The Survivalists

Senior Moment?

Old people say they are having "a senior moment" when they cannot remember something. As one of the older people, I seem to be hearing that statement from younger and younger people. It seems likely that part of the cause of such "memory loss" is a burden of mercury in their bodies (and mine) gathered over time by low dose exposures. One in 12 women in the USA have body mercury levels considered unsafe by the EPA (Frontiers in Ecology and Environment 7(3)p.121; 2009). I bet the loads are not sex specific. It's a major public health threat and the symptoms are growing..."Nation, Nation...we have a problem."

One third of the source: coal-fired power plants (and they're not going away before 2030). There are other sources, some lessening since childhood  (playing with the mercury of thermometers), others increasing (fish).

In February,2009,  countries got together and said "enough is enough" and concluded that voluntary efforts to control mercury pollution just won't work. There's a new treaty and promises to reduce mercury emissions and international trade in mercury, improve storage, and cleanup contaminated sites.

Those signing the treaty, ignoring the human crisis in the gold-mining areas where mercury is intensively used, said "let's start by 2013," having their own senior moment about their conclusion that babies are now at risk and mercury pollution is a major public health threat.

Naming the Problem

We, folks of the world, have a problem. It's too big to imagine and think about. When we use conventional thought we easily shift to finding "the cause" (whatever the problem is or might be). The changing climate and its effects and greenhouse gasses is an example of a big, multi-part, single problem. It takes work to understand, see the parts, and decide where to attack it for a solution or to prevent further destructive effects. We look for a cause. Here's an example:

In the US, transportation, and specifically motor vehicle use, is the largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions among all energy sectors. Transportation alone accounts for one-third of all US emissions. Fuel price will affect this as will a strong move to smaller vehicles and electric cars. The nations' electricity demands are very high and projected to grow by at least 30% within 25 years. Coal-fired plants are a major electricity producer. We'll fight more over the last of the oil, some to be used for electricity production. Much of that last available oil will be prized for propulsion of satellites to stabilize computer services worldwide. Nuclear power plants (now blocked) may add to the supplies, but we still have limited cooling water and no way to store the waste. Other energy sources will be developed, but the race is on between running out of coal and increasing transportation gasses as the major causes of climate changes and unimaginable costs throughout world societies due to those changes.

Too general, too future? People are the cause? People define the effects. The people of the arctic are already suffering and on the move.