[EcoDharma] Living Earth

[Doshin]

Please do post once you have the links. My brain is struggling with the Half Earth concept. Is it intended to feel more achievable and less overwhelming than trying to save the whole Earth?


EDIT: I went off to educate myself and very quickly found this https://www.half-earthproject.org/discover-half-earth/ which very nicely explains some of the math behind the concept.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

Thanks for the link! My understanding of Half Earth is that by targeting key ecosystems and the appropriate size we could hopefully protect 85% of the species.

Doshin
St

PS This YouTube video is a few years old https://youtu.be/6fGJafDDCks

[Doshin]

Sadly, there seems to be a solid factual basis behind this report, with real geopolitical concerns, and rare minerals disputes are already causing military tensions ...

... although, also sadly, the report does remind me also of the kind of news reporting and science muddling that the petrochemical and auto (and tobacco etc.) industries have sponsored when they want to put the breaks on changes ranging from lead paint to seatbelts to cigarette smoking ... so I am a little cautious too ...



Gassho, J

STLah

I believe it was Kermit the frog that said “It’s not easy to be green”.

In past years ago I challenged a Wind Turbine project. Not because it was not good as a producer of alternative energy but because of where they were going to build it (siting) and it’s potential impact on birds of prey and bats. Another example that comes to mind is hydroelectricity…the carbon foot print is low but the impacts on aquatic systems was great. Today some dams are being removed to allow fisheries migration to occur again and established free flowing rivers that support species not found in a reservoir.

Doshin
St

[Skot]

"Although we say that mountains belong to the nation,
mountains belong to the people who love them."

-Dogen in 'Sansuikyō'

Skot SatUrToday

[Jundo]

I saw this report and found it very interesting, although I do not know if it is even a workable treatment (not really a solution) to the problem. maybe just a tiny bandage on a battlefield ... :

Gassho, J STLah

The world is banking on giant carbon-sucking fans to clean our climate mess. It's a big risk.

... Humans have emitted so much carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere that machines like this are being used to literally suck the gas back out, like giant vacuum cleaners, in an attempt to slow the climate crisis and prevent some of its most devastating consequences.
The Orca plant — its name derived from the Icelandic word for energy — is what is known as a "direct air carbon capture facility," and its creator and operator, Swiss firm Climeworks, say it's the world's largest. ... Scientists say that simply cutting back on our use of fossil fuels won't be enough to avert catastrophe; we need to also clean up some of the mess we've been making for hundreds of years. ... It opened last month and currently removes about 10 metric tons of CO2 every day, which is roughly the the same amount of carbon emitted by 800 cars a day in the US. It's also about the same amount of carbon 500 trees could soak up in a year.
It's a fine start, but in the grand scheme of things, its impact so far is miniscule. Humans emit around 35 billion tons of greenhouse gas a year through the cars we drive and flights we take, the power we use to heat our homes and the food — in particular the meat — that we eat, among other activities.

... "Carbon capture and storage is not going to be the solution to climate change," Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir, a geologist with Carbfix, told CNN. "But it is a solution. And it's one of the many solutions that we need to implement to be able to achieve this big goal that we have to reach." She added: "First and foremost, we have to stop emitting CO2 and we have to stop burning fossil fuels, the main source of CO2 emissions to our atmosphere."

... Because of the high temperature that is needed for the process, the Orca plant requires a lot of energy. That's a problem that's easily solved in Iceland, where green geothermal power is abundant. But it could become a challenge to scale globally. ...

... The machines at Orca are just one way to remove CO2 from the air. Other methods involve capturing the gas at source — like the chimney of a cement factory — or removing it from the fuel before combustion. That involves exposing the fuel, such as coal or natural gas, to oxygen or steam under high temperature and pressure to convert it into a mixture of hydrogen and CO2. The hydrogen is then separated and can be burned with much lower carbon emissions. However, methane emissions could be a problem when the process is used on natural gas. The carbon that comes out of CCS can be used for other purposes, for example to make objects out of plastic instead of using oil, or in the food industry, which uses CO2 to put the fizz in drinks. But the amount that needs to be captured vastly exceeds the world's demand for CO2 in other places, which means the majority of it will need to be "stored." At Orca, this happens just a few hundred meters away from its vacuum in several igloo-like structures where the gas is mixed with water and injected around 800 meters underground. There, the CO2 reacts with sponge-like volcanic rocks and mineralizes, while the water flows away. ...

