Predictions from the very 1st Earth Day. 1. “Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” — Harvard biologist George Wald
2.“We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation.” — Washington University biologist Barry Commoner
3. “Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from intolerable deterioration and possible extinction.” — New York Times editorial
4. “Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.” — Stanford University biologist Paul Ehrlich
5. “Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born… [By 1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” — Paul Ehrlich
6. “It is already too late to avoid mass starvation,” — Denis Hayes, Chief organizer for Earth Day
7. “In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution… by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half.” — Life magazine
8. “At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” — Ecologist Kenneth Watt
9. “Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.” — Paul Ehrlich
10. “[One] theory assumes that the earth’s cloud cover will continue to thicken as more dust, fumes, and water vapor are belched into the atmosphere by industrial smokestacks and jet planes. Screened from the sun’s heat, the planet will cool, the water vapor will fall and freeze, and a new Ice Age will be born.” — Newsweek magazine
11. “The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.” — Kenneth Watt
12. “By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate… that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, ‘Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, ‘I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’” — Ecologist Kenneth Watt
13. “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions…. By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.” — North Texas State University professor Peter Gunter
Oh, I almost forgot-----composting is important. We should all do it.
I spent Earth Day seriously considering the mutual relationship I have with my personal environment, nature, and property.
Burned a big brushpile of leftover treetops and limbs, drove around all the property in my truck with the window down and the a/c on checking out the spring weed and brush crop, then went to town, bought all the herbicide and surfactant I'll need till fall. Came back, drove down the pond, fed the fish and sat in the truck with the a/c on and the window down again and watched the fish eat. Spent the rest of the day getting the spray rig ready. I'll spray 1500 gals of tricloyper in the next 2 weeks. Hope everyone had a very Happy Earth Day!
5. “Most of the people who are going to die in the greatest cataclysm in the history of man have already been born… [By 1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.” — Paul Ehrlich
13. “Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions…. By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.” — North Texas State University professor Peter Gunter
In 2012, about 34.9% of the people in this country were obese, which is roughly 35 pounds over a healthy weight. That is not significantly different from the 35.7% who were obese in 2010.
In both 2010 and 2012 about 78 million adults were obese; more than 50 million of those were white, according to the latest statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Explain this to me again: famine and obesity don't go together, right?
When talking about earth day, don't forget that back in 1977 the founder murdered his then wife and used her body as compost to help heal the planet. Just one of the many eco fascists that just aren't right in the head. Strange that the left still worship the guy.
Some of those very first Earth Day predictions were as much realistic as ridiculous. I don't think that there is any doubt about the widespread impact that outdoor air pollution is having today on the general health and longevity of tens of millions of people in China and India (for an obvious example).
There's science to support the view that it was the widespread implementation of air quality standards and smog and particulate abatement in the Western countries that averted some of those original Earth Day scenarios, including the predictions of an imminent, smog and smoke-driven ice age or significant global cooling. The Clean Air Act was passed during the Nixon administration in 1970, the same year as that very first Earth Day.
Not that I see anything of particular good use about Earth Day. But the way that some people here are reading this is curious (to say the least). It's like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". At the end of that story, there really was a wolf. The reason that the IPCC tries to avoid either overly optimistic or overly pessimistic global warming predictions in its periodic assessments.
[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 04-23-2014).]
Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970. Seven years later, police raided his closet and found the "composted" body of his ex-girlfriend inside a trunk.
A self-proclaimed environmental activist, Einhorn made a name for himself among ecological groups during the 1960s and '70s by taking on the role of a tie-dye-wearing ecological guru and Philadelphia’s head hippie. With his long beard and gap-toothed smile, Einhorn — who nicknamed himself "Unicorn" because his German-Jewish last name translates to "one horn" —advocated flower power, peace and free love to his fellow students at the University of Pennsylvania. He also claimed to have helped found Earth Day.
