Emsworth U3A Environment & Technology Issues

Living Forever

2010-04-14T17:42:00.000Z

Our meeting on 14th April was devoted to the consequences of a live-forever pill being invented (as well it may).

We posited a pill that halted degenerative aging processes, but not accidents, disease, or the consequences of self-abuse (like smoking or overeating). Some of the conclusions we came to were these:

Given choice, most people over 40 would take a live-forever pill
Restricted in availability, it would make a better reward for executives than money
Every day on the pill should defer retirement age by a day.
Pension providers, private and state, would need to reduce pensions to about one third to people using the pill.
Old people would defer downsizing - leading to consequences for estate agents and builders.
Children of people using the pill would be cheesed off by deferred expectations, and by delayed orphanhood.
Workers in a live-forever society would get a raw deal, and might do better to emigrate - leaving an aging society to stew in its own juices.

While live-forever pills aren't yet available, most of us are on live-longer pills provided by the NHS. What interest does the state have in our living longer? Just because we vote?

Should society discuss the good life and the good death? If so should good death discussion be promoted by organisations like the U3A?

Living Forever (Independent)

Do you really want to live forever (Times)

Dying Well

A Good Death

Planetarium Visit

2010-03-20T07:13:00.000Z

John Burton organise a facinating visit to inspect the projector and the building of the Chichester Planetarium, before enjoying a regular star show in March. Many ordinary members of the U3A joined us.

10th Feb meeting

2010-02-02T20:29:00.002Z

Hello John, just testing the system to see if I've got the hang of it. Looking forward to the meeting - will the agenda be similar to that intended for the January meeting?
Peter Adeline

Programme of Visits

2009-09-19T07:28:00.003Z

Members of the U3A Environment and Technology Group are encouraging each other to visit these outside events:

Dec 9 7pm Phys Soc Dr John Purdy - the Physics of Computer Games
Jan 13 7pm Phys Soc Dr Bill Proud The history of high speed photography
Jan 26 8pm Café Scientifique
Jan 27 10.30am IET The Zephyr aircraft
Feb 10 7pm Phys Soc Professor Stephen Brown - Photodynamic therapy to treat cancer
Feb 23 8pm Café Scientifique
Feb 24 10.30 IET Tidal power electricity generation
Mar 10 7pm Phys Soc Professor Steven Cowley - Fusion Power
Mar 23 8pm Café Scientifique

Venues

Phyisical Society meetings are open to members and their guests (John Worley is a member) at 7.00 pm in Lecture Theatre 1-01, St Michael’s Building, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1

Café Scientifique meet at Le Café Parisien, Lord Montgomery Way

IET meetings are open to all, at the Blue Lagoon Suite, Hilsea Lido, London Road, Portsmouth, PO2 9RP. Coffee from 10am

Resources:

http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/events/CafeScientifique/
http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/events/physsoclectureseries/
http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/events/physsoclectureseries/

Next Meeting Wed 9th September 3pm

2009-06-12T07:37:00.003Z

Where should we live if not here?

John Worley will lead on better places for a technical civilisation than stuck to the surface of a dying planet.

June 10th Meeting

2009-06-12T07:32:00.001Z

We discussed widely about swine flue, pandemics, tunnels, traffic and the much else.

Next meeting Wednesday 9th September at 3pm al Lake House - topic "Where should we live if not here?"

Wed 8th April Meeting - PANDEMICS

2009-03-05T07:19:00.003Z

(Because too many people were away the March meeting was postponed till 8th April)

So the 8th April topic for discussion is Pandemics.

A quick Google nets a rich load of stuff we might discuss, such as:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_pandemic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H5N1

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Flu/PandemicFlu/DH_065150 (department of health)

http://www.ukresilience.gov.uk/pandemicflu.aspx (Cabinet office)

http://www.ukresilience.gov.uk/media/ukresilience/assets/060516flubcpchecklist.pdf (Government checklist for businesses)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/IllnessesAndConditions/Illnesses/DG_10036726
We don't want to get too heavy - I hope we will concentrate on the historic perspectives, and as elders, what advice U3A members could offer their own families should a pandemic threaten.

Next meeting - 11th March - Pandemics

2009-02-17T07:41:00.003Z

What are pandemics - examples: black death, Spanish flu etc
Why don't we have more of them?
Social and economic consequences of past pandemics
The current worry - bird flu
Our modern economic vulnerability
What society ought to be doing
Strategies for reducing personal risk
Are pandemics any solution to population problems?

