which the human induced greenhouse gas emission effects will become irreversible is exacerbated in all cases by this delayed reaction unfortunately of unknown magnitude in whatever model exists or may be developed.

As emphasized throughout this book one of the most worrisome characteristics of the average human being is to carry on as usual particularly when said problem has been developing over a considerable period of time as in the present problem of Climate Change/Global warming. Thusly we largely ignore such a predicament until it becomes a full blown crisis. The cause of this popular trend is many fold but mainly results that up to now something has normally been devised that will provide a solution to such a problems just before the catastrophic point.

With Climate Change/Global Warming a variety of worrisome climate related changes are yearly being revealed with little meaningful remedial phenomena resulting. The plethora of circumstances that one can delineate for example the increased frequency and destructive power of wind related events, widespread drought and record high temperatures in some regions and flooding accompanied by destructive erosion events in others are likely results of this inaction. Of these, economic ramifications at governmental, industrial and personal and particularly at agricultural levels are particularly noteworthy. Greenhouse gas emissions being the main source of Climate Change/Global Warming phenomena and a rapidly rising increased human activity related component of these is now abundantly obvious as the main culprit. Real progress on reduction of this source can only come at the Federal government and International levels as a worldwide initiative. In democratic countries Governments themselves although directly contributors often through their ownership and/or control of utilities; the problem falls most precipitously within the jurisdiction of industry and individuals. Resistance to amelioration at these latter levels is particularly strong due to the very appreciable added costs that are inherent in any positive action. Of course democratic governments react strongly to pressures imposed from constituent and business and industrial sources and are unlikely to invoke meaningful changes with negative reactions from these jurisdictions.

Again it is important to remind ourselves that cost increases incurred for pollution abatement if imposed have strong negative ramifications related to maintaining our present standard of living. The situation is totally different in concept with non-democratic systems of government. Depending on the form of governance the government or individual in power can make decisions independent of the operators of industry and individuals, but instead of taking positive steps toward amelioration of their pollution sources in general they tend for many reasons in my experience to be on the average more recalcitrant. Additional comment appears below on worldwide organized attempts to develop multinational strategies to ameliorate the Climate Change/Global Warming Problem.

But first let's stop here for a moment and remind ourselves again that in the recent past, solutions often technological or political in nature have been developed in good time to prevent serious problems from taking place. Where are/were those solutions in the case of the present problem of climate change? Even looking forward do effective remedies seem likely? Problems that affect the continued sustainability of the world's biosphere are gargantuan being highly multi-disciplinary in nature and demand radical procedural changes at all levels of government. Pure and applied science funding and reordering the priorities of and interactions within the disciplines must change drastically.

Additionally remedial action on major world environmental problems must be found and most importantly be put in place quickly. An article in the October 2013 volume of Scientific American by David J. Kappos concerning where the money will come to fund big ideas contains the following sentiment. Important developments in science do not just naturally result in technology of importance. For this to occur besides money, time is one factor that is required. In my own view our present economic and political systems and mode of living essentially run counter current to timely action on both development and particularly implementation of critical solutions to our critical problems.

# Chapter 4

# (Drawn together from My Other Writings to Place My Life Style Conundrum in Perspective)

## Country and Rural

### Agriculture and Related Topics

Desertification in 2013 will occur for over 10 million hectares.

Forests lost in 2013 will be 4.5 million hectares.

Land lost to soil erosion in 2013 will be 6 million hectares.

In one form or other a variety of scientists from different disciplines have indicated Agriculture is the overriding force behind most ecological problems on the earth. Thus agriculture is in many minds the most important aspect of life that requires protection and improvements. I have already stated that water ranks number one in these subsets related to world overpopulation. This can easily be defended since in the absence of adequate freshwater of suitable quality an ever increasing pressing problem would ham string required agricultural yields.

According to Bill Gates in his 2012 Annual Letter 15% of the world's population live in extreme poverty. This could be the compelling reason to rank agriculture at the highest level. As will be outlined below there are many problems related to retaining high quality soil condition and hence fertility including basic agricultural practice and soil protection and amelioration with organic matter, microorganism health and fertilizers, erosion problems, salinization and other damage the preeminent considerations. These combined with animal husbandry, seed production, choice and use of herbicides will control the future of agriculture.

Problems related to present day agricultural practice and food production are gargantuan and our emphasis on and choices in many of the above topics will largely determine how the agricultural future plays out. Considering all the subsets of the problem of overpopulation agriculture and fresh water will be among the most severely affected.

Suitable Land Availability

Forest lost this in 2012-about 5 million hectares

A serious conundrum evident in jurisdictions such as Ontario in Canada, typical of many in Eastern North America is that some of the best agricultural land is being rapidly consumed by urban sprawl occasioned by the rapidly growing population that must be accommodated therein. This is occurring despite designation of Greenbelts supposedly aimed at protecting an area as green space and defining the limits of further expansion of urban areas. In the case of the Greater Toronto area greenbelts are typical of their name and are relatively narrow and are simply jumped over by developers with a continuing consumption of quality agricultural land on the further side. The negative ramifications to agriculture are only one of the problems this expansion begets. Developers build large communities without any direct obligation to provide expressways and other infrastructure to deliver the occupants to their workplaces in many cases 10's of kilometers away in the center of the city. Politicians having little advanced heed for these problems reply if they do on a crisis basis. This alone is a discouraging but typical example of how governments work at as disaster dictate levels on issues of public concern. How can one then expect substantive foresight and action on the major issues involving future sustainability of the biosphere worldwide?

Soil Quality and Fertility

Soil consists of varying amounts of sand, silt, organic matter and clay. Soil textures and hence their ability to retain moisture vary depending on the proportions of these 4 ingredients. Sandy soils, loose aggregate, hold little moisture and require frequent watering; loams have a clay content of about 25 to 30%; medium clay soils have clay contents in the 40% range and aggregate firmly thus having inadequate drainage. Good soils have loose to medium aggregate properties and have a sufficient of organic matter to hold plenty of moisture. Organic matter must be added periodically to soils to replace that that biodegrades into plant nutrients and particulate material.

Treatments of agricultural soils in fields before seeding have changed in some farming practice to the point that some approaches involve no physical disturbance such as plowing. In conventional tillage were minimal residual crop residue remains on the surface a mould board plow is employed and may be repeated multiple times; using a chisel type plow about 20% of the residual coverage remains. In contrast conservational methods of seeding involve no tillage whatsoever with the seed placed directly into the previous season's crop residue. Since roughly the same amount of herbicides is used in all methods for the killing of weeds, no crop preparation method is preferred on that basis.

Agricultural Soil Degradation

Massive agricultural soil degradation has already been experienced worldwide. The effects are reduction in soil fertility, decreased soil biodiversity and destruction of the vertical soil ecosystem.

The source of this degradation can be basically summarized as follows.

Tillage and grazing destroy the soil vertical configuration and in extreme cases causes desertification.

Chemical causes include poor fertilizer practice particular application of excess amounts. Other chemical forms of degradation include salinization, acidification or alkalination.

Water problems are related to erosion, flooding, poor tillage practice and deforestation.

Wind over bare tilled fields results in dust storms that damage the topsoil.

Pesticides are widely used. Early in pesticide application history the types used had a broad species kill spectrum and long lifetime, breaking down only very slowly and often leaving harmful residues particularly in use on food crops. Unfortunately due to their wide availability and cheap price they are still commonly used in Developing Countries. These substances banned in other jurisdictions have been replaced by more selective varieties that biodegrade quickly leaving much less harmful residues. Pesticides can have a very serious effect on soil and plant beneficial microorganisms and biodiversity. Because of these problems nitrogen fixation is also perturbed.

Soil degradation has resulted in famines in China and Africa. Natures well established water carbon and nitrogen cycles suffer serious perturbations in soil degradation regions. Desertification is causing widespread area increase of desert in many areas already rife with large deserts.

A word map showing the horrendous magnitude of world soil degradation is available (4).

### Food Issues

People who died of hunger Nov 7, 2013-about 19,000.

Undernourished people in the world this year (2013)-about 910 million.

People who are obese in 2013 about 600 million.

