I read quite a bit of existential-threat/remediation non-fiction as
well, and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference because while the
non-fiction (technical) is generally accurate to the details, it is
always describing "a spherical cow", thus the "plausable on the surface"
answers. I worked a few years on a critical infrastructure protection
modeling project (more from a resiliency to terrorism than to climate
and other change, but focused on cascading failures). I also worked
among hurricane/disaster response teams as well. It gave me a
disturbing view of just how *systemically* vulnerable we all are.
Of course, the wealthy (really, currently middle-class and above) are
fairly insulated from the (current) effects, but the threshold of who is
affected and how deeply seems to be rising. I think it is part of the
reason that many of the well-off tend toward policies like building
border walls and voter suppression... they see the stresses on the
infrastructure putting their (our) privileged position at higher and
higher risk as the overheated, hungry, etc. masses start to roil more
(domestic and from the global south). This is easier to think about
than actually addressing/mitigating the deeper causes... and the results
tend to be quicker, more obvious and therefore more satisfying in the
moment.
Overshoot in several dimensions is already underway and the inertial
properties are easy to underestimate.
I feel like THIS forum has become more open/supportive of discussing
these topics than even 2-3 years ago... probably too small, too little
and too late, but better than nothing.
Steve,
In the Bay Area, and in other places there is a trend toward
electrification. It sounds plausible on the surface, but to go all
the way means solar for water and for electricity. Most houses within
financial reach for most people don't have the square footage to
support all that. Consider that a smaller electric on-demand hot
water heater could draw 75 amps flat out. There's no reasonable way
to get lithium batteries that can absorb that kind of load. That
would be $50k just to even start on the batteries never mind the
panels. If not that, then one must give up (often limited) lot space
for the tube style solar, which really isn't all that efficient.
The "freedom from the utility" is just not going to happen except in
the posh South San Francisco type areas. Meanwhile the utilities
want to penalize individual solar producers because they stress the grid.
Meanwhile, if the price of gasoline goes north of $5 / gallon, people
are screaming bloody murder. Why isn't it $20? No, these folks
(which is mostly everyone it seems) aren't going to be joining the
2000-watt society. And then there's the Manchin types holding out to
keep *coal* afloat? Don't we just deserve to suffer at this point?
At least we could try but fail to develop and deploy replacements.
That non-fiction would be interesting reading.
Marcus
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> on behalf of Steve Smith
<sasm...@swcp.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, January 27, 2022 12:15 PM
*To:* friam@redfish.com <friam@redfish.com>
*Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Cautionary Tales: CliFi
Marcus -
Thanks for your feedback on KSR's writing style... it really sobered
me to realize how much of an obsessionist I am on this topic and what
I will ignore to feed that obsession.
I tripped over (thank you Google News Feed) an interesting article in
Grist:
https://grist.org/climate/with-the-world-on-fire-climate-fiction-no-longer-looks-like-fantasy/
<https://grist.org/climate/with-the-world-on-fire-climate-fiction-no-longer-looks-like-fantasy/>
that resonated with my reflections. While I do feel a little
obsessive on the topic (not just climate but all the convergent
"endogenous existential threats" coming at us), I feel somewhat
balanced about it, especially as I graze on the buffets that books
like MotF and Stephenson's Termination Shock and Amithav Ghosh's
"Great Derangement" offer. I also found William Gibson's Jackpot Series:
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/william-gibson-agency
<https://www.wired.co.uk/article/william-gibson-agency>
refreshing (for a dystopia) with our myriad existential threats
(climate, species, pollution, finance, civil unrest, fascism, etc.)
converging on a bit of a (nasty) wet-fizzle of an apocalypse he
sardonically dubs "The Jackpot".
The Grist article describes (somewhat) the value of keeping one's eye
on the dystopian/apocalyptic future threatened by our short-sighted
habits and (overly optimistic?) conceptions of the future generated by
our materialistic pop-culture.
Someone here (Marcus, Glen, EricS ?) mentioned Musk and the idea that
he might be pursuing the canonical "Good Old Fashioned Future" coined
in the Golden Age and refashioned in the Modern Era of Science
Fiction. We boomers (and Xers?) who went into Sci/Tech likely read
at least a lot of Marvel/DC comics (if not the Science Fiction without
pictures) of our era and I claim it heavily shaped our image of what
was possible/desireable. I don't think it is serving us (Gaia of
whom we are her most precocious children?)
- Steve
On 1/25/22 5:58 PM, Marcus Daniels wrote:
< It might not surprise anyone here that I have become a CliFi
obsessionist with Kim Stanly Robinson's stuff well represented
("Ministry for the Future" standing out well above the others). His
Red/Green/Blue Mars series is a good complement with the
social/technological/spiritual implications of Terraforming there. >
Huh. I found MftF drawn-out and boring with distracting little
nonsense chapters interleaved. I don’t see why it is popular. A
few good ideas here and there but couldn’t care less about the
characters. It could be massively compressed.
That would be *all* of KSR's novels I'm afraid... my obsession with
the ideas (unanticipated problems as well as unanticipated responses)
trumps any need I have for being entertained by the characters or
even plot.
It really read to me (as you point out) as a series of loosely
connected vignettes of specific interest. To the extent that *some*
of the MoTF characters did get under my skin, it was as an irritant
as much as anything. I probably read Red Mars when it was new as my
introduction to KSR and did not go back to his writing until as
little as 5 years ago when I found his topics more relevant than I
had acknowledged before... He seemed to me to be a lot preachy and I
guess now I'm enough of the choir to be able to hum along with his
sermons now.
Stephenson also gets very tedious for me, but I find his depth of
research and quirkiness of characters and technical surprises worthy
of my attention through his gruelingly long and seemingly careening
storylines and characters.
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