Humanity will not die in a nuclear nightmare; it will suffocate in its own waste. Niels Bohr, nuclear physicist


Niels Henrik David Bohr - born October 7, 1885, Copenhagen, Denmark. Danish theoretical physicist, public figure, one of the founders of modern physics. Known as the creator of the first quantum theory of the atom and an active participant in the development of the foundations of quantum mechanics. He also made significant contributions to the development of the theory of the atomic nucleus and nuclear reactions, interaction processes elementary particles with the environment. Laureate Nobel Prize in physics. Died November 18, 1962, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Quotes, aphorisms, sayings, phrases - Bohr Niels

  • Truth is complemented by clarity.
  • Nothing exists until it is measured.
  • A negative result is also a result.
  • Experience is the totality of our disappointments.
  • Never express yourself more clearly than you can think.
  • If you want to make enemies, try changing something.
  • Opposites are not contradictions, they are complements.
  • Sciences are divided into two groups - physics and stamp collecting.
  • If quantum theory hasn't shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.
  • If an idea doesn't seem crazy, it won't do any good.
  • Work is the last refuge of those who can’t do anything else.
  • Clarity and truth are not the same, but clarity is a complement to truth.
  • Your theory is crazy, but not crazy enough to be true.
  • There are such serious things in the world that one can only talk about them jokingly.
  • Humanity will not die in a nuclear nightmare - it will suffocate in its own waste.
  • An expert is a person who has made all possible mistakes in some narrow field.
  • How wonderful that we are faced with a paradox. Now we have hope of progress.
  • Every sentence I utter should be considered not as a statement, but as a question.
  • It is impossible to draw a line between big and small, because both are equally important for the whole.
  • There was no special secret, except that we were not afraid of appearing stupid in front of young people.
  • There are two types of truth - trivial, which is absurd to deny, and deep, for which the opposite statement is also a deep truth.
  • The opposite of a true statement is a false statement. However, the opposite of a great truth may be another great truth.
  • Whatever system we use to organize our knowledge, this system remains a model of the world, which should not be confused with the world itself.
  • The similarity of an incorrect theory with experiment does not prove anything, because among stupid theories there will always be a certain number that agree with experiment.
  • Einstein was able to rebuild and generalize the entire edifice of classical physics and thereby give the picture of the world a unity that surpassed everything that could be expected.
  • IN scientific work It is impossible to make confident forecasts for the future, since obstacles always arise that can only be overcome with the advent of new ideas.
  • I can’t help but think that science is already close to implementing a project that will bring either unprecedented misfortune or unprecedented benefit to humanity.
  • This is what, perhaps, has always been characteristic. We weren't afraid to show young man that we ourselves are stupid. We have never refrained from exacerbating differences and contradictions.
  • We work with unclear concepts, operate with logic, the limits of which are unknown, and with all this, we still want to bring some clarity to our understanding of nature.
  • The best thing would be if we practiced purely scientific research, having no other purpose than to expand the boundaries of our understanding of nature, of which we ourselves are a part.
  • The whole approach to the problem as a whole was still of a highly semi-empirical nature, and it soon became absolutely clear that for an exhaustive description of the physical and chemical properties elements, a new radical departure from classical mechanics is needed to connect quantum postulates into a logically consistent scheme.
  • Not far from our country house in Tisvilde there lives a man who hanged himself over front door your home horseshoe, which in the old popular belief should bring happiness. When an acquaintance asked him: “How are you so superstitious? Do you really think that a horseshoe will bring you happiness?”, he answered: “Of course not; but they say that it helps even when you don’t believe it.”
  • I can fully admit that the pretty heroine, fleeing for her life, may find herself on a winding and dangerous mountain path. Less likely, but still possible, the bridge over the abyss would collapse just as she stepped on it. It is extremely unlikely that at the last moment she will grab a blade of grass and hang over the abyss, but even with this possibility I can agree. It’s very difficult, but you can still believe that a handsome cowboy will pass by at just that time and help out the unfortunate woman. But for a cameraman to be there at that moment with a camera, ready to capture all these exciting events on film—excuse me, I won’t believe that!