Amount spent on Drugs 2013 about $340 billion

The staggering statistics above relating to undernourishment and starvation are made all that more vexatious and untenable in the light of early Jan 2013 widespread reports in the public media that up to one-half of the world food supply goes to waste. Sources for this wastage in Developed Countries include, food discarded by consumers as out of date, unattractiveness, spoilage or not even reaching store food shelves due not meeting appearance and quality expectations.

The most serious result of degradation of soil relates to food production. One of our most serious worldwide problems is to increase food production to meet the growing demand despite our declining soil quality.

In a December 2012 D.K. Ray and coworkers(Nature Communications 3 Article 1293 – 2012) postulate that; " in the coming decades, continued population growth, rising meat and dairy consumption and expanding bio-fuel use will dramatically increase the pressure on global agriculture. Even as we face these future burdens, there have been scattered reports of yield stagnation in the world's major cereal crops, including maize, rice and wheat". In observations over the period 1961 to 2008 they examined the trends in crop yields for four key global crops: maize, rice, wheat and soybeans and found that; "although yields continue to increase in many areas, we find that across 24–39% of maize-, rice-, wheat- and soybean-growing areas, yields either never improve, stagnate or collapse".

Under the title "The Environmental Food Crisis", UNEP/GRID- Arendal (Environmental Knowledge for Change 2012) reports extensively on food issues and agricultural trends and challenges.

They state; "The world food production has increased substantially in the past century, as has calorie intake per capita. However, in spite of a decrease in the proportion of undernourished people, the absolute number has in fact increased during the current food crisis, to over 963 million. By 2050, population growth by an estimated 3 billion more people will increase food demand". They elucidate that a heavier use of water through irrigation and increased fertilizer application have been responsible in the past for about 70% of crop yield increases. They go on to suggest; ". Yields, however, have nearly stabilized for cereals, partly as a result of low and declining investments in agriculture". In a startling comment this report outlines that only about 43% of the cereal produced is available for use by humans. This is presumably due to harvest and post-harvest loss during distribution, use of these for animal feed and bio-fuel production. By introducing food energy efficiencies, like waste recycling, together with new technology and using waste recovered along the human food chain as a substitute for present animal feed the report suggests that the additional 3 billion people alive by 2050 could be fed.

My comment would be that if even if this proves true for this time interval of less than 40 years hence what can we expect in much longer intervals which must be considered that must be broached if sustainability of mankind on this planet is to be assured. Again we note the problem of short term thinking having limited relevance to long term problems.

This same report goes on to discuss meat as a food. Accordingly it states that per-capita meat consumption rose from 27kg in 1074/1976 to 36kg in 1997/1999 and problems related to this trend are commonly pointed out here and elsewhere. These include energy inefficiencies when live stock is fed grain food supplies, the need for use of of 1/3 of all farmland and wide ranging deforestation for land to be used as pasture(60-70% of previously forested Amazonia has thus disappeared) , overgrazing damage erosion and land compaction. All this exists even when less than 10% of the world caloric supply is satisfied with meat consumption.

Many environmentalists have also long decried eating meat since raising livestock is felt to be a serious misuse of arable land. Additionally domestic livestock is responsible for 17% of the anthropogenic sourced greenhouse gases which are implicated in adverse climate change. Most meat consumption occurs in the industrialized nations. The 30% of the earth's surface not covered by ice and now used for livestock production could serve much larger portions of the world for direct food production and for growth of trees for air born carbon dioxide removal. So must we give up eating meat to alleviate this problem?

The journal Scientific American in the May17, 2011 edition records a laboratory approach to growing beef that involves stem cells from cattle. If this promising approach can be commercialized just one cow could result in enough beef to feed a nation.

Stem cells in contrast to other types have the remarkable property that they can be made to develop into many different species of cells. For this reason researchers have a great interest in these substances for a variety of purposes. For example stem cells can be made to differentiate into red blood cells, they can be used to produce tissue to repair vital organs and other tissue and as will be shown they have the potential for the production of muscle tissue.

In general terms 2 classifications of stem cells exist, embryonic and adult. Research involving these entities has been controversial, particularly in the case of embryonic stem cells. In this case ethical implications involving use of human embryonic stem cells has spilled over to affect work with embryonic stem cells in general. The argument involves the contention that in the act of harvesting embryonic cells of human origin, human life is actually being destroyed. This point is the subject of much conjecture. The issue is important since the general sentiment is that embryonic stem cells have greatest potential for research purposes and that research using such material must be allowed to proceed.

Adult stem cells are less abundant per unit of tissue and hence harder to harvest in large numbers. Sources include umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and even muscle tissue. These stem cells can differentiate into any type of cell that comprises the tissue in which they are discovered.

To grow beef in the lab embryonic stem cells available in abundance, are accumulated from cattle embryos. They are then prompted to proliferate and differentiate into muscle cells which in turn are stimulated to form large amounts of muscle tissue (meat). Or adult stem cells, which however are difficult to grow, are harvested from a tiny amount of cattle muscle tissue and caused to proliferate into large amounts of muscle tissue. The muscle tissue cells, placed in many spots spaced over a large scaffold like structure are allowed to grow into sheets of bulk muscle tissue. This meat is then removed and put through a grinder to form hamburger. Research has not yet proceeded to the stage of yielding steaks and roasts.

In a closely related manner other types of animal tissue cells can be worked with in the laboratory. Specimens of fish and pig flesh have been thusly produced.

A number of problems still exist with meat production in this manner. For example the present laboratory methodology is expensive and to some degree technically inefficient. Then adapting this approach for commercial production has not yet successfully been broached. The degree of acceptance of such meat by the general public is also in question.

However meat obtained in the above manner if successfully produced on a commercial scale would reduce to near zero the numbers of domesticated animals occupying and utilizing valuable arable land and would also reduce almost entirely animal sources of greenhouse gas emissions. For these reasons alone this type of stem cell research is of great importance. It goes without saying that this eminence becomes particularly magnified considering the present high level and continuing rapid growth of world human population.

On the other hand schemes such as described above very frequently fade from view on the basis that the required technology to initiate large scale production is very complex and expensive. Since technology does not exist in any related commercial process and will have to be developed through a many level prototyping scheme, the likelihood that before the commercial production level is reached some unforeseen impediment will arise is very probable. Thus readers should rate such proposals reaching the commercial stage as highly unlikely, but due to the important implications worth including in this book.

Hydroponics

Growing of plants in nutrient solutions often in an inert substrate but free from soil constitutes the process of pant culture known as hydroponics. This process occurs mainly in greenhouses under carefully controlled conditions of atmospheric moisture, temperature and light exposure. There are a plethora of variations on the basic process, often dictated by the nature of the crop(s) being grown. Cost effectiveness, impact on the environment, pesticide practices and implications relating to population growth are of greatest concern in this book.

Advances in hydroponic technology, higher quality of the produce in many cases and the acceptance of this type of cultured crops by grocers are some of the reasons that have resulted in an in the industry becoming cost effective for some types of fruits and vegetables compared to their soil growth counterparts. For example while cucumbers and tomatoes are hydroponically profitable crops lettuce is generally less likely to be so.

The Environmental impact of hydroponics is relatively low. Culture solutions containing plant nutrients are recyclable. Thus serious nutrient pollutants such as phosphorus are contained within the system and do not contaminate local waterways as is the case with use of fertilizer in soil based market gardening. Soil degradation a very harmful effect of poorly practiced conventional market gardening is avoided. Yet hydroponics is limited in crops that are amenable and thus for example cereal grains and corn crops must still be gown with conventional soil based methods.

Pesticides are required to a much lesser degree than with soil grown crops. Incidence of pest attack is at a lower level and less frequently encountered. Biological control using predator insects such as lady bugs, is often employed. Hydroponics does not necessarily constitute "organic" gardening even when pesticides are not employed. Definitions of organic gardening sometimes strangely require that the production of produce occur in soils.

Hydroponics will have little impact on feeding the millions of new humans that are yearly arriving to an already over populated the world. Most widely consumed fruits and vegetables and cereal crops must be grown in soils.

World Fishery and Aquaculture

Figures from a variety of sources suggest that between 146 and 150 million tons of fish was caught or raised through aquaculture worldwide in 2011. Of this as much as half was probably produced through aqua culture. Data from China particularly in the area of aquaculture having been hard to interpret makes these figures hard to estimate. Of the total nearly 90% was consumed by humans with the largest consumption being in Asia.

