SLUniverse Forums

Beebo Brink

Sure, as long as we have oil to run our pretty little tech toys, and as long as the overall infrastructure of the society is intact. You're pointing to a local disaster and single event, and that's simply not relevant to an event or series of events that affect the entire planet. But if you want to play that card, just remember how well we dealt with Katrina.

Widespread climate change coinciding with the depletion of easily accessible (and cheap) oil is a dangerous cross-roads. It leaves us vulnerable in different ways, at different times, at closer and closer intervals, with less and less time for recovery. This strains society and government.

If the WAIS (West Atlantic Ice Shelf) were to collapse and raise ocean levels by 20-40feet, we would have the equivalent of a 100 Katrinas playing out around the coastlines of every continent and the loss of countless major cities. At which point we can revisit how well our technology and our society can cope with widespread climate-based disruption.

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Gigs

The two cancel out. Consumption of gasoline has already dropped due to the high prices. Consumption of fossil fuels will continue to drop as the price rises.

Even inelastic goods have long term elasticity. Humans adapt. The market for whale oil is sure small now, but it was inelastic and massive at one point.

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"Green" is half marketing, the other half is self-satisfaction, and the rest is actual environmental benefits

Gigs

This is a bad thing? Cities are the consumers of goods, not the production infrastructure.

The prices of critical goods would drop if major coastal cities were destroyed. There would be a huge glut of food, and food prices would drop to unprecedented lows.

International trade would be damaged, so some imported goods would be expensive. The high prices on these goods would motivate the quick reconstruction of ports further inland.

Everything would be fine.

Beebo Brink

I'd miss the art museums in New York City, but it might be a good trade for the loss of Washington DC.

Gigs

I, for one, look forward to spending my summers in warm, sunny Nunavut.

Dancien Graves

Which is bad. years of keeping a saltwater tank has taught me that coral is rather picky about the ph levels in the water.

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DreamSurfer

I am coming to this forum a bit late judging from the dates here, and most of you have made good points. I can think of ideas that are perhaps as stupid as dumping lime in the oceans....but I would have to work at it. I don't think that kind of action should be taken. I would add that the acidity of the ocean is already bleaching coral reefs,(not in theory but in fact) thus destroying the marine life that would normally flourish in that habitat. The really horrendous thing about changes in ocean water ph is that most of our oxygen comes from there and is made by creatures and plant life that may not like the changes at all.

Jellin Pico

Who knew you could save the world by dumping even MORE crap into the ocean??

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Dolphins ... The Smug Bastards of the Sea

Malachi

Approximate volume of the world ocean: 1.3 billion cubic kilometers
Approximate volume of a human urination: 5x10^-21 billion cubic kilometers