Wider ramifacations of volcano

[Jacaqueen]

First of all I want to say how sorry I am for all the people who are seperated from loved ones but I would like to look at the wider effects of this situation especially if it continues for some time.

Import/exports will be effected which given the precarious state of the economy could be disasterous.

Air freight in general will come to a halt.

I get the feeling that we are not being told the whole story. Even if the volcano stops right now the ash that is already in the atmosphere will remain for some time.

If the wind direction changes will the ash be blown over to Canada and the US then down to the gulf and southern hemisphere?

This is starting to look like some bad disaster movie but I dont think Bruce Willis is going to be able do help much.

I was wondering this too.

How long before the planes run again?

Also could Bruce Willis don a ripped vest, head up to the scottish isles with a big windblower that he's fashioned out of a coat hanger, a hairdryer and a biro and blow it northwards. Then it would get all cold in the north pole and save the polar bears and everyone will be happy. Anyone got his number?

I'm sure the panic buying will start soon

A friend of mine who has studied volcanoes for years says it could continue to produce more ash for months and it could potentially ruin the summer!

Sorry for joking. This is a valid and interesting thread and I'll be watching it and hopefully contributing a bit more intelligently later.

As you were.

There was some discussion on here that previous volcanos have caused such climactic change that crops failed causing starvation and that lead to revolution (French Rev) but I'm not sure the dateschecked out but ou can see how that could happen.

Typos a plenty. On my phone. Sorry again!

A thread last night said something about mount etna ( I think) which is making noises too

Dont apologise Pennies I had much the same thought. Bruce gets into a specially adapted helicopter and blows up the volcano allowing it to burn itself out. The molten ice re- solidifies repairing the ice caps and the lack of air traffic repairs the ozone layer so no more global warming for a few thousand years!

I think this OP is a bit alarmist tbh.

Yes of course planes are adversely affected but there are other infrastructures in place, as you say...boats, trains, etc.

I'll agree that if eg. Yellowstone blows we might be looking at a bad situation but this is nothing like.

yy we need Bruce Willis.

Seemples.

Plus, we have plenty to eat here already. Crops are grown here, we don't need stuff from wherever in order to survive. We'll just start growing more of our own - transport costs and pollution largely reduced. Good for British farming.

What's not to like - no holidays to Tenerife? How dreadful.

Sorry, I realise some people will be badly affected by this but most things are get-roundable - we are an adaptable species and it's not likely to go on for EVER.

Oh I don'r know. How about we all wait and see?

As I was preparing lunch I noticed that my green beans were air freighted in from Guatemala.

Now I can easily do without green beans but can the farmer in Guatemala survive without exporting his goods to Europe. What will happen to all the produce that is harvested and transported daily around the world by plane? And what will happen to the food producers?

Some will say that it could be a good thing to go back to basics and only consume what we can grow ourselves in this country but our producers will not be able to export either.

I am concerned however for those parts of the world that do depend on air traffic for sustaining their way of life and food supply etc - not that we do that much for Africa anyway. Is there anywhere else that would be in trouble without planes?

i thought it has potential to kill off our crops?

I'm talking about perishable items that are transported by air of course.

and you've seen this I suppose?

I bet there are loads of people in America opening their Books of Revelation and getting ready for the Second Coming.

It's complicated Jaca, I don't pretend to know enough about global supply and demand to know if this will have a terrible impact on poorer economies.

All I really want to say is that WE will be fine, over here. The poorer among us don't depend on air travel to survive. i think given time it could all be worked out.

I was just watching an interview on News24 with a guy who runs a fresh fruit/vegetable export/import business. He has thousands of workers in South America and Africa twiddling their thumbs because he has no way of airfreighting the produce to Europe. Apparently the supermarkets will already be showing shortages because the time scales of picking and shipping some things are just so short.

oh bloody hell, and just when I'd finally got ds1 to eat green beans

X post with Jaca!

i doubt our country could supply enough anyway....

what about the rain.? will it be as bad as some say?

Another problem that DH mentioned was where to store all of the aviation fuel that is not being used. The refineries that make the stuff can't just be switched off apparently and there is only so much that can be stored safely.
And of course once planes start flying again they will need the fuel to be avaliable.

Of course we could supply enough.

It would be a matter of reducing meat consumption and opting for more veg, basically...the meat industry accounts for a massive, massive overuse of land that could be happily used for growing crops.

This is all going back to pro veggie stuff I learned in my 20s, but really, it's been talked about for decades that one day we will need to become mainly vegetarian to feed our populations.

Sorry, overuse doesn't make sense - what I mean is growing cattle wastes land. We don't need to eat meat.

What have they said about the rain?