Tag Archives: urbanization

AI Predicts Canada Tourist Spots After 100 Years Climate Change

Whilst climate change is at the forefront of most countries’ consciences, the issue is highly pressing here in Canada where we  experience climate change at twice the world’s average due to our northerly location. Do you believe in the stated extreme effects of climate change or do you believe in a milder alternative? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this article.

With this in mind, our friends at BonusFinder Canada utilized technology to predict exactly what Canada’s most popular tourist spots could look like in 100 years time if we do not intervene and try to combat climate change. To do so, they asked OpenAI to write predictions for five top tourist hotspots (Niagara Falls, CN Tower, Notre-Dame Basilica, Hopewell Rocks, Confederation Bridge) based on factors such as global warming, overpopulation and extreme weather, and used these descriptions to generate AI images.

Niagara Falls – no intervention  

 Niagara Falls – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Significant reduction in water flow, affecting local ecosystems and the availability of freshwater resources.

●      The falls are no longer safe to get close to due to erosion.

●      The once lush surroundings have been replaced by concrete and pollution due to overpopulation.

CN Tower – no intervention    

CN Tower – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Toronto is now largely inhospitable due to global warming and extreme weather events.

●      Fires are not uncommon due to global warming and an abundance of refuse.

●      Toronto faces major impacts of climate change, including higher temperatures, reduced air quality, and persistent heatwaves.

Notre-Dame Basilica – no intervention 

Notre-Dame Basilica – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, have damaged the Basilica’s exterior and interior.

●      The area surrounding the Basilica is overpopulated and increasingly inhospitable.

●      The basilica remains heavily reliant on non-renewable energy sources, worsening the effects on the environment.

Hopewell Rocks – no intervention 

Hopewell Rocks – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      The main structure of the rocks has collapsed.

●      The surrounding area is heavily urbanized and polluted.

●      The beach is now dangerous, marshy and overgrown, but still attracts many tourists when the bay is uncovered, bringing further pollution and structural damage with each passing year.

Confederation Bridge – no intervention

Confederation Bridge – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Confederation Bridge has collapsed in areas, rendering the huge structure unusable.

●      The water around the bridge is now full of concrete, industrial waste, pollution and urban runoff.

●      Small portions of the bridge still stand in the water, serving as a reminder of our failure to act and combat urbanization and overpopulation.

For the Silo, Clara Tan.

Scientists Urge Caution On Underwater Mining

For years the ‘bad ones’ have poisoned rivers, devastated forests and displaced communities, and now massive companies are rushing to dig up the seabed for precious metals.

MIT: “The ocean’s deep-sea bed is scattered with ancient, potato-sized rocks called “polymetallic nodules” that contain nickel and cobalt — minerals that are in high demand for the manufacturing of batteries, such as for powering electric vehicles and storing renewable energy, and in response to factors such as increasing urbanization. The deep ocean contains vast quantities of mineral-laden nodules, but the impact of mining the ocean floor is both unknown and highly contested.”

Sledge From Sea Mining Operations
Sediment plumes following the wake of this deep sea mining ship.

And yet, only twenty-four people have the regulatory powers to stop this type of plunder in our planet’s most fragile places:  The International Seabed Authority.  You’ve likely never heard of them because this group attracts as little attention as an underwater mine miles offshore.

A few countries have agreed to full or partial bans, and leading scientists have appealed for a freeze on deep sea mining contracts.

Mining companies claim they can mine the seabed safely, but authorities in Namibia, Australia and New Zealand have blocked seabed mining projects.  Scientists point out that many deep water species are being discovered quite regularly, and that the ocean floor can take decades to recover from disturbances such as the creation of sediment plumes from deep sea floor bed mining.

There are limits to how deep Surface ships can reach- but is that enough to protect the deep of our Oceans?
There are technological limits to how deep Surface ships can reach- but is that enough to protect the deep of our Oceans? New technologies and techniques always lead to deeper mining.

Seabed Mining: The 30 People Who Could Decide the Fate of the — Oceans  Deeply
New technology allowing for deeper mining and intensified mining: A massive seafloor EV rover.

The International Seabed Authority has already issued licenses for exploratory mining across 1.2 million square kilometers of ocean floor. As mentioned earlier, this regulatory body is almost unknown, and its 24-person Legal and Technical Committee is solely responsible for the detailed scrutiny of proposals and environmental safeguards.

GreenPeace Graphic Deap Seabed Mining

Supplemental:

Deep sea mining: the new resource frontier? (Al-Arabiya)
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/views/news/world/2014/11/12/Deep-sea-mining-the-new-resource-frontier-.html

Marine mining: Underwater gold rush sparks fears of ocean catastrophe (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/mar/02/underwater-gold-rush-marine-mining-fears-ocean-th… 

New Interest in Seafloor Mining Revives Calls for Conservation (National Geographic)
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2013/12/11/new-interest-in-seafloor-mining-revives-calls-for-co… 

Deep sea mining hopes hit by New Zealand decision (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6edaeea8-b894-11e4-a2fb-00144feab7de.html#axzz3VFC8Wm1y 

Scientists call for temporary halt on new deep sea mining projects (Popular Science)
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/6edaeea8-b894-11e4-a2fb-00144feab7de.html#axzz3VFC8Wm1y

Shedding some light on the International Seabed Authority (University of Southampton)
http://moocs.southampton.ac.uk/oceans/2014/03/09/shedding-some-light-on-the-international-seabed-authority/

2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment Via US Intelligence: “World Vulnerable To Pandemic”

Prepared by the United States Intelligence Community and Director of National Intelligence Daniel R. Coats and presented as a 2019 assessment of threats to US National Security. Presented to Chairman Burr, Vice Chairman Warner and Members of the Senate Committee. Click on 6048 link below to read the full PDF.