We will ramble over these and other questions, looking at whatever informative websites we have discovered in the meanwhile.

Feb 11th - Meeting - Population

2009-01-16T08:11:00.002Z

Judith has proposed the following population topics and asks we each tell her which topic weprefer to lead on:

Human fertility and birth control
What is overpopulation, sustainable population, optimum population?
Population imbalance/ageing populations
Social implications of population growth and population control
Effects of climate change on populations.
Social challenges of immigration and emigration
Impact of human population and overpopulation on the environment and companion species.
Epidemics, diseases and health

Notes on Wed 14th Meeting

2009-01-13T13:56:00.003Z

The discusion on Global Warming and its consequences was led by John Williams using the sources listed below.

He concluded that the certainty of climat change, and its cause was frequently exagerated and that we should read the IPCC reports and the forcasts made by the Hadley Centre and critics of these forecasts carefully.

The impact of elevated tempretures, increased storminess, sea level rise etc would have little impact in our time on our communities.

Communities already in difficulties on account of overpopulation and land/food shortage would be in more trouble.

Next time we should discuss population - led by Judith

Next Meeting Wednesday 11th February 2.30 at Lake House

References:

IPCC Report 1 www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf

IPCC Report 2 www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-spm.pdf

IPCC Report 3 www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg3/ar4-wg3-spm.pdf

Guardian report on Hadley Centre forecasts www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/aug/10/weather.uknews

Paul McRay's comments www.paulmacrae.com/?p=74

What is this? http://csccc.info/reports/report_24.pdf

Wikipedia on Sea Level Rise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_rise

Google map of sea level rise for your house http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=50.8018,-1.0823&z=4

Portsmouth Climate Action Network (PCAN) http://portsmouthcan.co.uk/

Meeting Wed 14th January at 2.30

2009-01-05T10:03:00.000Z

Next meeting at Lake House at 2.30pm on Wednesday 14 January to discuss global warming.

Framework for our discussion

1. Is global warming happening - and to what extent?

2. Can we identify the cause(s), and how certain can we be of it/them?

3. What are the likely effects, eg on climate, water, ecosystems, food, coasts, health, living standards, if the warming were to continue unchecked?

4. What are the likely costs and benefits of those effects?

5. How easy would it be to adapt to those effects, and what would be the cost of so doing?

6. What actions could be taken now to mitigate (ie, prevent or reduce) the continuing warming, how effective might they be and what would they cost?

7. Given that this is a global problem, how should the level of commitment of resource by different countries be determined?

If there are other issues you would like to include, please let the group know in advance so that we might give some thought to them.

John Williams

Suggestion for Discussion

2008-12-10T20:46:00.000Z

Hi J&J
Many thanks for your kind hospitality this afternoon.
Now I know where 'lower bedhampton' is!
I would repeat my suggestion that we focus our discussion
onto a particular topic or preferably a question that our
our politicians may be asking of their 'advisers'. We could then
offer our view for their guidance. For example: why have a car
if there is an adequate public transport system (free at point of use)?
Have a good Christmas. Good luck for the January meeting.
Regards
Roym

Future Meetings

2008-12-10T17:35:00.000Z

The next topic will be "Global Warming" and the likely consequences, extending obviously into "Rising Sea Levels" which may or may not be a topic for a subsequent meeting.

Future topics suggested include:

The market (immorality and inefficiency of it)
New materials & nano technology
Stem cells
Pandemics
Population
GM foods
Credibility of the web
Coal/Nuclear/Renewables vs efficiency
Domestic energy
Opencast mining

The Future of Cars

2008-12-10T16:59:00.000Z

We discussed the future of private motor cars, starting a few interesting hares running, and some red herrings. Important points seem to be:

The separation of expense and use
That some costs are born by the public
Arguments for no rel shortage of fuel, and governments' control of availability
Need to separate pedestrians from vehicles - alternatively making streets for people.
Uses of frequent buses and two wheelers as alternative to cars.
Other means of energy storage, lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion, compressed air, CO2
How improving batteries, improving electronics and improving engines might change the balance
Why do we live so far from where we want to be anyway?

Links:

The Battery University - all you need to know about batteries
Plugin Hybrids - have the answers
Google Plugin hybrid advocacy
Peak Lithium - why PHEVs Plugin Hybrids may not have the answers
Fuel Efficient Vehicles - as listed by our government
Energy Densities - relevant to arguments about storage media