Aquaculture, commonly termed fish farming, refers to fish and other aquatic species such as mollusks and crustaceans being raised under controlled conditions. This practice has grown from spotty practices in the 1940's and 50's to a widespread essential aquatic species production system worldwide. To date roughly 450 aquatic species have been domesticated.

Over fishing, growing ocean pollution and use of fish capture equipment which destroys sea floor habitat are very serious and are particularly worrisome problems that are increasing rapidly worldwide. For example in Canada the once seemingly unlimited cod population fell so precipitously in recent years that a commercial fishing ban was instituted. Also in Canada pollution problems and manmade obstructions in salmon spawning rivers seriously denuded the wild caught salmon fishery. Strict regulations governing and remediation in, these rivers have now resulted in large improvements in the salmon spawning success.

As in other areas of food production rapid population growth in an already overpopulated world coupled with increasing aquatic pollution and rapidly increased harvesting of aquatic species often using habit destroying harvesting techniques is threatening the stability of aquatic ecosystems and hence the food source being obtained there-from. Aquaculture although crucially important cannot become the total solution to the rapid destruction of natural aquatic ecosystems.

Bio-fuel Production

As the stable availability of petroleum products obtained by relatively low pollution producing methods diminishes, the interest in alternate methods of producing fuels for use in internal combustion engines increases. Presently 2 bio-fuels are at the top of this list, ethanol and biodiesel.

The most widely employed methods for the production of both of these require crop production and hence farmland land in unsustainable quantities. Farm land use for other than food production cannot be tolerated just on the growing requirements of this space for feeding a quickly expanding population alone. Exacerbating problems related to the now widespread use of ethanol as a gasoline additive is the issue of whether the energy required for ethanol production is too excessive to make sense. Even the more modest estimates of the energy balance in this procedure indicate that 30% more energy is consumed in ethanol production than is realized from its use as a fuel ingredient.

Growing Crops from Genetically Modified Plants

Food crops most commonly grown from processes involving genetic modification include, corn, canola, cotton seed oil and soya. In these cases the procedure has been used most commonly for increased yields, faster growth, disease and pathogen resistance and increased nutrient content of the crop. On the surface this sounds like a positive step in feeding a fast growing human population.

Genetic modification (GM) is generally effected by trans or cisgenesis processes. Cisgenic plants the least controversial of the two, result from the use of genes found within a same or closely related species. On the other hand transgenic plants are produced from genes derived from another plant species. The products of these modifications are laboratory tested for the desired characteristics before being licensed for testing in the field.

While there would seem to be an overriding advantage for the use of (GM) foods, many of which carry a higher yield on a given unit of farm land, in the need to feed the rapidly growing population there are the following concerns. The safety of (GM) foods is not yet fully confirmed. While harmful effects would seem on the surface unlikely, the recent proliferation in food allergies is the type of phenomena that concern consumers as having been with certainty not linked to these modified foods. Consumers believe that products containing (GM) constituents have not received extensive enough safety testing. Contamination of non (GM) crops is of particular concern and indeed may be out of control already.

Genetic modification and other human induced alterations such as cloning of existing plants and animals remains a highly controversial topic. Considering the potential advantages herein for the feeding of our burgeoning world population, this is an area that deserves careful but immediate increased attention.

### Urban Environments

Growing at the rate of half a million a year Chongqing is the earth's fastest growing urban area. But if you make a Google search for lists of the world's largest urban areas it is seldom even listed, a factor that is due to its general unfamiliarity outside Asia. Its current population of 31 million is exceeded only by Tokyo/Yokohama at 37 million. The location in the upper Yangtze covers an area of approximately 82,300 square km as compared to New York, the second largest urban area at about 15,000 square km, Tokyo/Yokohama at about 8,000 square km and the GTA of just 2,300 square km. Thus on a population density basis Chongqing's value is low.

Urban centers already have approximately 50% of the world's population, a figure that is growing steadily. In North America many large cities are closely surrounded by other cities or large population related communities. Mergers particularly along major highways result in huge metropolitan areas. Megacities are generally defined as containing greater than a 10 million population. Although only 7 world cities fall into this category, counting urban areas there are a total of 20. Cities are the sites of large quantity energy and resource consumption. This means that cities are centers of large point source household, business and industrial wastes. This contrasts with agriculture which is fraught mainly with broad ranging non-point sources of pollutants. Point source pollution is potentially more readily remediated which means that given the will based on constituent pressure, the existence of the required and innovative insight urban governments have an opportunity to control or regulate control over many of the pollutants. On the other hand cities also have a few debilitating large non point source pollution problems such as vehicular exhaust and heating system emissions.

Based largely upon what boils down to ease of ability to control and ameliorating point source pollutants, assuming the relevant technology exists and the easier adaption of electrical vehicles and other electrical devices to transportation requirements, a number of proponents have trumpeted the planned growth of Mega-cities as a benefit in solving the long term sustainability of the world's biosphere problem. While some of the arguments are appealing the plans always seem to break down in my estimation on the energy consumption requirements particularly for the recovery of resources from waste streams, problematic applicability of some of the essential technologies in cities like New York and other colder climate cities and the problem of available sufficient fresh water.

Few environmental budgets are available for mega cities but although they contain only 4% of the world population they have a disproportionately large percentage of the environmental problematic issues. Maintaining an adequate supply of fresh water is the single most serious problem for mega urban areas. Cities in developed countries have a better control on ensuring a required fresh water supply, generally originating from nearby reservoirs and lakes. Cities such as Mexico City obtaining water from underground aquifers commonly withdraw water faster than the aquifers can recharge. Mexico city as a result has subsided 9 m in the past 100 years. Most input fresh water is expelled from a city as highly polluted waste water. Most of the larger cities abut rivers, lakes or oceans. Thus the polluted water discharges into these waterways. Adverse effect is certain to be imposed on the local aquatic biosphere. Most common problems consist of nutrient enrichment pollution by phosphorous and nitrogen compounds which in turn cause unsightly growths of algae and an accompanied seasonal lowering of dissolved oxygen content. The latter has a particularly serious effect on increasing the ratio of undesirable coarse fish to game fish.

Urban air pollution from fuels include high levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and ozone as well as other poisonous gases such as sulfuric aid mist and non methane hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons. Air pollutants from industry are a complex soup of poisonous substances their identities depend on the type of industry. A familiar example of an extreme case of air pollution is the ozone mist that envelops Mexico City that is so dominant it is visible from satellites in space.

Solid waste disposal is an ever growing problem due to the vanishing sites available for land fill. In the Tokyo/Yokohama region despite a reported 60% recycling figure no land based landfill sites being available solid waste piles are beginning to build up in the bordering ocean.

Urban areas are now becoming the biggest social, economic, ecological and energy sustaining challenge worldwide. The problem is particularly daunting in the developing world Megacity areas.

The complex challenges that we face in integrating cities worldwide into a global program to achieve long term sustainability are immense wide ranging and cover a prolific variety of scientific, economic and social disciplines. The failure of many initiatives occurs before the deliberations even begin. In the face of the need for such a large number of individual disciplinary experts a compromise is made whereby a perceived expert on the basic overall problem is chosen to form the head of a select small group of what are assumed to be the main essential disciplines. Failure is almost assured since input from a missing discipline will be essential and even if some guidance is obtained in this area the missing experts presence throughout the total process would be essential to guarantee a viable plan is developed that can be executed.

Even accepting the proposition that we have the existing capability and technology to achieve such a solution, which unfortunately it is only too obvious that we do not, could we keep up with the complex demands inherent in rapid population growth in an urban area with slum, middleclass and privileged class ramifications? The answer despite the growing number of programs, such as IDHP, the International Human Dimensions Program on Environmental Change which is attempting to grapple with this problem is again in the negative.

One might ask how in the face of such relevant activity I could already presume an ultimate negative result. What follows is not a direct criticism of any one program but is symbolic of most. Most importantly the reason is that I myself as a disciplinary expert have been involved in complex challenges and am able to state; that due to the melting pot of discipline experts that must be involved in planning a realistic solution to these multi pronged problems that just communications between individual experts, never mind planning an agreed upon integrated program and finally settling on a course of actions is a major stumbling block in itself. Again assuming a miracle should occur and a viable comprehensive program of action results, what are the chances first, that principals within the many city bureaucracies will agree that the program is viable economically and secondly that the tax payers will support the inevitable high cost even of individual components?

