Comments on: 300 Million – Part Two http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/ A Future Look at Today Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:38:37 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: david http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-541 david Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:07:02 +0000 http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/#comment-541 Great comment, wonderful quote! Please read my most recent post about a tipping point regarding energy. I think that the very beginnings of a perceptual change is now taking place. There still probably has to be some great amount of pain ahead to alter behavior, but I remain optimistic. Great comment, wonderful quote!

Please read my most recent post about a tipping point regarding energy. I think that the very beginnings of a perceptual change is now taking place. There still probably has to be some great amount of pain ahead to alter behavior, but I remain optimistic.

]]> By: Don http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-537 Don Sun, 29 Oct 2006 17:06:48 +0000 http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/#comment-537 Jared Diamond, in his recent book 'Collapse', said something along the lines of "while many people seem to support the concept of growth in the abstract, I have met very few people who are particularly enthusiastic about seeing more growth and crowding in the area where they themselves live". Indeed. And for those of us who live in the dry interior West of the United States -- which was never meant to support large populations for the reason you cited (lack of water), population growth is clearly on a collision course with reality. For example: Las Vegas, as we speak, is agressively pushing ahead with plans to pipe water into its growing megatropolis from the groundwater of Spring Valley, which lies hundreds of miles north. Never mind that this gazillion-dollar project will be only a temporary fix (as long as the Vegas population continues to grow, and as long as recharge to this Mojave Desert aquifer remains sparse). Never mind that mining the groundwater of Spring Valley will severely drop water tables, dry up springs, and dry up ranches over a massive impact area of thousands of square miles. Never mind that Las Vegas is already a monstrous and ugly city with bad air and worse traffic which, um, really has nothing to gain from growth except more ugliness and more traffic. No matter: the gods of commerce must be appeased at all costs. The whole friggin' crazy-ass madness of living as if we have no intention of dealing with the consequences will continue. "Growth for the sake of growth", Edward Abbey once observed, "is the ideology of the cancer cell." Jared Diamond, in his recent book ‘Collapse’, said something along the lines of “while many people seem to support the concept of growth in the abstract, I have met very few people who are particularly enthusiastic about seeing more growth and crowding in the area where they themselves live”.

Indeed. And for those of us who live in the dry interior West of the United States — which was never meant to support large populations for the reason you cited (lack of water), population growth is clearly on a collision course with reality.

For example: Las Vegas, as we speak, is agressively pushing ahead with plans to pipe water into its growing megatropolis from the groundwater of Spring Valley, which lies hundreds of miles north. Never mind that this gazillion-dollar project will be only a temporary fix (as long as the Vegas population continues to grow, and as long as recharge to this Mojave Desert aquifer remains sparse). Never mind that mining the groundwater of Spring Valley will severely drop water tables, dry up springs, and dry up ranches over a massive impact area of thousands of square miles. Never mind that Las Vegas is already a monstrous and ugly city with bad air and worse traffic which, um, really has nothing to gain from growth except more ugliness and more traffic.

No matter: the gods of commerce must be appeased at all costs. The whole friggin’ crazy-ass madness of living as if we have no intention of dealing with the consequences will continue.

“Growth for the sake of growth”, Edward Abbey once observed, “is the ideology of the cancer cell.”

]]> By: Grant http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-491 Grant Thu, 19 Oct 2006 01:24:49 +0000 http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/#comment-491 David, it's interesting you bring this up. Last Monday I flew a trip to the West Coast, and from 43,000 feet up I had a great view of the middle of nowhere USA. Places that are litterally in the middle of the dessert are becoming havens for people that want to "get away from it all" and own a sizable chunk of land. Farmington, NM has been growing like crazy, and there's absolutely no industry to bring people to a place like that. Places in the rockies, like Durango, CO looked much the same: you could tell where the heart (the origins) of the city where but you could also see expansion of residential development 20 miles from the center of the city... And remember, there is no industry to bring people to places like these, but I have a feeling it's the cheap land values that make it so attractive. -Grant TheCornerOfficeBlog.com David, it’s interesting you bring this up.

Last Monday I flew a trip to the West Coast, and from 43,000 feet up I had a great view of the middle of nowhere USA.

Places that are litterally in the middle of the dessert are becoming havens for people that want to “get away from it all” and own a sizable chunk of land. Farmington, NM has been growing like crazy, and there’s absolutely no industry to bring people to a place like that. Places in the rockies, like Durango, CO looked much the same: you could tell where the heart (the origins) of the city where but you could also see expansion of residential development 20 miles from the center of the city…

And remember, there is no industry to bring people to places like these, but I have a feeling it’s the cheap land values that make it so attractive.

-Grant
TheCornerOfficeBlog.com

]]> By: Wesley http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/comment-page-1/#comment-488 Wesley Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:18:38 +0000 http://www.evolutionshift.com/blog/2006/10/17/300-million-part-two/#comment-488 Speaking of children and grandchildren, if one wants to live near them in retirement, where are they going to live? Where do you want to live and how does the trends in David's two posts affect our previous thoughts on retirement living? We've written about this in LifeTwo (see link by my name). Much to think about. Speaking of children and grandchildren, if one wants to live near them in retirement, where are they going to live? Where do you want to live and how does the trends in David’s two posts affect our previous thoughts on retirement living? We’ve written about this in LifeTwo (see link by my name). Much to think about.

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