National Geographic Society losing its way: it’s about declining resources

By Frosty Wooldridge

Part 7:  It’s all about declining resources

In this ongoing series, energy expert Dell Erickson gives a sobering understanding of America’s environmental, energy and viability status for the 21^st century. As we race toward adding another 100 million people with 25 years, the need for energy and resources cannot be supplied. Why? They are non-renewable resources.  (www.TheSocialContract.com) 

Consult Chris Clugston:  “Scarcity—a comprehensive analysis of nonrenewable natural resource scarcity and its implications and consequences for humanity.” Unfolding today among humankind is the most colossal self-inflicted tragedy in the history of the world.  www.wakeupamerica.com

As Erickson states, we face demographic nightmares in the years ahead as Peak Oil drops down around our ears.  Ironically, no one will speak up or address the fact that we will be faced with feeding, watering and housing another 100 million people by 2035.

It’s all about declining resources and energy returned on energy invested
 
“In a series dealing with population and resources for its support, resources should play a determinant role,” said Erickson.  “Energy is the starting point and foundation of society — at every level. Of the fossil fuels, human society is dependent on oil, and it is for this reason that oil resources are the most troublesome. Less understood are limits to coal and nuclear power, and serious questions regarding natural gas. Again, National Geographic fails to alert the public, raise the matter, or integrate population with limited resources.
 
“Because inventories are advertised as large, coal and sometimes natural gas are often thought of as an oil substitute and continuing generator of electricity. However, the high quality coal ores are nearly exhausted and what remains is significantly more difficult to extract and of lower quality. The issue is not the amount of “reserves” but the quality of the ores. Today’s inappropriately designed economic models cannot overcome geology. Net energy from coal in the U.S. peaked in the 1990s. Worldwide, coal will achieve its net energy peak soon, if it hasn’t already occurred. With every additional consumer and passing year, it will require substantial volume increases simply to maintain current generation of electricity, be increasingly expensive to produce, and with corresponding need to safeguard emissions.
 
“Japan can be thought of as a metaphor for the world, a relatively large population on an island limited in size and resources. It used technology, notably nuclear power, to provide the energy for its society. The need overwhelmed the cautious nature of its people.
 
“Although probabilities of serious problems of nuclear power are small at any point in time, the cumulative total is the absolute certainty of grave outcomes. Fukushima was and is certain to occur again somewhere else at some time. Nuclear power’s catastrophic certainties are unappreciated by being hidden from public view; out of sight out of mind. Although not visible, three of the four power plants have core meltdowns, one with containment core breech. The question being asked now is not if Fukushima is equal to Chernobyl, but how many times worse is it? Not mentioned is that the great Pacific Ocean fisheries are at stake.”

 
Black gold and fool’s gold alternatives
 
“A limit to oil is a real concern; coal is increasingly expensive and has emission problems and natural gas shares similar issues,” said Erickson. “Moreover, the Fukushima tragedy is forcing society to reevaluate nuclear as an energy source, coerced into looking to other sources of energy with alternatives preferred. Yet, because of inherent deficiencies and serious difficulties, alternatives cannot replace fossil fuels.
 
“Going forward, higher prices, notably high oil prices, are forecasted as demand begins to exceed production. This is the reason world economies continue to struggle. Unlike previous economic downturns, where cheap energy helped economies to recover, rising energy prices do not bode well for future economies. For example, the U.S. economy has almost always fallen into recession when oil prices reached a level equal to 4 percent of GDP. Currently in the U.S., the rate is approximately 5 percent of GDP and the result has been a grudging economic recovery.
 
“Population is the issue. The population link is clearly demonstrated in the SUSPS graph seen previously; populations follow energy resources. As a consequence of Peak Oil and falling quality of resources, society is increasingly dependent on non-conventional oils, deep water drilling, manufactured oils — tar sands and shale’s, alcohols, and other biomass, and replacements with electricity.
 
“National Geographic has the impression that alternatives will save us. This is a fool’s gold viewpoint. A second look unearths the most important characteristic of alternative energies: rather than concentrated like coal, they are diffuse and unreliable, with low net energy returns. Alternative sources are often difficult to produce and expensive, and can suffer from serious environmental consequences.
 
“Accordingly, alternative energies require taxpayer subsidies to be produced at acceptable consumer prices. One widely used technique to conceal the real price is to blend the high price of alternatives into the lower prices of traditional energies. This is also a method of guaranteeing profits to subsidized industries while shifting many of the costs to the public.
 
