Industry contends that weather is beyond human control, thereby justifying theirrnworstening it via environmental abuses. Atmospheric warming has beenrnexacerbated by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration about 100 partsrnper million during the past century. Acid rain destroys the world’s forests, andrnsurviving forests are destroyed by forestry and leaching of fertility from the soil.rnIndustrial pollution destroys life in lakes and streams. Seas are poisoned byrnradioactive effluents and toxic wastes. Mining exhausts mineral deposits and fossilrnfuels. Industry reaps their profits by mortgaging future generations, but pollutionrnitself reduces the capability of posterity to carry that mortgage. If they default, all lifernmay perish. Global cataclysm appears to be impending. We can fool each other, but notrnnature. The contributing cause of environmental disasters lies in the tragedy of therncommons. We now treat our atmosphere, waters, and much of our lands as if they werernfree, but famine awaits posterity when their viability is lost. Possibly the most effectivernremedy for the tragedy of the commons is centrallized regulation. Industry shouldrnreap profits from sources other than irreplaceable natural resources and pollution.rnThose industries that derive profits via pollution and natural resources should returnrnsuch profits to nature through natural improvements, but nearly all living things, notrnjust industries, are pollutors. How can we replace the equivalent of what we stealrnfrom our environment and remedy the abuse? If humanity hopes to survive, it mustrndevelop counter-polluting industries. Can we replace carbon dioxide with oxygen?rnHow can human wastes enrich the soil? Coal and petroleum are irreplaceable.rnReplaceable sources of energy must be developed: solar energy, geothermal energy,rntide and wave energy, wind energy, and fusion energy. Are any unexplored energyrnsources remaining? Yes, the unbounded energy of the quantum vacuum field stillrnremains to be explored.
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