[ 2009-09-07 13:59 ]: "Humanity will not die in an atomic nightmare, but will suffocate in its own waste"

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This eerie prophecy of scientist Niels Bohr seems to be starting to come true. According to the UN, 500 thousand people die every year from air and water pollution, including waste, in China, 700 thousand people in India, 200 thousand people in Europe, in general about 2.5 people die on our planet million people According to World Organization health care environmentally dependent mortality in Russian Federation reached 18-20%. These are hundreds of thousands of people, almost one from every Russian family.
According to many scientists and experts, gross human intervention in nature may result in the disappearance of modern civilization. Pollution of the planet caused by human activity has led to the destruction of natural ecosystems over a large area (about 70% of the land). By mercilessly destroying nature, man destroys himself and his loved ones. Over the past 50 years, the number of fatal diseases on planet Earth has increased fourfold.

One way out in this situation could be a joint discussion environmental problems and the search for a way out of this impasse by business representatives, politicians, officials, with the involvement of scientists, public figures and everyone who wants to contribute to the restoration of human life based on a careful, rational attitude towards natural resources.
One of the upcoming such events is international conference“Waste recycling”, which will be held from October 1 to 2 as part of the business program of the international Forum for Infrastructure Development of the Krasnodar Territory and Sochi (IDES). The organizer of the conference "Waste Recycling" is the all-Russian magazine "Waste Recycling" with the assistance of the Russian Association of Waste Recycling (ARO), established on June 25 of this year. The President of the Russian ARO Malkov M.Yu. will take part in the opening and work of the conference.
Conference topics: "Development and organization of effective waste management systems in cities", "Turnkey waste recycling plants", "Landfills: research, design, construction, operation, reclamation", "Equipment for processing municipal, construction and industrial waste", " Technologies and equipment for collection, storage, processing, neutralization, removal and destruction of medical, biological and veterinary waste", "Legislative support for activities in the field of waste management".

The event will be attended by the commercial director of the representative office of the Swiss company Kaeler Holding AG O. Nikolaeva, who will talk about the environmental equipment of this company; A. Kudryashova, a specialist in Russian market research from the German company BRT Recycling Technology GmbH, will introduce conference participants to sorting and processing complexes for solid waste - enterprises for the production of secondary fuel.

Gladstein O.I. will make a report on the use of advanced technologies in the design and construction of environmental facilities, structures and structures. , general manager"SK "HYDROKOR"; General Director of LLC "Salem Ehitus Russland" Kuznetsov A.A. will present a report on the topic: "Integrated solutions for waste processing at landfills: sorting, grinding, compaction."
Product manager of the German company Metso Lindemann D. Schrader and head of Metso Lindemann CIS S.Yu. Babushkin will talk about Metso Lindemann innovations in the field of recycling. Their leading specialists plan to talk about the equipment of TiTeсh GmbH, Germany and PRESONA, Sweden.

On October 2, one of the leading environmental consulting companies in the Volga Federal District, "Privolzhskaya Environmental Audit Company" ("PEAK") from Nizhny Novgorod, represented by executive director Natalya Nikolaevna Mochalina, will share practical experience in a report on the topic "Experience in building regional waste management systems waste. How to increase the efficiency and investment attractiveness of the region?"

At the end of the presentation, the leaders of PEAK and the conference organizing committee will hold a round table on the same topic. The purpose of the round table is within direct dialogue representatives of business and government at various levels to develop recommendations for improving federal and regional legislation to create a favorable environment conducive to the development of the waste processing industry and a waste management system in the regions that is friendly to humans and nature.
The round table is planned to cover the following issues: discussion of various approaches to building regional waste management systems; the main risks of investors in the regions of Russia arising from legislation and practice; analysis of regional experience in budget financing waste management projects; analysis of regional experience aimed at creating attractive conditions for investors.

The conference will also be attended by managers and specialists from industry companies "PSM-ALFA", (Moscow), "Baltenergo Fund" (St. Petersburg), "Clean City" (Ivanovo), "RostovDonStroy" (Rostov-on-Don ), BELLMER KUFFERATH Maschinery GmbH and STRABAG AG from Germany, Mercury Safety Agency ( Krasnodar region) and many others.
The organizing committee of the conference hopes that its topics will be of interest to managers and specialists of commercial, government and public organizations working in the field of industrial and consumer waste management; manufacturers of equipment and special equipment for collection, transportation, processing, recycling, disposal, neutralization, destruction, disposal of waste, scientists, representatives of financial, legal and consulting companies.

