Friday, November 7, 2008

Breaking news: sunspots & agriculture

Hey guys,

Guess what? According to NASA heliologist David Hathaway, we may be past the solar minimum, in which case global warming should start back up again soon.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/07nov_signsoflife.htm?list1109684

Good. Cold produces famine. This is good news for Russia, which has 480,000 square miles of arable land (out of 7.65 million worldwide, which means it's about 8% of the world total). As I recall, an acre of land was once sufficient to feed a family of four on potatoes back in Ireland ("it is crudely true that as long as a human being manages to get enough calories, it will somehow stagger to maturity and manage to reproduce itself"). At 640 acres to a square mile, Russia could feed 300 million families, or just over a billion people. Of course you sort of expect modern crop yields to be better than 17th century yields. Point being, global warming makes more land arable, which is good for Russia and Canada. Maybe not so good for Mexico.

And of course, we don't all eat potatoes any more. :)

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2008/11/russia_break_out_the_sickles.html

Of course, sunspot activity could die back down again. Still, this is a good sign.

-Max

--
"The presentation or 'gift' of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment." --Joseph F. Smith (manual, p. 69)

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

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