“The National Geographic measures these costs in money terms. However, David Clarke says it better: “this will not fix the problem, since money is a proxy for the problem, not the problem.”²⁸ Confusing money and energy with alternatives, an economist would say you don’t get much bang for the buck. In prior years the magazine had articles discussing several of the drawbacks of various alternative energies. Today, partiality has set the bar low. The series fails to integrate past energy articles in their (overpopulation) solution. In the formative periods of industrial society, $1 of energy invested returned approximately $49 of benefit. Decades have passed since energy returned 30–50 times the inputs.
 
“Subtly suggesting what may lie ahead, industrial nations were developed with net energies. Today, societies are consuming energies with energy returns one-fourth to one-fifth the returns of the early periods of industrialization. As society is beginning to experience, increasing use of alternative energies will require 3–5 times the extraction volumes, production time and costs, environmental predicaments, and ratcheting higher consumer prices. Today, rather than $49, each $1 invested may return $5 to $10 of benefit, tomorrow even less.
 
“It would have been more helpful for National Geographic to suggest what the studies make available, that the planet Earth juggernaut is approaching the net energy cliff. It’s not one of those unfathomable wicked problems. How soon and how rapid the possible descent depends in great measure on world and individual nation population policies; an energy policy is first and foremost a population policy.
 
“Despite National Geographic’s what-me-worry view, it is imperative that society move quickly to evolve into something sustainable. The issue is, are there sufficient resources to get us through our present situation and into long-term sustainability? National Geographic is of no help.”

In a five minute astoundingly simple yet brilliant video, “Immigration, Poverty, and Gum Balls”, Roy Beck, director of www.numbersusa.ORG, graphically illustrates the impact of overpopulation.  Take five minutes to see for yourself:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE&feature=player_embedded

“Immigration by the numbers—off the chart” by Roy Beck

This 10 minute demonstration shows Americans the results of unending mass immigration on the quality of life and sustainability for future generations: in a word “Mind boggling!”  www.NumbersUSA.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ

This is the best website to start:  www.numbersusa.org ; watch Roy Beck’s “Immigration by the Numbers” at 14 minutes. Bi-partisan and very effective. Become a faxer of pre-written letters to your reps to make positive  change.

Visit www.TheSocialContract.com for the best information on what we face as a civilization as to overpopulation, energy, immigration and much more.

Canada www.immigrationwatchcanada.org ; in Australia www.population.org.au and[email protected]; in Great Britain www.populationmatters.org ; and dozens of other sites accessed at www.frostywooldridge.com.   In Florida, www.flimen.org .

Must see DVD: “Blind Spot” www.snagfilms.com/films/title/blind_spot/ , This movie illustrates America’s future without oil, water and other resources to keep this civilization functioning. It’s a brilliant educational movie! www.blindspotdoc.com

Must see: Rapid Population Decline, seven minute video by Dr. Jack Alpert-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWduFB_RX0

Must see and funny: www.growthbusters.org ; www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXSTrW_dARc
Dave Gardner’s Polar Bear in Bedroom:

growthbusters.org/2010/03/save-the-polar-bear-in-your-bedroom ; Dave Gardner, President, Citizen-Powered Media ; Producing the Documentary, GROWTH BUSTERS; presents Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity, Join the cause at www.growthbusters.org ;760 Wycliffe Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 USA; +1 719-576-5565

Check out this link with Wooldridge on bicycle and Lester Brown and panel discussion:

www.upnorthmedia.org/watchupnorthtv.asp?SDBFid=1631

Tomorrow’s Americaproject on www.youtube.com/contemporarylearning.

Producer: GEORGE A. COLBURNwww.tomorrowsamerica.com

DC: 202-258-4887

Email: [email protected]

Link to www.tomorrowsamerica.com for more discussions on America’s predicament.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.starbrightmediacorp.com

www.tomorrowsamerica.com

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Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents – from the Arctic to the South Pole – as well as six times across the USA, coast to coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway to Athens, Greece. He presents “The Coming Population Crisis in America: and what you can do about it” to civic clubs, church groups, high schools and colleges. He works to bring about sensible world population balance at www.frostywooldridge.com He is the author of: America on the Brink: The Next Added 100 Million Americans. Copies available: 1 888 280 7715