Although the Asian country is prone to geological disasters including earthquakes such happenings should not be viewed in isolation. There is no evidence earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are on the increase, though severity on the Richter scale of earthquakes are on an upward trajectory. If we view such disasters within the overall climatic changes which are occurring in general and a very different picture emerges.
The earthquake in Japan caused multiple deaths and huge evacuations around the Kumamoto region of Kyushu Island. This quake occurred at the same time France and Spain were experiencing huge wildfires rampaging across the terrain which are on the increase annually. Wildfires do not recognise national borders or capital cities. Madrid, the Spanish capital, has been under threat from these abnormal infernos on more than one occasion as have other Spanish cities and cities around the globe from their regional wildfires. Thousands of people, many of them holiday makers, have been evacuated and many homes will be lost forever while firefighters struggle to cope.
Along with the earthquake in Japan, the wildfires in Spain and France, here in the Twenty-Six-Counties we have had a wildfire on Sliabh na mBan (Slieve Namon), Mountain of the Women or Maidens Mountain, in County Tipperary. Firefighters responded to renewed fire activity while reassuring the public the blaze remained under control. Despite these reassurances the south eastern flank of the mountain “eased down then resurfaced” with a vengeance. Many of the isolated areas were described as “isolated hotspots”. A spokesperson commented; “outbreaks of fire activity such as those experienced are to be expected following a wildfire event on this scale”. Greece also had wildfires about the same time and a mid-air helicopter crash killed the crews of both machines - these were helicopters trying to extinguish the fires. The problem here is “wildfire events on this scale” are happening with increased regularity and severity. Along with winter floods, and big freeze ups, increased earthquake severity, summer wildfires are becoming regular and to be expected. Global warming is the cause of these unprecedented changes in our climate and the results can be seen by all but the congenitally stupid every year and are getting worse.
Emerging climate science can reveal, which many of us have suspected for some time, that global warming is the engine of climate change. Such warmings have occurred on a much slower scale over several periods of millennia but more recent research can reveal “human driven atmospheric warming is physically altering the earth’s crust”, thus affecting the weight distribution on the earth’s surface. Earthquakes occur due to a release of “tectonic stress” and this “weight distribution” modifies the “seismic clock” altering earthquake regularity. First, we are told there has been no increase in earthquake regularity then, in the next breath, they imply the “seismic clock” is being modified, implying the rapidity and regularity of earthquakes are increasing. What are we to believe? It is accepted that the rate of climate change is “human driven” even the boffins who are trying to defend those humans responsible for these increases in global warming through their business activities and profiteering admit that the rapidity of these changes to be “human driven”. This human behaviour, by a minority of people, is overwhelmingly driven by the relentless “pursuit of profits and economic growth”. Space exploration directly alters “the chemistry, physics, and climate conditions” across all five of the planet’s atmospheric layers.
All around the globe so-called natural disasters are on the increase most notably, wildfires. Along with the terror unleashed by these fires in France and Spain, Greece has been ablaze as flames tore across the island. Can people remember some years ago in Australia businessman and climate change denier, Rupert Murdoch, telling us climate change is a “myth”? He said this while in the background film footage of Australia burning could be seen by all. The business fraternity in general appear to hold the opinion, or pretend to, that climate change is either exaggerated or non-existent, the work of left-wing activists trying to cause chaos. To these profit seeking bastards just look around you, it is you and the likes of you, who are greatly to blame for the possible premature destruction of planet Earth. The likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and various space agencies around the globe are systematically contributing to the earth’s destruction! While we are constantly told of the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, a major contributor towards climate change, we are told nothing of the much worse space exploration contribution to such climatic changes.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is in the process of commercialising space travel, hoping to make it, one day, as readily available as domestic aviation excursions. Should this happen and it probably will it almost certainly will mean more and more rockets taking off, each lift off the equivalent of twenty-eight Jumbo Jets taking off simultaneously. The amount of domestic aviation travel we have is already far too great for the sustainability of the planet but throw this volume on top and global disasters are sure to increase.
Emerging climate science can reveal, which many of us have suspected for some time, that global warming is the engine of climate change. Such warmings have occurred on a much slower scale over several periods of millennia but more recent research can reveal “human driven atmospheric warming is physically altering the earth’s crust”, thus affecting the weight distribution on the earth’s surface. Earthquakes occur due to a release of “tectonic stress” and this “weight distribution” modifies the “seismic clock” altering earthquake regularity. First, we are told there has been no increase in earthquake regularity then, in the next breath, they imply the “seismic clock” is being modified, implying the rapidity and regularity of earthquakes are increasing. What are we to believe? It is accepted that the rate of climate change is “human driven” even the boffins who are trying to defend those humans responsible for these increases in global warming through their business activities and profiteering admit that the rapidity of these changes to be “human driven”. This human behaviour, by a minority of people, is overwhelmingly driven by the relentless “pursuit of profits and economic growth”. Space exploration directly alters “the chemistry, physics, and climate conditions” across all five of the planet’s atmospheric layers.