Trying to outline the multitude of individual environmental problems that pertain to cities and that vary considerably depending on component makeup, country of location and weather and other physical realities would unlike the case with agriculture, be too complex for a book this type. Thus I intend to document typical case studies which although narrow in perspective are illustrative of the difficulties in dealing with pollution problems in cities. Herein we will see, the difficulties encountered after discovering specific problems, obstruction in achieving recognition of these discoveries as issues that must be dealt with, the complexity of the required investigation and the frustrating and often lack of proper remediation that results. For this purpose I will reiterate 2 cases that in which I was the principal protagonist and therefore can use with a degree of authority not inherent in describing studies regurgitated from the literature.

A Sewage Disposal Fiasco-A personal Story

Research in 1972 that was completed in my laboratory led to the discovery that the sewage sludge from Toronto's sewage treatment plant contained extremely high levels of toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Much of this contaminated sewage before this discovery was being disposed of as a free fertilizer on local agricultural land. As a means of exposing this problem and achieving the quickest possible reaction the results were used in an exposé article in the publication Water and Pollution Control August 1972.

The implications that arose from this discovery related to the possible adulteration of food and cereal crops through uptake or surface contamination by the toxic metals contained in the sludge. As a result of this disclosure the Ontario Government, Ministry of the Environment funded a program that included work in my laboratory to determine the extent of toxic metal contamination of the affected land and the food crops growing thereon. The program lasted three years during which time the sludging practice was allowed to continue. Research involved work with sewage sludge throughout key areas of the province in Southern Ontario. Of added concern was the discovery of 2 sewage sludge based widely available commercial lawn and garden fertilizers that also contained high levels of toxic metals.

The basic results were published in refereed journals and in a series of government publications. Our results showed surface contamination of vegetation by the metals that could only be removed by washing with a mild detergent. Actual uptake of metals was found for mercury by tomatoes. The land itself was slightly alkaline and this was fortunate since metals are more mobile in acid soils. Since these lands were ploughed the metals would become mixed into the soil to the depth of the plough furrows. Unknowns include the effect of weather over long periods of time on the mobility of these metals in sludged lands and thus any changes in possible plant contamination. Another imponderable not covered by the government approved mandate was the fate of bacterial and other potentially harmful organic and biological materials contained in the sewage sludge. Additionally nothing was done to ascertain the effect of sludge on the natural soil microbiology and the original physical and chemical state of the soil?

This problematic sewage sludge discovery and subsequent research under government funding was done in the mid 1970's. There have since been many more research studies, which frequently suggested that metal uptake and surface contamination does occur. Imagine my shock to see a local newspaper series done in 2011 outlining that sludging of land in Ontario was still continuing.

Can research on one small environmental problem studied locally such as reported here have any relevance to my view that Mankind is ultimately doomed worldwide? The main point that is relevant to this study that has wide ranging implications is the nature of government reaction and ultimate inaction. Although a potential serious health hazard was discovered 35 years ago and confirmed by research funded through government support; a potentially hazardous practice was allowed to continue up to the present. Worse, this demonstrates government propensity to undertake an initiative without proper input as to the ramifications of such an action simply on the basis of expediency. The reader may well think in this time of heightened environmental awareness could such uniformed shortsighted behavior still be possible.

# Chapter 5

## Fundamental Catch-22

### The Energy/Resource Conundrum

Electricity Storage Technology Constraints

The lack of adequate battery technology to make electric vehicles a practical reality persists. Electrochemistry, the science on which battery design depends, has been investigated to death and the lithium ion battery in current use in most electric cars is the technically superior. The trouble is that from a really practical stand point these batteries don't fit the bill. Continued research relating to this technology can only achieve marginal improvements. Lithium ion batteries that are in use today are large, provide electrical storage power for only short trip driving, recharging is relatively slow, no practical scheme of battery exchange has been proposed and these batteries are expensive and must be replaced at regular intervals after the recharging limit is reached.

If as has been supposed here no electrochemical scheme will be found to provide batteries of a practical capacity are there other technologies for such a purpose. One present area of investigation is the ultracapacitor. These devices have 2 oppositely chargeable metal plates which are coated with porous activated carbon and are then immersed in an electrolyte. The plates are closely separated by a thin sheet of plastic or ceramic insulator material and the whole device contained in a package. When ultracapacitors undergo the charging process, 2 layers of opposite charge form on each of the 2 plates instead of just 1 layer per plate in conventional capacitors; this results in the alternate name dual layer capacitors. During charging and discharging no chemical reaction occurs as in a battery and hence ultracapacitors do not suffer the wear and tear as does a battery when in operation and hence have a much greater lifetime. These capacitors have the same properties as a battery in the sense that they can deliver an electric current to run an electric motor. Presently available ultracapacitors are unsatisfactory for use in electric vehicles because when used for this purpose they can only store about 5 to 10% the charge of the lithium ion batteries currently in use.

The above discussion relating to electrical storage devices presently available having insufficient capacity for really practical all electric vehicles holds has a parallel in the field of high capacity electricity storage for intermittent electricity generation sources. Availability of such a storage device is essential for standalone wind and solar electrical power generation.

Electrical Energy Transmission Consequences

Another factor to be considered in costs of electricity is that necessary new electricity generation facilities both alternate and conventional for greatest economy in provision of product should be built near the points of greatest demand. An important factor in electricity transmission along the electric power grid is the power losses that occur therein. For a given unit of power generated the fraction of that unit that is received by the consumer depends on the distance travelled from source to consumer. The greater the distance of the power generating station from the consumer the lower is the percentage of each unit of generated power that arrives. Unfortunately attempts of electrical power generating utilities to construct generating facilities within local areas of high electricity consumption demand thus lowering transmission costs are met with a not-in-my-back-yard (NIMBY) attitude. This resistance to locating power sources near the consumer is so hard core that a week or 2 before a recent Ontario election the government currently in power promised to relocate some long distance away a partially completed, urgently needed, gas fired power generating plant out of an urban area to save a government politicians which was presumed likely to be lost because of NIMBism. The politician's seat was indeed saved but at a projected cost just for disassembly and reconstruction of the facility of nearly 1 billion dollars! Of course increased transmission costs incurred by this move will be ongoing.

Ancillary Consequences of Using Petroleum Resources as Fuel

Interesting crucial but seldom thought of serious consequences pertain as to the types of resources chosen as energy sources. Petroleum and natural gas are the most common resources used for production of vehicular propellants.

Both resources consist of organic polymeric compounds that were synthesized over periods of millions of years over a variety of epochs of the earth's evolution; but in large part during the Mississippian era 200 to 400 million years ago. Plant and animal life was at a peak and petroleum resulted from the remains of these life forms in locations at depth and at extremely high pressure. The polymers that form petroleum (hydrocarbons) are long strings of many different lengths of carbon atoms chemically bonded together with hydrogen atoms which in turn are chemically bonded to each carbon atom along these strings. Why bother the reader with all this millions of years, high pressure and chemical bonding palaver? First and foremost the crux of the matter is the tremendous energy contained in the carbon atom chemical bonds. In the production of gasoline petroleum is placed in a distillation chamber together with steam and subjected to additional heat whereby the various hydrocarbons are separated according to the length of their string of carbon atoms (The shorter the carbon atom string the more volatile the hydrocarbon) into different size fractions with the gasoline fraction being quite volatile, containing that with only 5 to 12 carbon atom strings. Other fractions form other useful products for example that averaging 12 carbon atoms being diesel. Other less volatile, longer string fractions are sent to a petrochemical "cracking" reactor where the carbon atom chains are broken into shorter more volatile hydrocarbon products such as more gasoline.

Not to worry if I lost you in some technical pot hole along the way because the critical concept relates simply to the consequence of using the largest portion of our rapidly dwindling supply of petroleum resources for combustion in vehicular transportation. The process of vehicular combustion is the breaking down of the gasoline or diesel carbon atom strings in the engine cylinders releasing energy for vehicular propulsion resulting in the waste pollutant exhaust gases, the worst being the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Yes this is a serious consequence of our use of petroleum resources as a fuel, but it is not the one I want to emphasize.

