My family has lived in Australia for 200 years and is linked to its early colonisation. My great-great-grandfather and great grandfather each fathered thirteen children, typical of life in the nineteenth century. My grandfather, born in Sydney in 1880, became a banana farmer in the Tweed Shire and after moving to Brisbane in 1925. In Brisbane, owned a sports store, and my grandmother a florist shop.
I was raised in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia an only child of hard-working parents who were business owners. Societal values included a major focus on the protection of our home and business and wariness of trusting others.
I was probably destined to be a geologist. Similar to many in my high school in the 1960s, I studied a science and mathematics focused course, and I enjoyed all the subjects and was considering a laboratory-based career in chemistry. However, as I enjoyed spending time outdoors away from the city, I was directed to study geology by a family member even though I was previously unaware of this career possibility.
My different roles as a geologist included:
Creating ‘Custodians’ and ‘Earthwise Custodians app
Due to eyesight issues, I am unable to drive. Consequently, I have written a book and app to outlinet the relation between geological processes and major issues of the 21st century with the following goals.
The course promotes understanding of critical issues of the 21st century challenging governments to be of, by, and for the people. Citizens should ensure government programs deliver to areas of true needs and not promote individual political gain. The course promotes the power of community to advocate for benefits for all citizens. It is vital to expose government corruption that doesn’t protect community human health, the earth’s ecosystem ecosystem and cultural heritage. Citizens need to find better ways of influencing government to deliver outcomes from major developments that don’t continue to negatively impact the earth’s ecosystem, human health, animal health and habitats.
History has shown that human civilisations have gained ascendency of other others and natural earth resources through conquest by war, enslavement and control of power to do whatever was necessary to achieve dominance over critical resources. Weight of numbers and firepower has been dominant in past conflicts. In the 21st Century total war using nuclear arsenals could wipe out the whole human civilisation not only the aggressors in a major conflict. Major Politicians in all countries are corrupt and they would destroy natural environments for personal gain. Examples include clearing of the Amazon rain forest to provide cheap fodder for the lucrative European Dairy industry and and mercury pollution of rivers by illegal gold mining in Chile linked to laundering drug money by drug dealers and corrupt politicians).
Prior to advocating the protection of humans, the land, oceans, animals and attempting to reverse the effect of human-induced change we need to be aware of what needs to change and the consequences of not changing. The necessary changes are many, and complex and difficult decisions need to be made urgently. The only things we can change are our thoughts and actions and have enough impetus to champion these changes in order to stop the and reverse the major damage that has been caused. Our thoughts affect our behaviour and actions and have enough impetus to champion these changes in order to stop and reverse the damage. Changing our actions are now vital as for the first time in the history of the earth OUR species now affects the whole of the earth and could collapse its delicately balanced ecosystem. Our most critical resource is fresh water. It’s paradoxical that despite the large volumes of water there is relatively little available as fresh water vital for all life.
As a career geologist I am aware of a range of geological processes that have affected the earth and the links of these processes to human civilisations
A preamble to modules of the course looks at the changes each of us needs to make to our own behaviour first before being a custodian of our earth.
Custodians brings a vision for caring for our earth aims to deliver a view from of a career geologist on 21st Century problems and on current and emerging science to address the seemingly intractable issues that confront us in the 21st Century. This course expands on how geological processes and human civilisation has interacted and the role of government corruption and human greed have brought humanity to the current situation.
This online course comprises 11 major modules with some auxiliary information in sub modules of these.
To find out more I have included:
Module 2 – Geological processes and creation and collapse of major world civilisations
Collapse of Civilisations
MODULE 3 – Geohistory
Module 4 – Geohistory and the 3 categories of Natural Wonders
National Parks – Yellowstone USA
Module 5 – Sources of Ecosystem Degradation other than transport and manufacture
Module 6 – Past 5 Mass Extinctions of Earth and the possible Anthropocene-induced 6th Mass extinction
Module 7 – Chemistry and Technology
Module 8 –
Power generation needs to be a 24/7/365 continuous operation. this is provided by grid power and a global drive for more ‘renewable energy’.
Module 9:
Climate_Changes interpreted from ice cores
Module 10: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Many documentaries already show degradation to land and oceans through human- induced change are highlighted for personal research and assessment of their contribution to the subject and include waste and pollution an, corruption, organised crime and influence of powerful lobby groups that are not promoting community well- being and health. Documentaries this year look at tipping points in the earths ecosystem that are close to being reached that will adversely affect the whole ecosystem adversely.
Module 11: Conclusions
Hold all levels of Australian government to account.
Deliver actions that are positive to sustaining and rebalancing earth’s ecosystem.
These proposed changes identify waste, pollution, destruction of biodiversity that affect human health and the environment.
Most require identification of a systemic threat and holding governments to account to stop damage to the environment, human health and natural biodiversity.
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