Reference. Krasnodar region is one of the most economically developed and infrastructurally equipped in Russia. The economy of the region is based on favorable natural and climatic conditions and a large population. Krasnodar region is part of the Southern Federal District of Russia. The population of the Southern Federal District is approximately 23 million people. As diverse as the natural and socio-economic conditions on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory are, environmental problems are just as diverse in scope, intensity. More than 1 million tons of solid waste are generated annually in the region, and the volume of their generation is constantly growing. Landfills often do not meet environmental standards, and the number of unauthorized dumps is growing.

According to the FS Rospotrebnadzor for the Krasnodar Territory, the number of solid waste landfills in the region is 525, of which 303 are unauthorized. The problem of recycling is extremely relevant for the capital of the region, Krasnodar. household waste. All household waste is transported to solid waste landfills (landfills); disposal of household waste is not carried out, despite the constant increase in the volume of its formation. In 2007, 290 thousand tons of waste were transported to landfills from the city.

Sochi resort city - city federal significance and the only subtropical resort in Russia, located on Black Sea coast Caucasus. In general, Sochi is an environmentally friendly territory. Among the environmental problems, the most pressing for Sochi is pollution environment industrial and household waste. Problems arise at all stages of waste management, from collection and transportation to disposal. The main method of waste disposal in the resort city of Sochi is storage at two landfills organized in zone II sanitary protection resort on steep slopes (Adler and Loos landfills). Both do not meet the requirements for their placement and arrangement, which contributes to environmental pollution natural environment production and consumption waste. Leachate water generated in landfills flows into surface water bodies without treatment; constant burning of garbage dumps contributes to the formation of persistent organic pollutants. (Source of information: report "On the state of environmental management and environmental protection of the Krasnodar Territory in 2007." - Krasnodar: LLC Printing House "Krasnodar Izvestia", 2008. - 364 p.).

Waste recycling, magazine

"Native Nikopol". Alexey Yuzhny.

I am sure that each of us remembers at least one fire from our childhood. A fire made from dry branches carefully collected from nearby courtyards (squares, parks), in the heat of which potatoes secretly taken from the kitchen at home were baked. Pleasant memories? Of course they are pleasant!

Now let’s remember a completely different fire. We are walking down the street, and suddenly a stream of wind envelops us in thick gray smoke. It is no longer possible to breathe, the eyes close by themselves - the smoke eats them away to tears...

Having difficulty getting out of this gas chamber, we are trying to come to our senses and continue on our way. And then we remember for a long time about the nightmare we experienced, washing our clothes from the burning smell that has ingrained them. Sound familiar? Of course. Fallen leaves are burning in the city...

Shall we inhale dioxin?

Each of these fires is a real gas chamber, which every minute releases supertoxicants into the atmosphere - benzopyrene, dioxin and furanin. As well as heavy metals and radionuclides accumulating in the plant world due to emissions from metallurgical plants and a neighboring nuclear power plant. Having accumulated in living organisms (that is, in ours too), these substances are never removed from there by any means.

They quickly weaken a person’s immune system, making him disabled for life or even leading to death. And in garden plots, plants are often also treated with pesticides. Imagine what gets into the air when they burn.

The second problem is that all kinds of debris often burn with leaves. But during combustion, for example, plastic bag Dozens of chemical compounds are released into the air, most of which are toxic to humans. Dense black smoke from smoldering plastic waste contains carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons. And when rubber burns, in addition to everything mentioned above, carcinogenic soot and sulfur oxides are formed, which cause respiratory diseases.

Scorched earth.

In addition to the immediate threat to human health, fire destroys seeds and roots of plants, damages the lower parts of trees and bushes, and sometimes the upper parts of their roots. Finally, burning leaves and dry grass leads to the destruction of the soil layer, because pound-forming microorganisms die during combustion. At normal conditions When the leaves rot, the substances necessary for plant development return to the soil.

During combustion, ash is formed, which, contrary to popular belief, is far from the best fertilizer. Moreover, annual burning of leaves causes soil depletion and, accordingly, a decrease in yield.

We are no longer talking about the fact that when burning grass on personal plots, you can “accidentally” set fire to a residential building along with a nearby planting or field.

I'll have to answer...

In State sanitary standards and rules for maintaining territories of populated areas, approved by the Ministry Health of Ukraine 03/17/2011, there is paragraph 3.7. It reads: “During leaf fall, fallen leaves must be removed in a timely manner. Collected leaves must be taken to specially designated areas or composting fields. It is prohibited to burn leaves in residential areas, squares and parks.”