The chief raw materials for plastic production are presently petroleum products. The petroleum industry is commonly cracking the longer carbon atoms in petroleum to augment the amount of gasoline and other more volatile hydrocarbons produced from a unit of petroleum. Instead if these products were treated in other chemical processes they would be also useful as raw materials in the plastics industry.

The rapid depletion in our non-renewable petroleum resources using most of the energy locked up over millions of years in the carbon chemical bonds as a source of vehicular propulsion means that when the presently economical sources of petroleum are soon depleted the main raw material from these sources for plastics will likewise be gone. In itself this does not mean that no plastics or gasoline will be available. There are costly sources of petroleum products such as the Athabasca Tar Sands in large supply as a raw material source.

Fracking to increase Oil and Gas Production

Oil and gas production is from bores or wells drilled into the surface of the earth down deeply enough to intersect reservoirs of these substances trapped below. Oil from some of these wells flows freely, but others must be pumped. Gas wells flow freely. Oil and gas fields contain many individual wells. In time oil wells that were free flowing often require pumping as the supply diminishes. Finally the flow of oil and gas from a well diminishes to the point that working the well is not economical and it is sealed off (capped) and abandoned. Since 1947 it has been known that production from gas and oil wells can be increased by hydraulic fracturing (Fracking) of the rock that boarders the wells. In this process new fractures and fissures are created in the adjacent rock by injecting fluids under high pressure into cracks. This opens up areas in the rock formations that have trapped petroleum products that were otherwise inaccessible. This procedure has been used to reopen capped wells for further production, increased production from existing working wells and reached petroleum products at greater depth and horizontal distance from wells.

Fracking is a controversial practice that has resulted in a wide variety of environmental concerns. The widely stated concept that water alone is injected during fracking is false. Thus of particular direct worry is ground water contamination both by petroleum and from the complex compounds, some being carcinogenic, used in fracking fluids. Both surface air and water pollution are additional concerns. Without giving more details it is easy to see that fracking is a technique with great potential benefit to the petroleum industry but at a possible environmentally costly price.

Resource depletion problems leads to the proposed wide use of controversial techniques like fracking that complicate our decisions on what can be permitted for commercial reward in the face of possible permanent damage to the biosphere. This technique is discussed here as an example of the economic and environmental conflict that new techniques for working diminishing resource sources can occasion. If fracking were banned as it is in many jurisdictions, the available reserves of these resources become less. Oil and gas being examples of resources essential resources the depletion of which has negative connotations for our standard of living if not as fuels then certainly for the plastics industry.

There have been recent unconfirmed rumors that the USA will undertake fracking on a large enough scale such that it could be self-sufficient in petroleum in the future. Such a prospect is truly environmentally scary.

Remember the time perspective on the actions of humanity that was introduced near the beginning of this manuscript? Let's emphasize this in an extended format as the introduction to this chapter. Let's also keep in mind that resource depletion and greenhouse gas emission consequences outlined below revolve around the assumption that mankind wishes to maintain a human life sustainable environment for more than just a hundred years or so into the future.

If we continue life as we are at present we must see if this will be sustainable without causing irreversible harm for future generations. This is important because there is no indication that significant lifestyle and worldwide decision making institutional infrastructural changes are in the offing. The only trend that does seem immutable is the growing worldwide middleclass and added demand on the world's finite resources and environmental problems that their processing and consumption portends.

Before the Industrial Revolution began to unfold roughly 200 years ago our dependence on technology was minimal. Energy consumption was from the classic dirty (with emphasis on greenhouse gas emissions) sources of wood and coal these being used basically for cooking and heat. The worldwide population stood near the 1 billion mark by 1820 and a drastic change in mankind's lifestyle was about to initiate. Industry stared to proliferate and this new industry required energy and resources as raw materials. Energy sources remained the same but their use exploded. Then enter oil and natural gas. These are also relatively dirty energy sources. The release of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions accelerated. Significant contribution to the natural atmospheric content of these substances began to accelerate lock step with rapid technological innovation. Now 200 years later despite attempts, meager until relatively recently, to find cleaner more environmentally friendly sources of energy has seen little significant progress (more detail on this to come) other than controversial nuclear fission methodology. Thus our evolving modern lifestyles have become highly dependent on heavy energy use. The nastiest byproduct of energy consumption worldwide remains at this stage greenhouse gas emissions.

As with traditional dirty energy sources coal oil and natural gas, mineral and other resources are present throughout the world most existing in finite quantities. Industrial technology is dependent on a complex and ever increasing consumption of mineral resources. As in the case of energy sources with the advent of the industrial revolution these resources began depleting at ever increasing rates also lockstep with industrial development and population growth. Thus as with energy our modern lifestyles have become dependent on the consumption of vast and rapidly increasing quantities of depleting world mineral and related resources.

The energy/resource conundrum results in their necessarily interdependent relationship in the following manner.

The traditional and by far most important sources of these commodities are in finite supply and hence some of the more crucial substances are rapidly disappearing to maintain our modern lifestyles and its antecedents.

The Best Case Scenario

The following discussion is a generalization for the mining and metallurgical industries but exceptions exist most based on the actual composition of the deposit and on other economic factors. Mineral resources for example iron ores exist in various grades. Those iron ores which are higher grade, that is contain iron at higher levels as one would expect are cheaper to refine to obtain the desired iron. Thus mining companies choose the highest grade they can obtain to mine and sell to the refiner (many mining companies may also do their own metallurgy). Then in turn this iron obtained from a high grade ore can be sold more cheaply to the producers of iron containing products like the auto industry.

Another important factor embedded in this argument, particularly from our viewing point, relates to the grade of the ore being processed. The higher the grade of the ore the less the energy required during refining. This of course means a cost saving. But from the point of view of our interest here the less energy consumed the lower the greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Slip Sliding Away

At some point the high grade ores of any mineral are depleted and must be abandoned. The time at which this occurs depends on the substance in our example iron. In using iron in our example I have chosen a metal that is widely distributed throughout the world in relatively many high grade deposits. Thus the point that these are depleted is further away in time that say gold which may have already reached its production zenith and is more and more coming from relatively low grade deposits. Most other mineral resources fall between these 2 extremes.

Now our conundrum emerges. The lower the grade of the ore that must be refined the greater the amount of energy required to extract the desired ingredient and therefore more pollution is also involved. The cost of obtaining 1 unit of this ingredient also goes up making the cost of products that are made from this substance more costly to the consumer.

But again most important from our point of view in this book the amount of energy required for the refining of lower grade ores increases. Thus it is obvious that as years past by ores required to produce the desired substance become lower and lower in grade and hence the energy required in the refining process increases. Not only is this increased amount of energy depleting our conventional energy reserves but the greenhouse gas emissions also increase as we must process incrementally lower and lower grade deposits.

I would be remiss if I did not include the recovery of and refining of petroleum to the depletion of resources scenario. Middle East petroleum can be thought of in general terms as easily procured from the ground and of highest quality (grade) and in this latter sense most easily processed. There are other scattered world sources that match this standard. So in there terms of mining these are our high grade deposits. As time progresses these deposits deplete and degrade in ease of extraction. Thus as in the mining world lower grade deposits become more strongly into play. This brings us to the immense Tar Sand deposits discussed in detail above. In large part these deposits are a traditional mining type proposition although in some cases steam injection into the deposit and recovery of the petroleum/water mix is also employed. Thus much more processing is involved per unit of product in its recovery and is comparable to mining a low grade ore. Thus we have the same problems of greater expenditure of energy and much greater pollution per unit of product. The inherently higher costs that will result to the consumer at the gasoline pumps will sooner or later have an appreciable deleterious effect on middle class standard of living. If the Canadian Government should ever acquire the guts to force Tar Sand Producers to develop and adopt acceptable pollution control standards the increase in cost at the gas pumps will be frightful in the minds of consumers.

On the other hand in order to complete this picture there are other factors to consider in assessing what has just been stated. Improvements to mining and refining methods occur and offset to a degree the costs involved and energy consumption requirements. But these are in large part mere squiggles on the curve of the above relationships. Resource depletion and the need for more and more energy to process lower and lower grade mineral deposits are relentless.

