Crisis and opportunity are not the same words in Chinese. crisis: =E5=8D=B1=E6=9C=BA (Pronunciation in English letters: Wei Ji) opportunity: =E6=9C=BA=E4=BC=9A (pronunciation in English letters: Ji = Hui)
Yes, there is one word same (Ji) in the two two-word phrases. But =20 this does not mean anything. For example, "nation" and =20 "determination" both have "nation" in the words, do they mean the same? Jin Yao On Apr 2, 2007, at 2:31 PM, patrick wrote: > In China, the word for "crisis" is the same as the word for =20 > "opportunity". > > -Barney, a la The Simpsons. > > > Patrick > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of stan moore > Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 12:23 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: regarding my recent postings on crises ahead > > Folks -- > > Just to avoid a bit of possible confusioin, I would like to point =20 > out that > among my own postings in the last couple of weeks are references to =20= > multiple > > problems, all of which seem to be coming at us simultaneously, some =20= > of which > > interact and synergize with one another and some of which have had =20 > proposed > solutions that create yet new crises. > > Global climate change is absolutely a crisis facing humanity, but =20 > in and of > itself is the least mentioned crisis by me, because I believe this =20 > group > well understands the nature of the crisis. I have not mentioned =20 > global > climate change in the context of discussions of alteration of our > civilization. What I have discussed to some extent are how some of =20= > the > proposed solutions for global climate change, designed to reduce =20 > carbon > emissions into the atmosphere, such as biofuels, pose their own =20 > threat to > the local ecologies as well as to the survival of subsistence =20 > farmers in the > > poorer nations of the world. > > But biofuels are also a proposed solution to yet a different =20 > problem, which > I can call the Peak Oil crisis. This is THE huge crisis I have =20 > focused on > with regards to the survival of our civilization as we have known =20 > it. Peak > Oil means the depletion of 1/2 of all known petroleum deposits ever =20= > produced > > by planet Earth, with severe implications as to the ability of =20 > nations to > run their economies, to feed the masses, to transport people and goods > around the planet as well as locally, and so forth. A good =20 > reference to > explain why Peak Oil is such a big deal is "The Party's Over: Oil, =20= > War, and > > the Fate of Industrial Society" by Richard Heinberg. > > Biofuels, in addiition to theoretically reducing global climate =20 > change by > decreasing carbon emissions, are also alternative fuels to =20 > petroleum and are > > allegedly sustainable forms of energy. A new report from Asia this =20= > week > pointed out that palm oil, formerly considered a sustainable, non-=20 > polluting > form of energy, is not carbon-neutral, in part because a =20 > significant amount > of area planted to palm trees to produce the oil are in peat bogs, =20 > whose > alteration will release far more carbon into the atmosphere than =20 > saved by > the burning of palm oil This realization is causing nations and =20= > big > industries to rethink their plans to continue to dramatically =20 > expand palm > oil production in order to produce sustainable, renewable, "low =20 > impact" > energy. > > Kunstler wrote about peak oil as a mechanism that will drive enormous, > perhaps catastrophic changes to our society. Michael Klare wrote =20 > about > resource wars, primarily based on the competition for petroleum by =20 > world > powers moving forward. Kunstler may or may not be aligned with Lyndon > Larouche -- I don't know and I am not a Larouche supporter in any =20 > way. But > Kunstler's vision of how the U.S. will be forced to change due to =20 > Peak Oil > is consistent with the analyses of other informed persons, including > Heinberg and others. It is positively mild by comparison with the =20 > vision of > > Jay Hanson, who sees no way to avoid nuclear war in years ahead. > > Richard Clark Duncan's Olduvai Gorge Theory is not precisely about =20 > Peak Oil, > > though Peak Oil is integral to the fact that the length of the =20 > tenure of > industrial society can be predicted empirically. But Duncan's =20 > analysis uses > > data that by far predate the burning of oil and it is only because =20 > oil has > been such a phenomenon driver of the industrial development of man =20 > that Peak > > Oil is related to the conclusions of his book in Duncan's final =20 > analysis. > If nuclear power had proved to be a replacement for petroleum on the > worldwide scale that petroleum has occupied as an energy source, then > Duncan's conclusions would have been different. In fact, as =20 > Heinberg > explained very well, it is the fact that petroleum is unique in =20 > being such a > > versatile and universal energy source that makes the depletion of =20 > petroleum > such an enormous problem for our species, whose meteoric rise in =20 > numbers and > > influence on the planet has been tied to the advent of the =20 > petroleum era in > world history. > > There are other crises that we face as well. Consumption (which is > obviously related to energy) is an ecological problem because we =20 > consume > earth resources faster than the earth produces them. We are =20 > living off of > the capital and not the interest of earth's natural productivity. =20 > However, > because of the relationship between oil as energy source and =20 > consumption, I > have little hesitation in saying that ultimately the crisis of Peak =20= > Oil will > > diminish the crisis of consumption. Our changed habits and =20 > lifestyle due to > > Peak Oil will leave us no ability to consume in the future as we =20 > have in the > > past. > > But there will be synergies among the crises. Global climate =20 > change will > exacerbate consumption problems in terms of water supply, for =20 > instance. > Melting glaciers and reduced snowpack in some areas will make it =20 > hard for > existing regional populations of humans to exist, much less flourish. > > Climate change may produce violent storms and other destructive =20 > natural > phenomena and the effect of Peak Oil on national economies may make =20= > it very > difficult to recover and rebuild our infrastructure. What if sea =20 > levels do > rise and low-lying, but densely populated areas are washed out? =20 > New Orleans > > may be a harbinger of what will happen to many other areas =20 > nationally and > globally, not only in human suffering, but in the failure to bring =20 > adequate > resources to bear to protect, rescue, and repair the damage. > > All of these crises have been known to experts for years, if not =20 > decades. > We have not been prudent. We lost our memory of the contrived oil =20 > shortages > > of the 1970's, which should have led to intense preparation for the =20= > end of > the Age of Oil. We started out well, but we petered out when North =20= > Sea oil > and Alaskan oil came on line. I believe we will pay a steep price for > allowing ourselves to forget the lessons of the Arab Oil Embargo. =20 > Some day > a future generation will hear about Hummers and other SUVs and =20 > wonder "What > were they thinking!" > > And here we are. I think that it is unquestionable that we are fast > approaching a period of drastic, involuntary change in human =20 > history. Why > hasn't the U.S. government gone to the people and informed them of the > difficulties and difficult choices in the near future? I think =20 > they decided > > they did not want to panic the stock market. But panic will be =20 > hard to > prevent when the realization of what lies ahead hits the masses. =20 > Perhaps > that is why a police state has been in preparation here in the U.S. =20= > for > several years. I suspect that in a few years, "terrorists" will =20 > include > dissidents who vigorously complain about the inequitable =20 > distribution of > wealth and resources in the nation and world lying ahead. > > Stan Moore San Geronimo, CA [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > _________________________________________________________________ > Interest Rates near 39yr lows! $430,000 Mortgage for $1,399/mo - =20 > Calculate > new payment > http://www.lowermybills.com/lre/index.jsp?=20 > sourceid=3Dlmb-9632-18466&moid=3D7581 ------------------- Jin Yao Assistant Professor of Biology Department of Biology and Earth Sciences Adams State College 208 Edgemont Blvd. Alamosa, CO 81102 Tel: (719)587-8112
