Isn't Oliver's definition: was developed purposefully i*n response to a threat*, which, *while not obvious in everyday life, had been identified by the scientific elite.*Like climate change today *, that threat was seen as being of global significance* and* to have no easily attainable political solution. *
I am not crazy about "identified by the scientific elite", I would prefer the more objective and more accurate "scientific method" -- it's not the eliteness that gives the threat credibility, it's the method. --- Fred Zimmerman Geoengineering IT! Bringing together the worlds of geoengineering and information technology GE NewsFilter: http://geoengineeringIT.net:8080 On Wed, Jul 10, 2013 at 8:00 AM, Andrew Lockley <andrew.lock...@gmail.com>wrote: > I maintain that development of techniques for fire clearance, and axes for > deforestation would fit your definition. > > I doubt very much that aboriginal hunters in Australia or southern > European farmers lacked the intent to clear land, nor that they only used > pre existing technology. It was clearly done to remove constraints on food > supply. > > It's deliberate, it's technological, it's large scale, and it's in > response to food supply constraints - so I believe it fits your definition. > > A > On Jul 10, 2013 12:43 PM, "O Morton" <omeconom...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> David (and also Andrew),-- if you look at "Morton's reasoning" as >> expressed in the text, you'll find that I don't agree. >> >> The technology required for the industrial takeover of the nitrogen cycle >> did not appear through an unguided process of innovation, nor was it >> deployed that way; the foresight involved is part of what makes it a >> geoengineering technology in a way that other agricultural innovations, and >> indeed agriculture itself, are not. Nitrogen fixation was developed >> purposefully in response to a threat, which, while not obvious in everyday >> life, had been identified by the scientific elite. Like climate change >> today, that threat was seen as being of global significance and to have no >> easily attainable political solution. That justified a concerted effort to >> develop a technological response. Though people working in the climate >> arena may not immediately recognize this response as geoengineering, some >> of those working on the nitrogen cycle have no problem seeing it as such. >> >> On Tuesday, 9 July 2013 16:47:30 UTC+1, David Lewis wrote: >>> >>> If inventing a way to convert nitrogen from air into chemicals qualifies >>> as geoengineering, it isn't even close to being the first example. I.e. >>> when the first hominid moved the first rock out of the way to get into the >>> first cave, according to Morton's reasoning, geoengineering began. See: >>> Wilkinson B. H. *Geology 33, 161 - 164 (2005)* *Humans as geologic >>> agents: A deep-time perspective.* >>> >>> From the abstract: "Humans are now an order of magnitude more important >>> at moving sediment than the sum of all other natural processes operating on >>> the surface of the planet". >>> >>> On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 4:16:29 AM UTC-7, geoengineeringourclimate >>> wrote: >>>> >>>> Dear colleagues, >>>> >>>> Oli Morton of The Economist has penned an Opinion Article for the >>>> 'Geoengineering Our Climate?' series titled "Nitrogen Geoengineering" >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "geoengineering" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. > For more options, visit > https://groups.google.com/groups<https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to geoengineering+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to geoengineering@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