Likewise recycling of products containing the substance of interest (e.g. car bodies for iron) are competitive to extracting the desired substance from ores. Recycling often becomes more cost and energy effective. But demand for mineral products usually greatly outstrips the availability of substances obtained by recycling. Thus this is just another blip on the curve on our relentless journey to resource depletion and higher and higher energy demand as the ore grades continuous become lower.

When will this problem reach crisis stage and in what manner(s)? Considering the consumer demands of the present middle class life style now rapidly expanding we are likely talking a relative short time. So let's return again to our present environmental challenges and the time frame in which these took to arise.

The population of the world in 2013 is 7 billion and still increasing. Remember this 7X rise from 1 billion occurred in only 200 years when all these increasingly technological complexities that rule our lifestyles began. Technologies that we have seen fit to allow to become dependents in our present lifestyles, such as the automobile, not only consume vast quantities of energy and resources but their use has a plethora of side effects the most serious being greenhouse gas emissions. In this typical example few technological developments despite their vast quantities and innovative nature have succeeded in finding a practical replacement for the 150 year old highly polluting internal combustion engine propulsion system. Little pistons moving up and down inside a bulky engine how technologically sophisticate s that? Despite the development of complex advanced technologies in many commercial fields and in the medical sciences the greatest minds in the world have been largely stumped in fields that really matte to mankind's survival such as transportation and electrical energy generation. Where are the extravagant predictions for technology outlined in the books like 'Abundance' when it comes to these real mankind crucial problems discussed above?

Again we must remind ourselves that exacerbating this situation of massive consumption of finite resources is that until relatively recently the modern "western lifestyle" with all its consequences just described has remained largely confined to the roughly 25% of the so called developed countries. Now not unexpectedly large populations of formerly under developed countries such as China and India with relatively technologically primitive life styles now covetous of the "western lifestyle" are beginning to evolve a rapidly growing resource demanding middleclass. The projected deleterious effect on particularly the already existing problem of climate change is predictably obvious.

The insidious problem of the interdependency of energy and resources in technological utilizations must be emphasized. For this purpose let's choose what would appear at first blush a long term solution to resource depletion that being recycling. Yes this is a worthwhile endeavour but it demonstrates an important constraint. As pointed out in the resource depletion section recycling requires energy consumption in most cases. That means that to recover a resource through the recycling process energy is consumed and hence involves energy resource depletion together with greenhouse gas emissions.

Well you can now see the conundrum.

Energy used Dec 26 2012- about 316 million mW-250 million from conventional sources-about 60million from alternate (green) sources.

Days left to end of oil-about 15,000 days, natural gas-about 60,000 boe

Thus I must repeat for emphasis that the optimism expressed in books like 'Abundance' of the exponential growth in technology creating solutions that will result in an abundance of energy through alternate clean methods not only has not been realistically conceptualized but shows no prospects for the future. Likewise finding technologies even for solving problems which are long standing, basically old fashioned and with simple makeup has been an outstanding and frightening failure. Some of these unsolved problems appear to be reaching critical levels and as a result are creating disasters at ever increasing rates. This is at a time where Climate Change is being blamed for problems like more numerous and more calamitous storms. Recently to this the time of writing was the November 2013 world's largest yet recorded typhoon that decimated large swaths of the Philippines.

Energy as dictated from the tenants of basic physics is not in any sense renewable, a term in common misuse. What is usually designated in the popular idiom as renewable energy originates from reports about devices such as solar cells and windmills and these should be referred to as something like alternate energy technologies. Instead of solar cells producing new energy the electrical energy obtained is through conversion of other energy in this case solar rays. The efficiency of the conversion to the desired form of energy, electricity can be calculated. Thus we find the conversion of energy in the sun's rays by commercial solar cells is in 2013 only about 35% with 65% waste.

But speaking of wind and sun as energy resources you could say "so what", we have an unlimited source of solar and wind energy so who cares that the conversion efficiency is low. The trouble in both the sun and wind energy conversion cases is as follows. Both technologies are expensive to fabricate, install, maintain and connect to the existing power grid. Worse they require large areas of space, are maintenance intensive and their generation is intermittent. Thus compared to cost of electricity from conventional electrical energy sources electricity from wind and solar installations is realistically several times higher. Here in Ontario we already have seen the overwhelming public reaction opposing increased electricity bills which are presently based on electricity generated by conventional sources.

But let's assume that if by some miracle the idea that the very significant cost increases in electricity incurred by switching to alternate less polluting sources of electricity has been accepted as a necessary consequence of our need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We still have the problem of the huge space that would be necessary for wind and solar being unavailable if we were to want produce our total requirement for electricity in these ways. Dissenters to the space problem will point to off shore installations but these are terribly unpractical e.g. salt spray accumulation on blades are a service nightmare. All the above arguments are still true even if these technologies achieve modest increased energy conversion efficiencies. There is no direct solution to the intermittency constraint associated with both wind and solar technologies. Side effects also exist that have caused loud public outcry. Importantly there still is no storage technology for large amounts of energy. Thus excess capacity when it is produced cannot be saved for use when required at another time. Thus as things stand these electrical energy sources must have intermittency back up by fossil fuel electricity generators. A variety of other proposals for clean alternate electricity production have been proposed but none are applicable on more than a local basis.

Of course any problem such as the lack of suitable alternate energy electrical generation technology capability is daily being exacerbated by population growth. This coupled with more and more of the existing and increasing population insisting on a higher standard of living makes these difficulties more acute. Thus in 2013, even if we demanded that the government work toward adopting alternate electrical energy technologies as our sole form of electricity generation this could not be accomplished. Considering the bureaucratic and technological lag time unavoidable constraints nor would this be possible in the foreseeable future.

# Chapter 6

## Fundamental Problems In Human Interactions

This section might well be considered out of place; many feeling it would be naturally placed with the human nature section. I have chosen to treat this as an important enough basic topic to hive off into a new chapter. As the reader will note the topic is worldwide based and contains mostly items of my own personal experience. This is important so that the reader might be convinces that I have actually experienced in a living and working situation in a variety of world jurisdictions problems that will make the adoption of technological solutions to major world environmental problems too little and too late. The reader will hence see that the avalanche of research some of it potential solutions to critical world problems churned out in areas like the la-la precincts of California may never become reality on the world stage. This is concrete self-experienced evidence that western based solutions will have a long rough ride in other jurisdictions.

### Historical Background-Typical White Race Destruction of Old Established Cultures in the Name of Greed and Expansionism-Hatred thus Spawned Harms Western Technologies Acceptance

One can easily describe a myriad of examples to illustrate the historical background. These include the Spanish invasion of the Aztecs and the destruction of the latter culture and most of the citizens in a quest for gold and beginning with Columbus's 'discovery' of the West Indies and North America this later territory was invaded and conquered as new land from the indigenous races over a long history of spreading disease and wars. British Colonialism of the 19th and early 20th centuries is perhaps the worst case scenario in causing destruction of cherished cultures and religions worldwide.

Perhaps the famous cleric Desmond Tutu said it best: "When the white missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land".

### Fundamental Problems That Face Western Consultants

Worldwide Encounters-My Beginnings

My main Academic Appointment was as a Full Professor at the University of Toronto, a full time commitment. From time to time not counting sabbaticals I applied to my Dean for permission to undertake consultancies abroad, particularly in Developing Countries. These were generally approved with the understanding that I would still fulfill me teaching and research commitments in Toronto. These visits, encounters and consultancies were the bulk of what I termed my "Brief Encounters with Life" (free eBook, Jon van Loon available at Smashwords.com). It was really only at such times that I experience life as it is in the majority of the World. An outline follows briefly describing a typical consultancy from which most the stories in the rest of this book derive.

The University at which I taught was the State University of Campinas (Sao Paulo State) called Unicamp founded in 1966. The section I belonged to and in which I taught and helped setup research was funded by UNESCO the Educational Division of the United Nations. Here the faculty was about 30% foreign, mainly US. The Campus consisted of a string of low rise buildings built in a wood on the out skirts of the city. This gave a pleasant ambience for learning.

In all personal contact severe criticism during such a consultancy is a no, no. Praise in as liberal quantities as can be justified is important. Indicating the correct avenues of approach for course content and research in kindly but not condescending terms is appreciated. In working in developing nations it is crucial to recognize political and financial differences and constraints. Maximizing what can be done within the existing situation is critical.

