Saturday, April 4, 2015

A good movie if I suspend disbelief

Isn't that how it is with most movies?

I saw "Interstellar" today, and it was really good. But there were a few times that I decided that either the movie got things wrong or I don't know my relativity. But it really wasn't a movie about science, even though it used science. It was a movie about mankind's fall from greatness, about hope, betrayal, and mostly about relationships. The science was the glue, the medium. But it wasn't the story itself.

Otherwise I would spend too much time wondering how a civilization that could take itself to the stars and set up a functioning ecosystem couldn't manage to survive a "blight" of farm crops. They better make sure they don't take any of the blight to their new world.

It would have been more believable to me if the issue had been out of control climate change- but that probably would have been too political. Still, it was a good movie.

Perhaps California is going to be in the relocation business one of these days. They are calling for mandatory 25% water reductions- that is serious. Even if this drought is not primarily driven by global warming- it is proof that we are rubbing up against nature's limits. Because even before the drought they were draining aquifers and they certainly had no spare capacity for dry times.

This was supposedly one of the hottest winters on record- except for one key area: the American northeast. Which is an unfortunate area to be spared, policy-wise. People tend to be pretty egocentric and Americans are particularly known for this.

I don't have answers. I saw a talk by the head of the IMF. Or maybe it was the world bank. He thinks we can stop using fossil fuels without making lifestyle sacrifices- that we are looking for energy efficiencies rather than giving things up. I think he is wrong- but I am not giving up my car either. He wants us all to be driving Teslas. That is a rich person's solution. Not only are they expensive, they also require a place to plug in. If you are a renter and you park on the street or in a parking lot, an electric car isn't going to be a good option.

 


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