There is also Article 77-1 of the Code of Ukraine on administrative offenses“Unauthorized burning of vegetation or its remains.” It provides for liability in the form of a fine for burning vegetation or its remains and fallen leaves: for citizens - from 170 to 340 UAH, and for officials- from 850 to 1190 UAH.

Well, if you are still “lucky” to burn down, for example, a forest plantation along with a bunch of leaves, then it’s time to remember Art. 245 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Destruction or damage to objects flora».

It states that “destruction or damage to forests, green spaces around settlements, along railways, as well as stubble, dry wild herbs, vegetation or its remains on agricultural lands by fire or other generally dangerous method is punishable by a fine of 300 to 500 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens (from 5100 to 8500 UAH), restriction of liberty for a term of two to five years or imprisonment for the same period " Really, after something like this, you won’t want to joke with fire for a long time?

What to do?

A well-known and respected ecologist in Nikopol, chairman of the Civil Watch union, Yuri Babinin, quotes the words of the Danish physicist Niels Bohr: “Humanity will not die in an atomic nightmare - it will suffocate in its own waste.” And it seems that everything is heading towards this.

Thank God, the rains came, and the problem of burning leaves temporarily lost its severity. However, unfortunately, it has not disappeared from Nikopol, whose residents, while putting their households in order, diligently poison themselves with thousands of smoldering fires. People light fires and don’t think about the fact that the city is located in the center of a mining and metallurgical complex for the extraction and processing of manganese ore, where the manganese content in the soil and vegetation is already 16 times higher than the natural level.

In addition, due to the proximity of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, all living things around constantly absorb the radionuclides emitted by it, which, when plant residues are burned, enter directly into the human blood through his lungs.

We have been trying to fight this scourge for many years. And yet, every year during November, the city is once again covered in a shroud of toxic smoke. The leaves are burned, and with them - various rubbish in courtyards, gardens, street bins and garbage containers. In the private sector, it is the local residents themselves who “try”; in areas of multi-storey buildings, it is the janitors. They burn during the day, but with caution, and under the cover of night, they are much more bold.

So we come to the eternal question: what to do?

There is no need to indifferently pass by those who poison themselves and others with fires. In autumn and spring, I always walk around with burnt soles on my shoes, because I try to scatter and extinguish the smoldering fires that come my way. In addition, in my garden, like any person with a “green” idea in his head, there is a huge compost fence that produces 300-400 kg of excellent fertilizers annually.

But, unfortunately, it is not possible to inspire neighbors to do the same - they are weakened by the lack of real (and not just on paper) responsibility for burning garbage in bonfires.

So, burning fallen leaves and old branches is harmful, unacceptable and imprudent. After all, crushed branches and leaves can serve as an excellent insulation for garden beds in winter, and as a covering for garden paths in summer. Fallen leaves perform several important ecological functions: they, like a carpet, protect tree roots from frost in winter and from the sun in summer, accumulate moisture, serve as a shelter for many useful creatures and, when decomposed, become beautiful. organic fertilizer for soil.

What about them?

Did you know that abroad they “fight” fallen leaves much more effectively than in Ukraine? For example, in European countries, logs and briquettes for gas production are made from leaves, and lawns are also fertilized with leaves. It turns out that there are many ways in the world to use garden waste with maximum benefit for yourself.

The most common method of “fighting” leaves is composting. The value of compost lies in the fact that it contains chemical compounds, which are necessary for plants. By the way, garden waste such as small branches and leaves can be easily composted along with food scraps.

Another idea for solving the “problem of fallen leaves” is to press them into briquettes and use them for heating rooms. In Europe, similar briquettes have long been made from tree branches, burnt grass and fallen leaves. They are thrown into a bunker and served heating boilers, operating as gas generators. This is how blue fuel is produced, which in its properties is close to natural gas, but costs three times less.

And in Washington, the capital of the United States, the leaves remain where they fell. They are simply crushed for faster and better rotting and left on the lawns. Local experts believe that in this way it is possible to kill two birds with one stone - to return nutrients and protect the ground from freezing.

Allowing the grass to grow under the snow:

In addition, several foreign countries have long made money by turning leaves into logs that are quite suitable for burning in fireplaces. For example, in Birmingham (England) there is a large plant that works in this direction.

However, no matter how you solve the problem of cleaning up fallen leaves, remember that this is not garbage, but organic waste, which may well serve you well!