It took very little time to recognize that approaches that I commonly used effectively at The University of Toronto would not work here. Then there were political differences between Canada and Brazil that added a whole other set of complications.

Corruption a Real World Typical Problem

Sometimes it may be necessary to circumvent or even sometimes if minor give in to obvious problems like bribes, baksheesh, skimming etc. In this regard I ran into many road blocks. I always carried American currency in my pockets and these bills could be used to circumvent many bureaucratic entanglements for minor daily needs. Major examples of corruption specific to my own work appear in sections above.

Communication Real World Typical Problem

Lecturing would appear to present a problem since I spoke no foreign languages. In the first instance many student scientists knew English. In fact scientists wishing to succeed in more than just a local venue must be capable in English. If he/she wishes to make a mark with his work worldwide fluency in English is essential. All journals of import and conferences at high levels are in English. To expedite my work an interpreter was provided mostly for my benefit. This also allowed all students to learn the material without problems they might encounter in my tone of voice and phraseology. Additionally he could provide foreign language references for my material. Lectures in all countries that I worked were usually 3 hours long so I could cover a terms worth of work in my allotted time. Exams and assignments were mandatory since these were credit courses. Such were set and student answers were written in the appropriate foreign language to minimize misunderstanding. In some countries I managed to learn a smattering of scientific phrases and key words so with assistance I could mark what was received.

There are now technological computer/tablet solutions for automated translations and these will become more comprehensive. This is a case I can side with a truly technological solution and agree with the power technology alone solving this important problem.

Concern for Safety Real World Typical Problem

The typical consultants stayed in Western style accommodation, most opting for American chain hotels where available. This was not a problem since most agencies that hired consultants paid ample salaries for such living and usually in American dollars. The advantage of the later was that inflation was commonly high in third world countries meaning that a premium was paid on American money exchange both due to inflation as well as the propensity for American money among the local citizens. So the usual consultant staying in American chain hotels got American meals cooked from contaminant free produce of well defined origin eg. Beef was actually beef and not just named thus while actually originating from some other animal. These consultants were then transported to the consultancy destination by designated vehicle. A consultant using his standard system had minimum safety concerns but experienced a minimum of the local dynamics.

Then there were those like me who felt a consultancy in a foreign country entailed not only providing our best efforts as consultants but was also an opportunity to experience the life of that jurisdiction. First this meant choosing local type accommodations and in many countries this was the first safety hazard. Usually this began with the building itself. Fire and other regulations were often lax compared to those in America. For example a hotel in an African venue had a wide central stair case from the lobby to the roof. Should a fire start in such a building the central area would act like a chimney and provide a corridor of upward rushing air to help fan the flames. There were no doormen to appraise the entrants and locks on the room doors could easily be released by a credit card. Well you must be getting the picture.

Safety once you left the hotel unescorted as I did frequently depended on the country and the location within that domain. Your chances of a physical mishap also depended on how much you were willing to risk walking around the different neighbourhoods on your own following the advice of the locals. Two or three incidents occurred where I was threatened but managed to escape due to my athletic background. In one of these I was attempting to have just a quick peak in a South American Slum, not the brightest idea I think you will agree. As a general rule I found pickpockets a particular nuisance in many locales and thus I took particular care not to be carrying important documents or much money. Shoeshine boys and other ad hoc service providers were often a danger. Police on the other hand varied in their veracity and usefulness from country to country and often locally variable within a country.

Ecological Reality-Political Protection of Violators

In Brazil resides a biosphere of great diversity and like plants such as the native impatiens has been encroached upon or irreparably damaged, as have sections of the rain forest. What remains must be preserved for future Brazilian generations and to prevent further, human induced, world climate change. We still have in Brazil a country being raped by the few and exceedingly rich, land and commerce barons living in a deliberate manner that excludes betterment of the massive deprived population. This is, of course, being done under the full knowledge and protection of the Political Leaders and their minions. Those like myself, an environmentalist, importing special scientific know-how by working at the Universities such as the UNESCO sponsored UNICAMP in Campinas can only trust that the client/scientists (usually the small but developing middle class) will make the beneficiary of this material, part of the solution to the countries unimaginable environmental problems. I was extremely pleased to find that I was dealing, for the most part with academics of high energy, ambition and moral standards. For me life and travel in Brazil were for the most part idyllic. It was evident, however, that a deliberate and concerted effort had been made to exclude and hide sections of widespread poverty and ecological damage, as I found to be common in much of the developing world. Thus in retrospect my deep concern is, what help did I provide to those of the population that were most in need, those majority living in poverty?

Frustration in South Africa-During and After Apartheid

The following more detailed story is a look through a government restricted small window pertaining to the struggles of the indigenous Africans reacquisition of Desmond Tutu's lands. This demonstrates White race barbarism and since its final chapters occurred in the late 20th and 21 centuries will resonate with many still alive today.

I as an Invited Speaker along with my wife was attending an International conference of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in the year of the intense Soweto riots of 1976. Here are a few of our experiences together with some of the related history of foreign occupation of South Africa.

The Johannesburg Metropolitan area including Soweto and other Black Townships in the 1970's, this period of extreme unrest had a population exceeding 8.5 million. The city itself was about 3.2 million. This gives a stark representation of the inequity of Black vs. White population. Additionally throughout South Africa habitation inequities were represented by an average floor area of 33 square meters for each White compared to 4 for each Black person. Both of the above statistics have been approximated from 2001 figures in the New Internationalist, The new South Africa – The Facts. Johannesburg itself has an area of about 1,700 square kilometres or about 2,000 persons per square kilometre. The city and Black suburbs owe their existence to the discovery of gold and other precious metals, in the 1800's, in a unique "Reef" structure. The local was like a prospecting town near Pretoria and initially depended on this city for permissions to build and was governed there from.

A few typical personal experiences in my exposure to a vestige of Apartheid follow.

My Bladder was bursting and by myself on a main street in Johannesburg, where was I to turn? No problem, I was within sight of a public toilet enclosure on the boulevard (long gone in the USA and Canada). Not surprisingly this being 1976 there were 2 doors one marked Coloreds and the other Whites Only. As stated being much opposed to Apartheid. I first thought to use the Coloreds side. On reflection I thought this might offend the Coloreds in some way. So marching into the Whites Only enclosure, imagine my astonishment to bump face to face with a Black. Immediately this gentleman said. "Very sorry boss, please don't tell anyone!" Of course this was the furthest thought in my mind. Having finished my business I found the nearest bench and began to reflect on the wisdom of my presence in this country at this time in history.

On Saturday afternoons in Johannesburg a form of entertainment was available called "The Mine Dances". This name was poorly chosen and the event was no doubt exploitive. Yet our group, including me, attended. The music and dance was provided entirely by different black tribes and the beat, pace, and dance steps were unique to each dance (tribal) group. Somehow the agenda was arranged such that the cadence and volume of sound increased throughout the program until at the ending the ground seemed to be literally quaking.

The ramifications of a censored communications Industry is of interest. During Apartheid heavy censorship characterized the industry. This greatly affected Maureen and I in that we were kept totally ignorant of the riots going on in Soweto during our tenure. It was only when we reached our next destination, Kenya that this state of affairs came to our attention. Apparently our families in North America were well aware of the happenings and were frantic for news of our safety. On air communications were sketchy until the arrival of TV in South Africa in 1976 after our departure the same year, but of course this medium was subjected to the same intense restrictions. Communications were also divided along White Afrikaans and English speaking communities. During Apartheid illegal Black underground radio broadcasting existed.

(As an aside I must insert the point that I as I speak of these personal experiences I must admit to culpability in supporting the regime by merely accepting this opportunity although offered by an International Scientific Organization, to be in South Africa at that time.)

Story of Problems Establishing Technology-China Example

Grimy, polluted and crowded, Changchun a city of more than 1 million in The Manchurian part of China bore all the wounds of heavy industrialized cities everywhere. It was the magnitude of the mess that made this city more typical of such localities in the developing World. Dried up waterways flowing only during rain and runoff and filled with garbage together with industrial stacks spewing multicolored emissions were the rule. No obvious attempts, even minor, had been made at pollution control in any segments of the biosphere. Dominated here and there by remnants of the Russian occupation periods Stalinist, heavy blocky looking grey buildings created an additional eyesore. Strangely however, locations of beauty were thrown up here and there against this dismal back drop. Such was The Peoples Square, 2 or 3 hectares of trees flowers, grass and flagstone squares wedged between a large car factory and a military heavy industry site. This gathering place for thousands of citizens became the back drop, especially on weekends and holidays for such diverse activities as Ti Chi and Communist propaganda sessions. Sandstorms from the Gobi Desert a few 1000 Km to the north were the source of unimaginable intensely coloured sunsets that from time to time bathed Changchun in another welcome blanket of beauty.