All around the globe so-called natural disasters are on the increase most notably, wildfires. Along with the terror unleashed by these fires in France and Spain, Greece has been ablaze as flames tore across the island. Can people remember some years ago in Australia businessman and climate change denier, Rupert Murdoch, telling us climate change is a “myth”? He said this while in the background film footage of Australia burning could be seen by all. The business fraternity in general appear to hold the opinion, or pretend to, that climate change is either exaggerated or non-existent, the work of left-wing activists trying to cause chaos. To these profit seeking bastards just look around you, it is you and the likes of you, who are greatly to blame for the possible premature destruction of planet Earth. The likes of Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and various space agencies around the globe are systematically contributing to the earth’s destruction! While we are constantly told of the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, a major contributor towards climate change, we are told nothing of the much worse space exploration contribution to such climatic changes.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is in the process of commercialising space travel, hoping to make it, one day, as readily available as domestic aviation excursions. Should this happen and it probably will it almost certainly will mean more and more rockets taking off, each lift off the equivalent of twenty-eight Jumbo Jets taking off simultaneously. The amount of domestic aviation travel we have is already far too great for the sustainability of the planet but throw this volume on top and global disasters are sure to increase.
On the heels of Musk is another space cowboy capitalist money grabbing bandit, Richard Branson. His primary space travel project is Virgin Galactic, a commercial company focused on suborbital space tourism. The company was formed in 2004 to take private passengers to the edge of space. Flights are expected to reach an altitude of around 54 to 55 miles, or 85-88 kilometres, giving passengers a few minutes of weightlessness and a view of the earth’s curvature. This altitude is the separation point between the Mesosphere, below 85km, and the Thermosphere, above 85 km, known as the Mesopause, where temperatures plunge as low as -90 to -100 degrees C. Damage is caused to the two main layers and the sub-layer Mesopause and to reach this point traveling through the all-important Troposphere and Stratosphere also causing irreversible damage to these important layers.
The Troposphere is of great importance, though not the only layer where damage occurs and is concerning, because it directly affects the earth's weather patterns and temperatures. It is in all probability damage to this layer in particular, though not exclusively, which is causing the increase in adverse weather conditions epitomised in these wildfires across the planet. With Musk and Branson aiming to increase the amount of damage caused we can expect more and more fires and floods. As large chunks of ice the size of a small country like Wales falling off the ice caps at the poles it is only a matter of time before a country like Ireland is underwater. These seasonal floods we experience one day will not recede because the water will have nowhere to go as the oceans fill up and rise. Already the wildfires are proving too much for over taxed firefighters in various countries. And yet, despite all this, and overwhelming evidence the likes of Musk and Branson are allowed to continue damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate.
If space travel is commercialised as Musk and Branson make no secret of their intentions we can multiply the planets problems. It is bad enough with domestic aviation travel which if any sense and continuity of argument exist should be at least reduced. One breath the so-called politicians, who we are foolish enough to vote for, tell us of the danger’s aviation poses to the planet then they talk of building another runway at Heathrow Airport or Dublin Airport. More runways equals more aviation transport and the math here tell their own story. More aircraft equals more aviation fuel emissions and general usage which in some cases result in spillage into the ground. There may be hope with the domestic flight travel because research work is underway to electrify the transport mode, the airplane. Progress will depend on the level of investment into this electrification of flight is expended. Will the capitalist class consider it important enough or, to be precise, a high enough profit return to invest?
Elon Musk has recently been hailed as the world’s first trillionaire much of this wealth being amassed on damaging the planet with his space toys. His company, space X, is expected to reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2030. This is a phenomenal amount of money made by nefarious means involving missions which destroy the planet in the process. Many of those who have unfortunately lost their homes in Spain, France, Greece and anywhere else where these wildfires have hit are probably the same people who applaud the genius of Elon Musk and the likes of. While they were watching on their television sets news of Musk’s financial achievements little would they have realised these same financial gains may cost them indirectly their homes and livelihoods. Surely the time has come to catch ourselves on collectively, listen to people like David Attenborough and the young Swedish activist, Gretta Thunberg, and stop listening to the lies spun by the likes of Trump, Branson, and Musk to name but three brigands.
If space travel is commercialised as Musk and Branson make no secret of their intentions we can multiply the planets problems. It is bad enough with domestic aviation travel which if any sense and continuity of argument exist should be at least reduced. One breath the so-called politicians, who we are foolish enough to vote for, tell us of the danger’s aviation poses to the planet then they talk of building another runway at Heathrow Airport or Dublin Airport. More runways equals more aviation transport and the math here tell their own story. More aircraft equals more aviation fuel emissions and general usage which in some cases result in spillage into the ground. There may be hope with the domestic flight travel because research work is underway to electrify the transport mode, the airplane. Progress will depend on the level of investment into this electrification of flight is expended. Will the capitalist class consider it important enough or, to be precise, a high enough profit return to invest?
Elon Musk has recently been hailed as the world’s first trillionaire much of this wealth being amassed on damaging the planet with his space toys. His company, space X, is expected to reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2030. This is a phenomenal amount of money made by nefarious means involving missions which destroy the planet in the process. Many of those who have unfortunately lost their homes in Spain, France, Greece and anywhere else where these wildfires have hit are probably the same people who applaud the genius of Elon Musk and the likes of. While they were watching on their television sets news of Musk’s financial achievements little would they have realised these same financial gains may cost them indirectly their homes and livelihoods. Surely the time has come to catch ourselves on collectively, listen to people like David Attenborough and the young Swedish activist, Gretta Thunberg, and stop listening to the lies spun by the likes of Trump, Branson, and Musk to name but three brigands.
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
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