But the charismatic spokesman who helped bring awareness to environmental issues and preached against the Vietnam War — and any violence — had a secret dark side. When his girlfriend of five years, Helen "Holly" Maddux, moved to New York and broke up with him, Einhorn threatened that he would throw her left-behind personal belongings onto the street if she didn't come back to pick them up.
And so on Sept. 9, 1977, Maddux went back to the apartment that she and Einhorn had shared in Philadelphia to collect her things, and was never seen again. When Philadelphia police questioned Einhorn about her mysterious disappearance several weeks later, he claimed that she had gone out to the neighborhood co-op to buy some tofu and sprouts and never returned.
It wasn't until 18 months later that investigators searched Einhorn's apartment after one of his neighbors complained that a reddish-brown, foul-smelling liquid was leaking from the ceiling directly below Einhorn's bedroom closet. Inside the closet, police found Maddux's beaten and partially mummified body stuffed into a trunk that had also been packed with Styrofoam, air fresheners and newspapers.
After his arrest, Einhorn jumped bail and spent decades evading authorities by hiding out in Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France. After 23 years, he was finally extradited to the United States from France and put on trial. Taking the stand in his own defense, Einhorn claimed that his ex-girlfriend had been killed by CIA agents who framed him for the crime because he knew too much about the agency's paranormal military research. He was convicted of murdering Maddux and is currently serving a life sentence.
(Nobody's going to just click the link)
[This message has been edited by Formula88 (edited 04-23-2014).]
Some of those very first Earth Day predictions were as much realistic as ridiculous. I don't think that there is any doubt about the widespread impact that outdoor air pollution is having today on the general health and longevity of tens of millions of people in China and India (for an obvious example).
There's science to support the view that it was the widespread implementation of air quality standards and smog and particulate abatement in the Western countries that averted some of those original Earth Day scenarios, including the predictions of an imminent, smog and smoke-driven ice age or significant global cooling. The Clean Air Act was passed during the Nixon administration in 1970, the same year as that very first Earth Day.
Not that I see anything of particular good use about Earth Day. But the way that some people here are reading this is curious (to say the least). It's like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". At the end of that story, there really was a wolf. The reason that the IPCC tries to avoid either overly optimistic or overly pessimistic global warming predictions in its periodic assessments.
Over at AEI's Enterprise Blog, Mark J. Perry has a weird post about how all the dire predictions that environmentalists were making back in the 1970s never panned out. "In fact," he writes, "according to new data available from the Environmental Protection Agency, air quality today in the U.S. is actually better than ever before." He even has a graph:
Okay, but why do we suppose pollution just magically dropped like that? Perry claims it's because the United States got richer. Here's another possibility: In 1970, Congress amended the Clean Air Act to tackle, among other pollutants, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead (the new rules were slowly phased in over the next decade). Most notably, the law acted to phase out lead from gasoline by the mid-1980s. And lo and behold, it worked—you can see a sharp drop in lead emissions over that period (with a few further steps needed after that). It was a massive public-health success story.
So the bleak predictions of 1970s-era environmentalists never panned out, but largely because they helped enact rules that prevented those outcomes. Similarly, all those old warnings about the ozone layer never came true because the world got together and banned CFCs. And, likewise, if greens today are successful in pushing the world to sharply reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, then all those apocalyptic forecasts about global warming probably won't come true, either. This isn't that complicated.
Over at AEI's Enterprise Blog, Mark J. Perry has a weird post about how all the dire predictions that environmentalists were making back in the 1970s never panned out. "In fact," he writes, "according to new data available from the Environmental Protection Agency, air quality today in the U.S. is actually better than ever before." He even has a graph:
Okay, but why do we suppose pollution just magically dropped like that?
So the bleak predictions of 1970s-era environmentalists never panned out, but largely because they helped enact rules that prevented those outcomes. Similarly, all those old warnings about the ozone layer never came true because the world got together and banned CFCs. And, likewise, if greens today are successful in pushing the world to sharply reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, then all those apocalyptic forecasts about global warming probably won't come true, either. This isn't that complicated.