Northeast Normal University was my teaching and research responsibility in this city. "Normal" Universities are the source of most teachers in China. I made it my goal to slant work in both areas towards Environmental Chemistry. In this way I could hopefully create programs that would produce graduate teachers armed both with the will and the tools to begin the auspicious task of engendering an environmental consciousness backed by the ability to begin rectification of China's massive problems. Industrial and Governmental participation in this process is of course essential. The most useful approach in this regard is to involve key personnel in these bodies in design and implementation of research and teaching programs at the University.

Interweaving university, governmental and industrial interests in almost any endeavor even in developed jurisdictions provides a complicated challenge as I had learned many times in Canada. Attempting this in a country like China was akin to madness. This Government had become entrenched in the habit of establishing and administering programs and the ground rules required without consultation or interactions with the Principals. Commonly individuals sympathetic to and cooperative with the Government were appointed to the decision making roles within industry and university and thus provided no independent leadership roles therein. Fortunately due to internal environmental disasters and outside pressure at highest levels, the Government had become anxious to explore changes to industrial and municipal environmental practices. To promote a venue for change my approach was to establish Working Groups of Academics of widely ranging disciplines together with Government representation to investigate problems establish priorities and then plan programs for rectification. Sounds wonderful in theory and does work eventually, but initially just achieving some understanding among individuals in such a diverse group is a major education job in itself. Perhaps even more frustrating was Government arbitrary decision making.

Upon establishing an "Agreement" (always couched in generalities and often unwritten), it was common to celebrate with a banquet. The principals involved would gather in a private hall within a good restaurant and partake of a multicourse feast laid out in profusion on an immense Lazy Susan. This was always finished off with a soup course which being the reverse to North American dining procedure was a challenge to pretend to enjoy. The fish eyes being saved for the guest rule, of course pertained and these delicacies so difficultly consumed seemed to roll around in my stomach for days. Thus when I received a severe rebuff for presently initiating the establishment of the details of the "Agreement", it became obvious that the Government officials were more interested in celebrations than living up to their word. This misfortune of having Governments backing out on time consuming and intensively negotiated precepts was common in countries existing on the extremes of the right and left wings politically. Any person in my position had to accept such behavior with understanding or extricate himself from such endeavours post haste.

I reproduce a few sentences from a letter I received after establishing a program of research in China. The letter sounds very super and is very complementary of me for establishing a program of some importance. It is from the Chair of a World Bank International Advisory panel. Take care with the praise because there is an ironic twist.

"Up to this point in the Project, my International Panel has sent some 150 specialists to China. I have no hesitation that in terms of its long term impact your visit is likely to turn out to have been the most successful of the Specialist Program".

This turned out to be a typical disappointment as my program collapsed after several years. Why? It is a big problem to establish lasting programs no matter how useful they may seem when they have to be designed to work to fit into foreign systems. There is no evidence that the authors of "Abundance" recognize this type of difficulty or have any proposals to offer.

Commendably as stated earlier all citizens requiring employment appeared to have a job. Many of these were menial and unfulfilling as judged by western standards. During the night and early morning gangs of street sweepers polished the streets with handmade twig brooms. Moving ever so slowly from end to end these custodians of the byways worked at an amazingly steady pace. Crews engaging in this profession consisted of both male and female members, with the latter being by far in largest proportion.

Gardening in most instances was totally non-mechanized. Scythes were used for cutting grass In the rough as in ditches and on most lawns. All weeding was done by hand and in the cities there was little evidence of use of herbicides or insecticides. Hand weeding of lawns was often performed by large groups of students. This was one aspect of required public service performed by students attending university.

One strange source of fertilizer comes through an open flap in baby clothing. This requires an explanation. Shortages of what in Canada would be rated as absolutely essential items are common in Communist countries. For example a 4 star Hotel in Havana Cuba in which we reposed for several nights had brand new toilets in the guest rooms but these devices lacked toilet seats, requiring the guest to hang in suspension above the porcelain opening during their use. An illustration of a similar type in China was the absence of an inexpensive supply of diapers. Thus baby clothing was equipped with an open flap over the bum area. In this arrangement when the baby relieved itself the excreta both liquid and solid was dispensed directly onto the ground. In a strange twisting of an even, not to put too fine a point on the issue one might say that babies engaged in the labor of fertilization of the biosphere.

Of particular amazement to me was the use of bamboo scaffolding in the construction of buildings. The use of this approach was not restricted as one might think, strictly for low rise structures. In Canton on the street that fronted the University in which I taught a 50 story office tower was being erected nearby. At the point of my arrival in Canton the building had reached about 35 floors in height. The actual building was almost invisible inside its dense cocoon of bamboo scaffolding. Upon close inspection no metal of any kind had been used in this superstructure. Worse in my estimation was the observation that all fastening of the bamboo members consisted of a material that to me looked like leather strapping. As a point of interest I asked one of my University colleagues; "in a strong wind or worse an earthquake would the bamboo superstructure not be in danger of collapse?" To which he quickly replied "no but the building might."

As was most often the case in Developing Countries safety for workers was noticeably absent or at least very transient. For example vehicles had no seat belts. One strange 3 wheeled taxis was constructed with the gasoline tank residing directly beneath the passenger in the front seat. Rules of the road if such existed were seldom enforced even by police at busy intersections. Habitations seemed to be lacking fire regulations and precautions. Never did I encounter a fire alarm, hose or fire extinguisher.

Although in the 1980's when I lived and worked in China almost every citizen had employment. Most of these jobs were manual in nature, requiring minimal education. Education levels amongst the general public are improving but manual labour still provides the majority of opportunity

# Chapter 7

## Conclusion

Thus I am forced to conclude that the expanding middle class lifestyle as it exists today is inconsistent with a long-term mankind sustainable biosphere. The reasoning is based upon deepening crucial environmental dilemmas that are consequentially unavoidable. Factors in play include overpopulation, resource depletion including problems of the interrelation of this problem with quickly expanding energy consumption, technology running wild and human nature. Our government and business infrastructure their negative interrelationships and protracted style of decision making often essential to evaluating potential usefulness and potential harmful side effects of solutions proposed to solutions to critical problems are not compatible with the need for rapid environmental decisions. Worse critical problems are now more intensely worldwide in nature especially considering the new evolving middle class in former underdeveloped nations. Thus we must multiply several times our time delaying difficulties that relate to making time urgent decisions. This arises from additional negotiation's that are now essential between the many governments whose former slumbering economies are now shifting into high gear making them new and important players in the worldwide circus that has evolved.

Here I paraphrase the book's 'Preface' -- This book was conceived as an attempt to demonstrate just how deeply embedded the now rapidly growing problems destabilizing our environment are ingrained in the common functions that constitute daily life particularly related to the upper and middle class. Trouble is NOBODY REALLY CARES. Think that this is crazy? Please do me the kindness of reading on before passing judgment. The Phrase 'Nobody really Cares' relates to the shallow nature of concern from the personal level through to the highest levels of government for our real environmental dilemmas.

1. We are like the media we respond vigorously only to immediate high profile environmental incidents. Like in the media our attention to the issue wanes after a short interval while the environmental issues remain and get quietly worse.

2. Our personal daily 'To Do Lists' have no entries that relate to items that indicate we have any long term concern for growing environmental problems.

3. Government, industry and business are happy that so little is pressure is exerted on them by citizens on a consistent basis concerning environmental stewardship. Thus they do very little of substance to solve the important long term environmental issues.

4. You and I are the real enablers in this sorry state of affairs.

Is there anyone still fool enough to think that a mankind sustainable environment can exist for an extended period into the future even at the level of present living styles considering the skyrocketing middle class growth and the rapidly accelerating resource and energy demands thereof? But wait also don't forget to factor in the amplification of our dilemmas from the ever rising world population growth.