... CCS technology sounds like the perfect solution, but it remains highly controversial, and not just because of the amount of energy it needs. Its critics say the world should be aiming for zero emissions, not net zero. But scientific consensus is pretty clear: some level of carbon capture will soon become necessary. The IPCC estimated that even if emissions decline dramatically, to keep temperature increases below 2 degrees will require the removal of between 10 billion and 20 billion tonnes of CO2 every year until 2100. "I don't think carbon capture is a silver bullet, because there is no silver bullet," said Nadine Mustafa, a researcher that specializes in carbon capture at the department of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, and is not involved with Orca. "It's not that we are going to fix everything by using renewables, or that we're going to use carbon capture and storage and we're going to fix everything with that. We're going to need everything, especially because we're already behind on our goals."

... One remaining risk in this technology is the impact that storing the carbon may have on the Earth, or at least its immediate environment. In its special report on carbon capture and storage, the IPCC said that by far the biggest risk comes from potential leaks. A sudden and large release of CO2 would be extremely dangerous. In the air, a CO2 concentration of around 10% is deadly, but even much lower levels can cause health issues. ... Snæbjörnsdóttir, who heads the CO2 mineral storage at Carbfix for Orca, said the mineralization process they use in Iceland eliminates the risk of leaks. And the basalt — which is volcanic rock — around the plant makes for an ideal geological storage.

https://us.cnn.com/2021/10/20/world/...cmd/index.html

One particularly interesting note at the end of the articles ..

Opponents of CCS argue the technology is simply another way for the fossil fuel industry to delay its inevitable demise. While they are not involved in the Orca plant, fossil fuel giants dominate the sector. According to a database complied by the Global CCS Institute, a pro-CCS think tank, an overwhelming majority of the world's 89 CCS projects that are currently in operation, being built or in advanced stages of development are operated by oil, gas and coal companies.Oil companies have had and used the technology to capture carbon for decades, but they haven't exactly done it to reduce emissions — ironically, their motivation has been to extract even more oil. That's because the CO2 they remove can be re-injected into oil fields that are nearly depleted, and help squeeze out 30-60% more oil than with normal methods. The process is known as "enhanced oil recovery" and it is one of the main reasons why CCS remains controversial. Fossil fuel companies are also investing in the newer carbon capture tech that removes CO2 from the air — like Orca's machines do — so they can argue they are "offsetting" the emissions that they can't capture in their usual processes. It's one way to delay fossil fuels' inevitable demise as the world transitions to renewable energy sources.

There is another way to look at it.

Fossil fuel companies have the big bucks to invest in this expensive tech, and considering fossil fuels are by far the main driver of climate change, it can be argued that they have a responsibility to foot the bill for what could be the biggest environmental disaster clean-up in human history.

[Doshin]

"Although we say that mountains belong to the nation,
mountains belong to the people who love them."

-Dogen in 'Sansuikyō'

Skot SatUrToday

I find beauty in that quote. Thank you

Doshin
St

[Kokuu]

I saw this report and found it very interesting, although I do not know if it is even a workable treatment (not really a solution) to the problem. maybe just a tiny bandage on a battlefield ..

I suspect there are going to be a number of parts to a solution but I think people are desperate to find solutions that mean we do not have to change our current way of living. More technology is seen to be the answer, and that is true to some degree, but I personally think that we will not be able to get out of this situation without massively changing our lifestyle. It is not just global warming we are facing but catastrophic loss of habitat and species, plastic pollution etc.

We have been living a largely unfettered existence for a century or two, based on a huge stock of fossil fuels that was built up over millions of years. It is like spending your life savings in a week and then expecting to carry on living like in that week. It cannot last.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Doshin]

I suspect there are going to be a number of parts to a solution but I think people are desperate to find solutions that mean we do not have to change our current way of living. More technology is seen to be the answer, and that is true to some degree, but I personally think that we will not be able to get out of this situation without massively changing our lifestyle. It is not just global warming we are facing but catastrophic loss of habitat and species, plastic pollution etc.

We have been living a largely unfettered existence for a century or two, based on a huge stock of fossil fuels that was built up over millions of years. It is like spending your life savings in a week and then expecting to carry on living like in that week. It cannot last.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

I believe technology will and must be part of the solution. But!! As you indicate we also need to change our individual approach to how we live. I think that comes from government leadership/motivation/inspiration (which is not viewed with favor by many but it is the way of our species especially as our numbers have grown) and importantly from within us. This is why I view our practice as key and why I have been reaching for the dharma all these years to help live in harmony with others, myself and (most important in my view) the planet that sustains us and the million of other species.

