Daily Quick Read - July 19, 2019

Will We Stand-by and Watch Our World Collapse 

It's The Only Planet We Have

Faced with a range of devastating outcomes from the climate crisis we have to work together on a global basis. Great concept, but how do we make it happen? 

We are faced today with a similar set of choices. The range of possible outcomes of the climate crisis is staggering in its breadth. While it’s clear that some level of collapses is imminent, the difference between best- and worst-case scenarios boggles the mind. And the experience of climate change is generational; those who will still be alive when the worst of it hits are understandably the most concerned.

But the changes we need to make as a society require all of us, not just those who will live through Armageddon. Either we include each other and draw on each other’s strengths, or we will perish in a sea of infighting, oppression, and actual salt water. Crises require a radical form of solidarity. They require us to do things differently than we have done them before.

Oceans Without Sharks

We can’t keep taking links out of the chain and expect it to hold.  Sharks are a key component in the ocean and they are under tremendous stress.

Like all ecosystems that have evolved over time, each part is dependent on the others; in the case of the ocean, removing such an important component – the sharks – would have a cascading effect and throw the whole ocean out of whack. Of a world without sharks, Brendl told us:

“It would be a gigantic failure for humanity that would affect everything from coral reefs to food security and climate change. Once sharks are gone, there is nothing we can do to replace the critical role they play in the balance of the oceans."

"Smart" vs "Dumb" Cities

                                                                                         FT

Cities are a mess. They generate massive amounts of greenhouse gasses. They consume vast amounts off energy. So, engineers and technology companies want to make our cities “smart”. What their desire to make everything smart blinds them to is that effective planning and competent leadership can make “dumb” cities work just fine.

…there is a more basic concern when it comes to smart cities: They will be exceedingly complex to manage, with all sorts of unpredictable vulnerabilities. There will always be a place for new technology in our urban infrastructure, but we may find that often, “dumb” cities will do better than smart ones.

The most critical question, however, is whether having a smart city will make us meaningfully better at solving urban problems. Data and algorithms alone don’t actually add very much on their own. No matter how much data a city has, addressing urban challenges will still require stable long-term financing, good management and effective personnel. If smart data identifies a road that needs paving, it still needs people to show up with asphalt and a steamroller.

For many urban challenges, effective analog — “dumb” — solutions already exist. Congestion can be tackled with autonomous cars, true; it can also be tackled with better railways, bus rapid transit and bike lanes. Houses can be covered in sensors to control an automated heating and cooling system; they can also be built with operable windows and high-quality insulation.

Cambodia Doesn’t Want Our Garbage!

What a shock!  Cambodia joins other Asian countries saying no to garbage from the US.  In this case it was 83 containers loaded with 1,764 tons of garbage from the US (70 containers) and Canada (13 containers).  These containers arrived labelled "recyclable products," but they contained a mix of household and industrial waste, not recyclable materials.  In any case, Cambodia has already decided not to accept any additional plastics or recyclable materials from Western countries. 

Government officials said Wednesday that they would send 1,600 tonnes (approximately 1,764 tons) of waste back to the U.S. and Canada after the trash was discovered in 83 containers Tuesday in the country's port of Sihanoukville, CNN reported.

"Cambodia is not a dustbin where foreign countries can dispose of out-of-date e-waste, and the government also opposes any import of plastic waste and lubricants to be recycled in this country," said Neth Pheaktra, secretary of state and spokesman of the Ministry of Environment, as CNN reported.