Russian scientist Viktor Danilov-Danilyan asserts with all responsibility that the foggy air over the city, where leaves and household waste are burned, is no less toxic than modern chemical weapons. The only difference is that “junk” weapons kill all living things somewhat more slowly. And therefore more painful. You don’t need to look far for examples: it is during the period of mass burning of fallen leaves that Nikopol residents experience an increase in the number of skin diseases, respiratory tract diseases, and blood diseases that are directly related to the state of the air in the city. Burning garbage is especially dangerous for the health of our children, as well as for those who suffer from allergies, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, rhinitis or tonsillitis.

God told man: “Thou shalt not kill” and “Do not harm.” Don’t harm yourself, your neighbors and nature,” says Yuri Babinin in conclusion. - Because children hang over our Nikopol and the suffering that it brings to the majority of the city’s residents, especially children.

Humanity will not die in an atomic nightmare,
and will suffocate in its own waste.
Niels Bohr

Ballad, of course, I was just making a stupid joke, because we are talking about a real world tragedy! But if I had simply written “Trash Garbage” in the title, most likely you would not have even looked here. Let's talk not about the trash heap as such, but about the person...
For example, I no longer want to write the word “person” with capital letters, may Alexey Maksimovich, whom I respect, forgive me, together with Satin... After all, “man” no longer sounds proud to me... because he, a man, does not love the world in which he lives and does not love himself and his own kind. Yes, yes, it is precisely that he does not love himself, does not take care of himself as a species, initially, it seems, programmed for survival. And where did the instinct of self-preservation go? If a person had a goal - the survival of his species - it is unlikely that he would harm himself and turn the world around him into a trash heap...
I have always loved asking questions... but in this case, some of them suggest themselves...
after all, the person is definitely sick... and sick in the head, otherwise, why would he bury toxic waste near where you live instead of finding a way to safely dispose of it? Why do many companies with global brands, instead of reducing harmful effects of their activities for the environment, persistently encourage consumers to consume more and more*?
Why, for example, does a person throw a cigarette butt into a children's sandbox? Why does he throw a bag of garbage out of his car window onto the full speed ahead? Why does he throw bottles over the fence, onto a neighbor’s property, or into any ditch, ravine or pond? Why does he stick chewing gum to every surface that gets in his way? Why doesn’t he build as many toilets as he needs to satisfy his natural needs, but instead shits in elevators, entrances and gateways... Finally, why does he litter even in Space?
And then this recent story comes to mind... when the “mother” threw a newborn child into the garbage chute... (for some reason I can’t forget this horror, although this is not entirely related to the topic).
Perhaps enough questions, otherwise we can go far...
Next are some numbers.
In the European Union, 6 million tons of electronic devices are sent to landfills every year.
In Moscow, according to environmentalists, 50 thousand tons of used electronics are thrown away every year.
This waste poses a danger to humans and nature: microcircuits contain such toxic substances, such as arsenic, lead, mercury, etc. Landfills and landfills occupy an area equal to the territory of, for example, Slovenia. Russia “generates” up to 90 billion tons of various waste (industrial and household) per year. And only 40 percent is recycled. As for solid household waste, it can be recycled and reuse goes no more than 5 percent**. What follows after all this? But here's what... According to WHO, environmentally dependent mortality in the Russian Federation already reaches 18–20 percent (!). So where is the instinct of self-preservation here?
In conclusion, the quote: “... in the coming years, the quality of the environment will become one of the key factors in the competitiveness of the country and each Russian region.” (D. Medvedev at a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on the issue of environmental safety, 2008).
AND???

*Handbook of Ecology (USA), 2007
**Quality of life and ecology, 2003.
Quality of life and ecodesign, 2008.

Reviews

Affected global problem. Human indifference (sorry for the expression, but there’s no other word for it) kills! Life, probably for some, loses its meaning, and someone else’s life is not interesting at all... We are destroying ourselves with our own hands. And no matter how sad it may be, the fact remains a fact! And toughness has completely lost its boundaries... alas...
Good luck and good mood for writing good miniatures, such as you write (not counting this one, let’s hope that everything will work out).
Sincerely,
Lady Colt

Thanks for your response, Lady Colt! Thank God, the “garbage” topic is not yet the most important thing in our lives... Let’s at least hope that it won’t get worse... With respect and gratitude, Elena.

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