Image Collage by Genesis Eco Fund: House
"The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles…hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages…the planet isn’t going anywhere. WE ARE!"
Video: San Andreas Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2015) – Dwayne Johnson Movie HD
Source: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yftHosO0eUo
Well, now that Hollywood and one of the 20th Century’s premiere stand-up comedians and social commentators have spoken, let’s give the scientists a turn…
Ross Stein is a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey in California, who studies how earthquakes interact by the transfer of stress. He wants everyone to be able to learn what their seismic risk is.
He very much believes that when it comes to earthquakes, at least, humans can stand a chance, if only we built our dwellings better.
TEDTalk (Video): Defeating Earthquakes: Ross Stein at TEDxBermuda
Cindy Ebinger is currently a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester. She studied oceanography at MIT, earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences at MIT, and geology at Duke University.
In the following TED Talk, Professor Ebinger expounds the importance of connections and connectivity when it comes to increasing our awareness of the planet as a whole entity.
TEDTalk (Video): Connections, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes: Cindy Ebinger at TEDxAllendaleColumbiaSchool
Source: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGqydxRAqEU
Now, the cynic might argue that all this still does not solve the fundamental issue at hand—humanity’s disconnectedness from the planet and from nature itself. To fulfill the role of cynic, we once again give the floor to the late, great George Carlin…
Image George Carlin on Nature (Quote)
In other words, what good is detecting and “defeating” earthquakes if humanity remains on the same trajectory it’s been on? Preservation of life only makes sense if that life is living in harmony and symbiosis with the ecosystem.
That is why Advanced Human Habitat has to be more than just “earthquake proof.” It has to be “ego-proof” (as much as a dwelling or building can affect such things). It must nurture and encourage our reconnection with the environment, even as it shelters us from it. Advanced Human Habitat must strengthen our relationship with nature even as it protects us from the worst nature can throw at us.
That is why Advanced Human Habitat has (and must have) ecosystems. And, as depicted by Hollywood and expressed by noted scientists, must also be conscious of the planet and its other connections, behaviours, history and tendencies. It must exude an awareness in its choice of materials and how they relate to the environment in which they are being used.
Image: Earthquake-Safe Houses & Materials
Credit: National Geographic Magazine
The bottom line is this: When it comes to Advanced Human Habitat:
- It’s about more than just surviving, it’s about thriving.
- It’s not just about economics, it’s about SEEconomics.
- It’s more than just a shaken humanity …it’s about a humanity stirred.
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