THE CURRENT EASE OF TRAVEL

POST #99

The movie, "Trains, Planes, and Automobiles" comes to mind when I think of where I have recently been and where I now find myself yet again. All three of these forms of transport are taken totally for granted in our current industrial civilization. We move from place to place, without giving much thought as to just how amazing it really is to be able to cover such vast distances with very little effort and in a minimal amount of time.

Take for instance my recent travels. Since November 21st, I have wandered from Vancouver B.C., to Everett Washington via train. From there, a journey by car took me to Bend Oregon and back to Everett. Another short car journey followed, to Seattle airport, in order to board an airplane that deposited me in San Francisco for three hours. A subsequent plane ride allowed me to be in Tucson Arizona. The total time required to get all the way from Seattle Washington to Tucson Arizona, was around four hours. INCREDIBLE! The distance between the two is around 1700 miles,(over 2700 kms) a couple of hundred miles less than that when you fly.

Departing Tucson, the next form of transport was via Greyhound bus (perhaps the above movie title should be revised to include this transport option as well) followed once more by a journey in an automobile. My return trip here to Vancouver was basically the same, but in reverse, with the exception of the Greyhound ride.

All of the above was only possible (at least for now) with the use of fossil fuels. When I arrived on the scene way back in 1955, fossil fuels had already been in use for a very long time so of course these types of travel options all seem very normal. Just yesterday I was at the airport here, and I had the pleasure of spending time with my sister Gerry, which is a rather rare event these days. It's not because we don't get along, far from it. The reason is, she lives in Edmonton and I don't and so the geographic distance is the limiting factor. During our conversation yesterday, the topic of a family reunion of sorts came up. But with the five remaining members of the family spread around between two countries, the odds of that happening aren't that great, in my opinion, in spite of the above mentioned travel options. We all have our separate lives now, and those lives get lived out in a variety of locations. It's rather ironic really. Fossil fuels allow us to move around relatively easily, but it's these same fossil fuels that have helped to separate us. A hundred years ago, we would all probably have been living in the same town or city, and we would have had plenty of interactions with our extended family and friends. But that isn't the world we live in. Tomorrow, another sister, Rosie, will be travelling with her husband and daughter, all the way from northern British Columbia to the distant country of India. Their journey will take them through Vancouver, and a city in Europe prior to their arrival at their destination. It will be over 9000 miles each way,(over 14000 kms) and they will accomplish this journey in a matter of mere hours, not days or weeks. AMAZING!

But this is now. This is 2013, and in spite of all the talk or should I call it hype that one hears about many countries wanting to become energy independent, the fact is, we have all been tapping into a limited fuel source for many, many decades now, and the time has long since past where the cheap, and easy to get to fossil fuels were available. Now we live in a world of offshore oil rigs, tar sands, and fracking, none of which will make for energy independence, and all of which are helping to seal our fate regarding climate change. In fact, I would say that our fate is already sealed, what with the now, TWENTY EIGHT self reinforcing feedback loops that are currently in play with regards to the climate, but that's maybe a topic for a future post. For up to date information on this subject, a mouse click over to my friend Guy's website NATURE BATS LAST at guymcpherson.com will provide the reader with all the latest news. Guy revises his "Climate-change Summary and Update" on a very regular basis. It wasn't that long ago when there was only ONE feedback loop, so we've come along way, and it ain't pretty.

In the meantime, the travel options mentioned will continue to be available, until of course they can't. That will be a very tough pill for many folks to swallow, and my guess is that it will cause plenty of friction between people and nations. Aside from the relative luxury of air travel, the majority of people are going to be extremely put out, if they can't hop into their four wheeled personal conveyance and go where they choose, when they choose to. That's when the fecal matter will begin to interact with the rotating air convenience, and how that all pans out remains to be seen. And yet, in my travels around, I only see, more cars, more traffic jams, more smog, more airplanes, and more airport and road expansions. More, more, more. Infinite growth on a finite planet is IMPOSSIBLE. It will be a harsh transition.

For now, The Thoughtful Wanderer will still have the ability to move from place to place to care for a variety of animals. But it won't be too long, I suspect, when my wandering will be confined to a very small geographic area. Perhaps my trusty bicycle, and my hop a long walk, will be sufficient modes of transport.

Happy Trails,

Paul

The Thoughtful Wanderer