Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?
Jurassic Park
We constantly extract material from the Earth which has been around for millions of years. We then process it so that we can enjoy it for 5 minutes, 5 days or 5 years. Next we throw it on a big pile, and in a hundred million years, the then dominant intelligent occupants of planet Earth wonder how all the plastic dinosaurs came to Earth and why they died out so suddenly.
Yes, we pull million-year-old oil out of the ground and break it down into its components. We make plastic spoons from some constituents, coated plates from others, pack everything into a plastic bag and drive into the countryside for a picnic using the ‘city tank’ that runs on a gasoline-powered engine. Or maybe also to the seaside? On the horizon, container ships burn the thickest, stickiest black remains of our beautiful crude oil and in 14-day cycle packages, sail in new and fresh plastic fun all around the globe. After an hour, our stomachs are full, the packages are empty and the rest goes to waste. How do you rate yourself as a
Plastic Dinosaur of Eternity
?
Due to the manipulation of exhaust gas values in diesel vehicles, nitrogen oxides are a dominant topic of (car) mobility in the public debate. However, this is deceptive; an entire system of individualized motor mobility is being upheld for only a few convenience benefits. This automotive consensus is essentially based on non-renewable raw materials and the car-compatible shaping of entire landscapes - both of which will hardly change because of individual electric mobility. Raw materials will only be used for a short time and then disposed of permanently in the atmosphere or at the scrap yard. Just like the
Plastic Dinosaurs of Eternity
, there will still be silent witnesses of human automobile-ism in millions of years to come.
Once upon a time in football, players fought for the leather. After a hard duel, lumps of grass flew through the air and with every minute of play the cotton jerseys got dirtier. Today, the polyurethane-coated plastic ball no longer bangs against wooden slats, but against aluminium. Only the turf seems to be the last natural element in football, but here too, hybrid turf and plastic turf are becoming more and more popular. These artificial turfs will outlive even the
Plastic Dinosaurs of Eternity
as hazardous waste - simply survival of the fittest. And all this so that in a duel only a few grains of plastic granulate fly through the air and the polyester jersey with their advertising banners remain surgically clean.
At first glance, agriculture is the epitome of renewability. Year after year we can reap the benefits of nature's generous harvest. However, upon further inspection it becomes apparent that our agriculture would not even reach the sowing stage without the
Plastic Dinosaurs of Eternity
and non-renewable resources. Agricultural machines need diesel, phosphate deposits are exploited for fertilizers, while asparagus, strawberries and lettuce grow under plastic foils or in heated and artificially lit greenhouses before being finally flown to us.