will mankind manage to slow down/stop pollution and use other energy methods before it is too late?

Question

will we stop pollutoin eventually and become cleaner? or stop not in time and roast to death while getting kin cancer and suffocating? or will we stop just in time and suffer through a dark period but re-emerge on top?

Answer 1

I think the current energy companies are just too powerful and greedy to let go that easily. As with hydrogen fuel car powered cars, they will provide excuses and create marketing spin that such technology in effect just creates a longer tail-pipe (most of the the energy to create fuel cells is ultimately created in ordinary energy plants using chemical or nuclear means), but at least it is easier to deal with that type of pollution that gas fumes. Even if we had new methods of generating energy right now, the lead time before they could be put to commercial use and replace the existing infrastructure means that much additional damage will occur in the interim. I believe it will take a global disaster to change the status quo. Remember that all civilisations in history have eventually collapsed through economic or military means. Based upon the precent of history, the same will most probably one day happen to the USA, China, India and our Industrialised age. Mankind depends upon very high levels of mechanisation to maintain our current civilisation, such as using high-intensity agricultural methods. In some way, we are perched on the precipice, and the fall will be much bigger and more painful next time - there are a lot more people now who would be affected than say, in the Dark Ages. At least then, subsistence farming methods could cope with the population. This is no longer practical.

Answer 2

we will stop pollution eventually when we run out of economic resources.
It is already to late for many species and eco-systems.
The question is can we get from here to a healthy sustainable civilisation. We have the technologies, economic & social models and other tools to do this.

Do we have the collective will - seems not, most people seem to accept the story of those running the current system, global corps, politicians, media ... and are content to be couch consumers.

That the greatt turning toward a sustainable society would also mean people could be more fulfilled, happier, healthier, have more fun.... is rarely mentioned.

www.joannamacy.net
www.greatturningtimes.org

Answer 3

Probably not - I don't think the countries are taking pollution and climate change seriously enough. The world's biggest polluter is the USA and they haven't signed up to the Kyoto treaty on carbon emissions and as well as that, the emerging nations like China and India are starting to pollute more because more people are able to afford cars.
Maybe in the future we will learn to use fusion power rather than the fission power that we use in our nuclear power stations but until then the fossil fuel power stations will continue to damage the environment because renewables such as wind and solar just aren't reliable to provide out electricity.
I honestly can't see anything happening unless the world's governments sort themselves out.

Answer 4

No we will not manage it in time. The Earth will become so bad that we will all struggle to survive due to the destruction of the environment. There will be ecological disasters, such as forest fires, rising sea levels resulting in flooding, crop failures and fresh water shortages. The animals will suffer and die and we will descend into warring factions for the last few resources that we have, leading to massive death of the world population and destruction of our human infrastructure, possibly ending in nuclear holocaust. The resulting mass famines and death through the uncontrolled spread of radiation, filth and disease will see off the last few remnants of the human race and any stragglers will find it impossible to grow anything out of the irradiated soil. The Nuclear winter will blot out the sun and anyone still around then will only curse our folly as they gasp their last breath.
...However, through the next few millennia the Earth will recover...the radiation will reach back ground proportions again. Plant life will re establish itself over the surface of the planet making it a verdant paradise. Insects and animals that survived in the lonely places after the holocaust will evolve and gradually reoccupy the world. Any evidence that the human race even existed will crumble away into the soil as our corpses will have done. Earth will return as the only ark of life in this part of the galaxy without us to f*ck it up.

Answer 5

I think that the change in attitude and action toward pollution and ecological destruction will come down to the basics of economics. Just like all things in the world, once a problem starts to hit human beings in their pockets and their way of life, they'll eventually wake up to action. I think events like water shortages in the UK and destruction in New Orleans are a start.

The real question will we be reacting after we've reached the tipping point?

Answer 6

everyone is so deluded by the enviromentalists, it's amazing. do you really think that with the small amount of pollution we generate, it's remotely possible to harm an ecosystem like our earth? it's like saying, "oh, if these ants don't stop producing waste, we're going to be hip-deep in it by 2040". the alarmist enviromentalists go nuts over anything, like the owls in washington state. ''oh with all this development, the poor owls won't have a home anymore!". and what did the owls do? they adapted. they build their nests right up on the wal-mart signs, etc. and global warming is one of the biggest farces put out there. so what if the ice caps melt. the oceans will rise? how far does the drink in your glass rise when the ice melts? maybe then we'll have another vacation spot to visit.

and to anyone who mentions kyoto or carbon emissions:

CARBON DIOXIDE IS PLANT FOOD!!!

Answer 7

Not a chance. Not while there are 200 million cars in America , hundreds of millions of aircon units across Asia and America, massive office buildings which stay lit up at night and a world population that consumes and wastes at will. The powers that be know that Global catastrophe is imminent, its too late to stop it now.

Answer 8

I know a guy who grew up in Pennsylvania and it was so polluted that street lights stayed on all day. Its not like that now. Things are clearing up already in Western Countries and Japan.
The problem is that countries like China and India don't care about the environment. It will take a century to clean them up.

Answer 9

When the dino's ruled the earth, CO2 levels were about 11 times greater than now.....the earth was, at that time, a lush, green planet, according the EXPERTS. I am sick of the political nonsense about global warming, caused by people with their own agenda. ! I know Italians who can predict ( to within a day or two ), when the snow will arrive in Milan !! Global balls up.....my 'arris

Answer 10

We will eventually stop polluting the planet but whether it is because we learn how to do it or because we become extinct I'm not sure yet The big question is whether we can "before it's too late"