Doshin
St

[Kokuu]

This is why I view our practice as key and why I have been reaching for the dharma all these years to help live in harmony with others, myself and (most important in my view) the planet that sustains us and the million of other species.

[Nengei]

I agree with what both of you are saying, Doshin and Kokuu. I'm not sure that the big problem is that there are so many people who refuse to acknowledge and take responsibility for human impact on the biosphere. It seems to me that a larger problem is that among those that want changes to happen, there is an expectation that someone else will do whatever needs to be done. But whether it is mandated by governments or not, the most favorable change is going to come from what we all do, collectively. I can wait for the government to tell me that I have to change my ways--which could be another 20, 50, or 100 years--or I can just make the changes.

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat today. LAH.

[Kyonin]

Hi Doshin,

I agree. We can always do something to correct the damage we have done, but it will take a global effort to do it.

A few weeks ago I was invited to give a talk about Zen Buddhism and evirenment. Because it was a yogi event, most attendants weren't familiar with the basics of Zen. But I got their attention when I said that Shikantaza is the most ecological activity one can do. We just sit and contemplate life, affecting it as less as possible.

Besides of pragmatic actions to revert the damage, we need to get back to spiritual practice to feel the unity and wholeness of nature, which we are part of.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

As I have mentioned elsewhere...reversing the decline in biodiversity (considering we have lost half of the world’s wildlife..see an earlier post above) can seem daunting at the local level. Indeed it must take governments and international approaches. However we can do something. In the companion thread EcoLiving , those actions also have positive impacts on biodiversity. Pollinators, which are critical to our survival and many other species are also in decline in both species and numbers. Those of us with yards can create landscapes that provide habitat for pollinators (and many other species!). As I compose this I am listening to the hum of hundreds, if not thousands, of bees and wasps of many species visiting the plants which are now blooming. Of course the plants I chose are only suited for my ecoregion in the Southwest United States (and even more specific for a specific region at a certain elevation). Plant choices will depend on where you live.

Attached are some guidelines provided by the US Forest Service that may provide ideas to ignite your creative imagination for landscaping.

https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening.shtml

Gassho
Doshin
St

[Jundo]

I am writing about this today, in my new book now called "BUILDING the FUTURE BUDDHA!" (formerly, "Zen of the Future!"). However, I say that we will not truly get to the root cause of these problems until we slightly (just mildly) tweak down the volume on human desires for consumption and acquisition, and somewhat (just a tad) tweak up our human ability to be satisfied with simplicity and moderation, and to care more for others ...

... and the answer lies in altering our human DNA, breeding these tendencies into or out of us to make better, kinder, more giving residents of this planet, more caring, pacifist, easily satisfied.

That, I fear, is the only real solution that will change personal behavior from the government and board rooms on down.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Doshin]

Has anyone read “Rescuing the Planet” by Tony Hiss? It appears to explore the Half Earth concept and give examples of efforts to protect lands.

Thanks

Doshin
St

[Kaishin]

... and the answer lies in altering our human DNA, breeding these tendencies into or out of us to make better, kinder, more giving residents of this planet, more caring, pacifist, easily satisfied.

That, I fear, is the only real solution that will change personal behavior from the government and board rooms on down.

Gassho, J

STLah

Controversial! Cybereugenics?

-stlah

[Jundo]

Controversial! Cybereugenics?

-stlah

I am not sure of the exact definition of "Cybereugenics," but I believe that we have to engineer better, kinder, more loving people. I am an "anti-Nazi" mad scientist!

Gassho, J

STLah

[Nengei]

I am not sure of the exact definition of "Cybereugenics," but I believe that we have to engineer better, kinder, more loving people. I am an "anti-Nazi" mad scientist!

Gassho, J

STLah

I believe that engineering better, kinder, more loving people means raising people from birth to be better, kind, more loving people. I have no idea how to do that, beyond the confines of my household. I can live a better, kinder, more loving life so that others can see that.

I should say "I" more. I should consume less. I need to live more minimally. It seems to me that our society is more in the mode of you should, which is inevitably frustrating. People will never react well to that.

Forgive my rambling. I should be more succinct.

Gassho,
然芸 Nengei
Sat today. LAH.