That last part (in boldface) is more speculative. Up to that point, there's a lot of truth here.
Hmm, some interesting information. But, if all that is true, then we apparently went to far. Most of those predictions said our lunacy would cause the next ice age. So, now we've got global warming.
Wait, I just heard some thing running by screaming, "The Sky is Falling, THE SKY IS FALLING!!".
------------------ Ron Count Down to A Better America: http://countingdownto.com/countdown/196044 Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
Yes. All my lights and tvs were on. Drove the motorhome out to the lake for a while. Washed and buffed out the Sebring, letting all the soapy water run down the street. It was still chilly so I had the furnace on with the garage door open.
How do these predictions change the observed science I wonder? I doubt you'd find many scientists (whether they predicting things or not) would say any of this was a certainty or give a definite timeline. That's the great thing about science, there's always room to learn and that's exactly what the science of Climate Change has shown, it's getting better , more refined and more agreed upon. There are often some that like to predict dire circumstances for several reasons.
[This message has been edited by newf (edited 04-24-2014).]
I had a great day. I hung out with a neighbor for a while:
Then I cut some brush with an electric weed whacker. ^^ Later I polluted the air with smoke from a cigar and fumes from a glass of Scotch whisky. Sorry guys, I didn't kill anything but fire ants all day.
------------------ I speak English. Sue me.
[This message has been edited by NEPTUNE (edited 04-24-2014).]
Originally posted by NEPTUNE: Then I cut some brush with an electric weed whacker.
Glad to see you are getting on board. What is the carbon footprint of your electrical generation plant ? You surprised me. I expected you to be on your knees, in designer knee pads, saving our Earth with these ...
Oh lookee here. Now that Toddster has left, I have another fanboy following me around, doing his best to pizz in my cornflakes whenever he can. I'm such a lucky man.
Numbers count tho Neptune. On average, there are 1/4 million fire ants in a mound. Queen lays 2500 eggs/day. Every one killed or prevented from hatching counts!!!! Go get 'em!
I wonder if I could get a Farm Services Agency /USDA grant for a Rent-An-Anteater small business start up?
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-24-2014).]
How do these predictions change the observed science I wonder? I doubt you'd find many scientists (whether they predicting things or not) would say any of this was a certainty or give a definite timeline. That's the great thing about science, there's always room to learn and that's exactly what the science of Climate Change has shown, it's getting better , more refined and more agreed upon. There are often some that like to predict dire circumstances for several reasons.
Didn't read any of the posts. How could I possibly have a happy earth day when I'm not happy and the earth is way beyond happy all the way to "let's jump off a bridge together" depressed. Speaking of which, I wonder what the "way" would be that would have the least pain andor fear involved? Quick decapitation (you'd have to involve someone else)? Bullet to the brain? What if your aim was slightly off and you were only maimed? Nope. Maybe an overdose of sleeping pills? I'd think you'd gently fall asleep and keep going until you were gone. Never have to deal with "life" any longer or pain or fear or insecurities or poverty (actually, just above the poverty line....too much to qualify for any assisstance but not enough to actually pay the bills. Then there's planning for retirement so you don't have to work when you start having to wear diapers. My retirement will be a whopping $250/mo. Whoopty doo!! THAT should solve all of my money problems as I move on to my "golden years", especially since I don't yet own a home, my truck needs some work and my bike isn't paid for.
I think the time is either now or very soon. Not much more of life I can handle. Celebrate a Happy Earth day? Makes more sense to celebrate an Unhappy Earth day. Maybe celebrate a day for everyone who has some mental "issues". Maybe that would be enough to bring some of them out of their funk, at least for a few days. Probably not, just talkin' out my ass again.
Sorry for the post. I'm tired, depressed and ready to be done with life. Guess it's coming through. My bad.
Sorry to hear this, please don't give up/in.
[This message has been edited by newf (edited 04-25-2014).]
