Blackspot

Seismic Revolt

Nature is about to shake things up.

56 comments Micah White,

There was something left unsaid in all the coverage about the powerful earthquakes that decimated Haiti in January and rattled Chile in February. Of course, we heard about the tragedy – the human tolls were covered in detail and made us acutely aware of our own vulnerability. But despite all that, no one wanted to discuss what caused these earthquakes. In an age where the materialist-scientific outlook peers into every dark corner of existence, leaving such an obvious question unasked suggests we can’t handle the answer.

It is time to confront the fact that climate change will manifest in unexpected ways, including violent earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. This is the position of respected scientists. As the New Scientist magazine reports without equivocation, “evidence of a link between climate and the rumblings of the crust has been around for years, but only now is it becoming clear just how sensitive rock can be to the air, ice and water above.” Or as Bill McGuire, Professor of Geological Hazards at University College London, writes in an earlier New Scientist article, “as the balance changes between the stresses acting on the crust and the strains held within it, the result can be an increase in volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.” Within the scientific community there appears to be a long-standing belief that there is a direct, causal connection linking earthquakes to climate change.

This connection is not being discussed because our civilization is unwilling to accept the full-spectrum reality of nature’s revolt. We are like the naive soldiers who came to battle prepared for trench warfare only to find their enemies armed with airplanes. We think of climate change as “global warming” alone and prepare ourselves psychically for delayed seasons while nature hits us from below – literally – with an earth-splitting seismic revolt. And as we scramble to amass the public funds necessary for retrofitting our decaying industrial infrastructure, nature will deploy volcanic ash to block out the sun and mysterious blights to erase our crops.

Nature is in revolt against our consumer culture. The only chance we have as a species is to heed its warnings, to trust that these sudden catastrophes augur a dark future that our governments, our money and our faith in progress cannot protect us from. Nature is the source of our sustenance and may easily become the cause of our death. Unless, that is, we are willing to risk joining nature’s earthly insurrection.

Micah White is a contributing editor at Adbusters and an independent activist. He is writing a book on the future of activism. www.micahmwhite.com or micah (at) adbusters.org

56 comments on the article “Seismic Revolt”

Displaying 41 - 50 of 56

Page 5 of 6

Memo

06 April 2010 at 09:44 am

Another earthquake has shake us in Baja California, México this past sunday march 4th, was a 7.2 ritcher scale eartquake which was stronger than the one in Haiti but not as strong as the one in Chile, there were some catastrophes, some buldings in construction felt apart, the earth opened it self, there was no water supply nor electricity for almost a day in the whole city, people were in panic, the grosery stores sold a gallon of milk in 80 pesos the double, candles in a ridiculous price of 100 pesos per candle, this show us how fuct up are the people living inside our country, not to be considered, they are corrupeted, crooked people just because capitalism and human fear has made our country the way it is now, please help Baja California, any kind of support will help, thank you

Memo

06 April 2010 at 09:44 am

Another earthquake has shake us in Baja California, México this past sunday march 4th, was a 7.2 ritcher scale eartquake which was stronger than the one in Haiti but not as strong as the one in Chile, there were some catastrophes, some buldings in construction felt apart, the earth opened it self, there was no water supply nor electricity for almost a day in the whole city, people were in panic, the grosery stores sold a gallon of milk in 80 pesos the double, candles in a ridiculous price of 100 pesos per candle, this show us how fuct up are the people living inside our country, not to be considered, they are corrupeted, crooked people just because capitalism and human fear has made our country the way it is now, please help Baja California, any kind of support will help, thank you

