Here are some examples of “Phase Transition Points” to stimulate your thinking about what you can do to slow and eventually stop global warming.
Think cold water. Water will totally freeze as soon as the square root of one percent of the water molecules in a container freezes. When that relatively small number of molecules turns to ice, the remaining molecules freeze instantly. In physics, this is known as a ‘phase transition’.
Solid scientific research reported by concerned scientists has been warning us about Global Warming for decades. As the evidence mounted, events like the Kyoto Conference highlighted the seriousness of our situation. Many countries adopted the ‘Kyoto Agreement’. America blatantly refused, being a big polluter, with a government controlled by arrogant, greedy and stupid people. Stupid in the sense of being concerned only with short-term gain and willing to ignore or remain ignorant of long-term consequences. The difference between ‘ignorance’ and ‘stupidity’ is simple. If one is ignorant, he lacks the knowledge to act correctly. If a person, corporation, or government owns the knowledge and chooses to ignore it, then they really are stupid. At some recent point in time, the tipping point was reached and a phase transition occurred. Citizens around the world, including in the US, were generally concerned, but lacked the means to influence their governments effectively. Thus began the ‘Green Party’ aspect. It became fashionable to pay lip service to being green. Now, after Copenhagen, we are entering a ‘Green Revolution’ phase and governments and their citizens are going to have to ‘face reality’. The party is over. Things are getting serious, but did anything of value come out of Copenhagen?
GM recently reached a tipping point in its decision-making process. They chose to continue producing SUVs and PUs along with comfortably sized sedans and overpowered fast-accelerating sports cars. All of these vehicles had poor mileage and barely met EPA federal emissions standards. Taxpayers in the United States had to bail them out. In stark contrast, in the early 1990s, GM developed an all-electric passenger car that was attractive and powerful enough to satisfy Los Angeles commuters, some of whom tested the “EV-1.” Suddenly, GM policy changed drastically and the test vehicles, around 200 of them, were recalled, collected in secure storage areas, and finally transported and crushed. What happened to this environmentally prospective plan? He could have kick-started the Green Revolution by eventually solving Los Angeles’ smog and health problems. The concept could have set a strong example for the reduction of CO2 emissions globally! GM apparently sided with the Petro half of the Petro-Automotive-Industrial Complex, placing its man, also head of its Hydrogen Fuel Cell project, in the lead position at CARB. Together they managed to kill the project despite the protests of the outraged citizens of Los Angeles. See the DVD “Who killed the electric car?” A critical tipping point was reached, but it was not managed to achieve the best maximum long-range results.
Biochemists and biologists working at the Institute for Responsible Technology are waging a well-thought-out campaign to stop the genetic engineering of new seeds and to remove GMO source foods, soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola, from the market. The goal is to return industrialized farm fields in the US and other countries, where Monsanto has forced governments to promote GM seed crops, to planting with ‘natural’ seeds. They have achieved success in some projects, removing a serious health threat, bovine growth hormone (rBGH), from the scene and winning a commitment from President Obama to enact legislation to label all foods produced from seed crops. transgenic. Their goal is to educate enough people to reach a “tipping point” or transition phase. This actually happened in the EU, where a tipping point was reached and GMOs were banned. Watch the DVD “Food, Inc.”
The “Maharishi Effect” is a similar phenomenon but in a social setting. Five thousand meditation experts met in Washington DC and practiced their techniques for a few days. The crime rate dropped dramatically over an extended period of time. Why? The nature, disposition, and intent of a small segment of the population in the city caused a phase transition!
China has realized the dangers of continuing to ignore Global Warming and its part in the process. They have also seen the potential opportunities for technological and business growth if they set an example by adopting new energy policies. They have moved strongly on several fronts. China has pledged to build 50 new nuclear power plants in the next 10 years. They have developed their solar industry to the point that the price of a kilowatt hour produced by solar energy has dropped from 59 cents to 16 cents. They are implementing viable solutions in the field of public transport. You have reached a critical tipping point and you have recognized it! China is trying to make the right moves.
Where are you? Have you been raised by your culture (brainwashed?) to believe that you need a 300 horsepower car? Do you think you have the right to cheap gas so that you can conspicuously consume and emit? Do you think violent movies are entertaining and generally harmless? Do you find yourself answering the cell phone no matter where you are, even on a chair lift or driving a car? Do you think eating Third Pounder burgers at “Faster Food King,” typically a major Monsanto customer that controls the production of major GM seed foods (corn, soybeans, cotton, and canola) is actually good for your health? The evidence is out there! But have you taken any responsibility? For your own immediate health? For the health of their families? Because of its carbon footprint? Have you gotten involved in the ‘Green’ Party, paying lip service to being Green? Remember, “It’s not easy being green!” said Kermit the frog. Or have you accepted any of the bread? Have you educated yourself on Global Warming? Have you tried to influence your legislators to stimulate the growth of green businesses in the fields of solar, wind, hydrogen and alternative energy sources? Have you worked to stop the construction of new coal power plants? Have you traded in your jalopy for a Prius? Thinking of purchasing a fully electric vehicle in the immediate future? Is your golf cart electric? Would you use public transportation if it were available? Have you switched to compact fluorescent bulbs? Do you share a car? Would you abide by a national speed limit of 55 mph if you knew it would save thousands of tons of CO2 emissions? Would you drive at age 55 if it saved 10,000 lives a year? 5000 lives per year? 1000 lives? 1 life?
We, the citizens of the US, are experiencing a critical inflection point. Can we influence the Obama administration to recognize the opportunity to re-establish world leadership in the development of renewable energy sources and clean energy technologies? Can we convince our legislators to empower US science, engineering, and information technology through appropriate stimulus programs so that they can develop the scientific knowledge necessary to enable us to become a viable partner with China ( already strong in motivation, manpower and manufacturing power) to supply the world with cheap and clean energy? We have reached a critical tipping point and whether we can bring about a phase transition towards a paradigm shift for the good of the planet is up to each one of us.
