Categories
Ecology

What apocalypse is coming?

(Published 2020) The world-renowned icon of the green movement, Greta Khunberg, was able to give a highly emotional speech at the UN in September 2019, in which she called for immediate rethinking and the fastest possible action to avert the catastrophes threatened by our reckless use of natural resources. The focus was on the controversial[i] man-made climate change, which also [...]

Categories
Ecology

How much we overload our earth

Published in Gralswelt 64/2011 In the GralsWelt we have already reported variously on approaches to calculating the carrying capacity of the Earth ("How much humanity can the Earth take?"; "Why we are stumbling into the population trap"; "A devastating footprint" (here all under "Ecology"). No matter which of the not uncontroversial calculation methods is used as a basis, the results tend to be invariably [...]

Categories
Ecology

The diesel dilemma

(Status 2018) When Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) submitted his fundamental patent on February 22nd, 1893, his goal was an internal combustion engine with optimal efficiency that should come as close as possible to the theoretical ideal (the Carnot process). The first prototype ran at Maschinenfabrik Augsburg (later MAN) in 1893, and after many improvements, the first practical model came in 1897. Now [...]

Categories
Ecology

Are the "apocalyptic" horsemen coming?

(Published in GralsWelt 73/2012) For decades we have been hearing the warnings that our world economy can no longer continue to rely on further material growth as before; that politicians must finally start to think far-sightedly and globally; and above all that we humans must change our consciousness, our attitude towards nature and our behavior patterns. Now you can already hear [...]

Categories
Ecology

Goodbye plow?

(Published in GralsWelt 71/2012) There is virtually nothing that is not questioned in our time. This also applies to an agricultural implement that has been the emblem of the peasantry for thousands of years and, moreover, is still a symbol of peace: the plow. Thus the Bible says, "Then they forge plowshares from their swords." [...]

Categories
Ecology

Early warnings of humus degradation and soil loss.

Published in Grail World 54/2009. For centuries it was not recognized that uprisings, revolutions, wars, colonialism, emigration were exacerbated or even triggered by the impoverishment of excessively used arable land, the yields of which are declining. Justus v. Liebig (1803 - 1873) with the discovery of the nutrient cycle in plants. So there was the possibility of missing nutrients such as potassium, [...]

Categories
Ecology

How many slaves do you have working for you?

Published in GralsWelt 48/2008 Machines have increased human performance to the unbelievable - around 55 “energy slaves” are currently working non-stop for each of us. And the hunger for energy continues to grow, at the expense of the environment. What options do we have if we do not want to overload the earth's ecosystem any further? Before the "iron angels" came ... In the 19th and 20th [...]

Categories
Ecology

The battle for the blue elixir of life

Published in GralsWelt 51/2008 Is food becoming scarce? In April 2008, the government of Tahiti, one of the poorest countries in Central America, was forced to resign by a large-scale demonstration by the population that almost turned into a popular uprising. The protests were prompted by a sharp rise in food prices. One reporter went so far as to say that these price increases for basic foodstuffs, which have since [...]

Categories
Ecology

Where are the bees

Published in GralsWelt 52/2008 Last summer we noticed that there were fewer bees in our garden than usual. Well, that is a one-on-one observation that can get many answers. But how was it with you? Have you made similar observations, as did some of my friends? To get to the bottom of the matter, [...]

Categories
Ecology

A devastating footprint

Mankind has long been demanding more from the earth than its ecosystems can cope with (Published in GralsWelt 44/2007) With the GrailWelt issue 43 under the heading “How many people can the earth tolerate?” (Here under “Ecology), we always have often repressed problem addressed: the carrying capacity of the earth. In view of the dramatic climate change, this topic remains highly topical. [...]