bennycook

08 April 2010 at 05:10 am

I take the view that nature will do what nature does. Whether we have a significant, marginal or insignificant impact on the longevity of this environment is one that is likely unknown. Cataclysmic events, volcanoes, comets, meteorites, the collision of earth and comet to create an orbiting moon, what is clear is that change and flux is inevitable.
With regards to the proliferation and success of to our own species I'm actually rather optimistic that we will continually adapt to the changes and challenges we face, just as we have in the past. The environment is not static, it never was and will never be; so Global warming/cooling, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis...etc - man's environmental impact for better or worse is essentially and extension of nature, as it is that which the homo sapiens species is derived.
Global warming and cooling is nothing new and yes it has seen the annihilation of some species and the dawn of others, and we have been the most recent beneficiaries of that change.
Its my view that the need to adapt to environmental change and the ability to utilize what resources are available to us, actually force competition within the species (natural selection) to drive us to make the best possible use of those resources on offer or the collective WE will fail to adapt and thus perish.
Take the outbreak of 2 world wars and you will see the very worst and very best in human nature, but moreover the desperation to survive forces upon us all the need to be innovative and bold. The great Depression saw Roosevelt under instruction from his brilliantly wise wife Eleanor) to initiate never before seen major public works Infrastructure initiatives, which to this day are remarkable feats of engineering.
Wars, catastrophe and things of such kind bring people together initiating co-operation between various nation states, less concern with one's own self interests and a willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good.
Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I think on the precipice of dire change that poses a significant threat to our entire species, we will find that innovation in technology and the implementation of such technology will bring about very rapid changes to ensure the preservation of species.
It may mean that we suffer enormously before we initiate such change, but when faced with the consequences of inaction it will be human nature and collective change that will mark a major shift in the way our species thinks of itself and each other in the context of various environments (nature) will come to the fore and great change on an unprecedented scale will bring about the change so many desire.
What is clear is that without a healthy environment we will ultimately pay the price and I strongly suspect that when the environment becomes so toxic that our own species can no longer survive, monumental change will very rapidly be implemented to try and undo the harm done.
We all know that we have to live within the limits and confines of any environment we inherit, so when the time comes I have no doubt that as we continue to understand the impact poor environmental management has upon ourselves and each other, then its 'human nature' to make changes, adapt and change to ensure the proliferation of the species.
I am not opposed to Capitalism so long as its managed centrally, making me a socialist. Coming from Australia I have seen changes in the mindset of the great bulk of the population following a decade of drought. All sides of politics recognize the need to shift to increased water efficiency, fuel efficiency, energy efficiency and re-cycling on a National scale. On a grass roots level there are 'clean-up Australia day', a National holiday and other such changes which indicate that there is an awareness and willingness to change, the key debate at present is to now how best do we develop and utilize green friendly technologies coupled with social policies to tackle these problems head on.
If you had asked me whether we would have even considered these issues and technologies prior to this drought I would have laughed. So maybe the best thing to induce change is a harsh environmental response that causes such great hardship suffering, that an entire population of non-believers suddenly realise just how important sound environmental management is not just for our own species but for the many others we are interdependent on for long-term species success.
I'd really like to know what 'positive' ideas and observations others have seen and noted, and furthermore; what constructive technological changes others believe could be put in place to achieve environmental homeostasis without decimating economic progress and growth, indeed ideas that could promote economic growth and bring about improved environmental health.
Stay positive folks and lets hope imagination, innovation, intelligence and intelligent social programmes that could/can bring about the beneficial changes that we are are hoping for.

bennycook

08 April 2010 at 05:10 am

I take the view that nature will do what nature does. Whether we have a significant, marginal or insignificant impact on the longevity of this environment is one that is likely unknown. Cataclysmic events, volcanoes, comets, meteorites, the collision of earth and comet to create an orbiting moon, what is clear is that change and flux is inevitable.
With regards to the proliferation and success of to our own species I'm actually rather optimistic that we will continually adapt to the changes and challenges we face, just as we have in the past. The environment is not static, it never was and will never be; so Global warming/cooling, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis...etc - man's environmental impact for better or worse is essentially and extension of nature, as it is that which the homo sapiens species is derived.
Global warming and cooling is nothing new and yes it has seen the annihilation of some species and the dawn of others, and we have been the most recent beneficiaries of that change.
Its my view that the need to adapt to environmental change and the ability to utilize what resources are available to us, actually force competition within the species (natural selection) to drive us to make the best possible use of those resources on offer or the collective WE will fail to adapt and thus perish.
Take the outbreak of 2 world wars and you will see the very worst and very best in human nature, but moreover the desperation to survive forces upon us all the need to be innovative and bold. The great Depression saw Roosevelt under instruction from his brilliantly wise wife Eleanor) to initiate never before seen major public works Infrastructure initiatives, which to this day are remarkable feats of engineering.
Wars, catastrophe and things of such kind bring people together initiating co-operation between various nation states, less concern with one's own self interests and a willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good.
Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I think on the precipice of dire change that poses a significant threat to our entire species, we will find that innovation in technology and the implementation of such technology will bring about very rapid changes to ensure the preservation of species.
It may mean that we suffer enormously before we initiate such change, but when faced with the consequences of inaction it will be human nature and collective change that will mark a major shift in the way our species thinks of itself and each other in the context of various environments (nature) will come to the fore and great change on an unprecedented scale will bring about the change so many desire.
What is clear is that without a healthy environment we will ultimately pay the price and I strongly suspect that when the environment becomes so toxic that our own species can no longer survive, monumental change will very rapidly be implemented to try and undo the harm done.
We all know that we have to live within the limits and confines of any environment we inherit, so when the time comes I have no doubt that as we continue to understand the impact poor environmental management has upon ourselves and each other, then its 'human nature' to make changes, adapt and change to ensure the proliferation of the species.
I am not opposed to Capitalism so long as its managed centrally, making me a socialist. Coming from Australia I have seen changes in the mindset of the great bulk of the population following a decade of drought. All sides of politics recognize the need to shift to increased water efficiency, fuel efficiency, energy efficiency and re-cycling on a National scale. On a grass roots level there are 'clean-up Australia day', a National holiday and other such changes which indicate that there is an awareness and willingness to change, the key debate at present is to now how best do we develop and utilize green friendly technologies coupled with social policies to tackle these problems head on.
If you had asked me whether we would have even considered these issues and technologies prior to this drought I would have laughed. So maybe the best thing to induce change is a harsh environmental response that causes such great hardship suffering, that an entire population of non-believers suddenly realise just how important sound environmental management is not just for our own species but for the many others we are interdependent on for long-term species success.
I'd really like to know what 'positive' ideas and observations others have seen and noted, and furthermore; what constructive technological changes others believe could be put in place to achieve environmental homeostasis without decimating economic progress and growth, indeed ideas that could promote economic growth and bring about improved environmental health.
Stay positive folks and lets hope imagination, innovation, intelligence and intelligent social programmes that could/can bring about the beneficial changes that we are are hoping for.

Pages

Add a new comment

Comments are closed.
Live without dead time