7 - Architectural Actions: Now

Unlike what everyone thinks, during the Cold War between the US and the URSS (1947-1991), the main danger was not global nuclear conflict, but our irresponsible actions against Earth's Habitat, following industrial pollution produced by consumerism. Even if the planet's climate is regulated by the Sun and its cycles of warm and hibernation (11, 70, 206 and 2.300 years, according to different scientists), the effects produced by contamination could be causing positive feedback events and in different segments of Habitat.

The Earth experienced five (known) mass extinction events. The present scenario might point to a new one, but for the first time would be man-made, and it is not about temperature rising, the Sun dictates our temperature, it is about poluttion. The previous known events were: 1-End-Ordovician, 443 million years ago, 2-Late Devonian, -360M, 3-Permian-Triassic, -250M, 4-Triassic-Jurassic -200M, 5-Cretaceous-Tertiary -65M. An immense amount of biodiversity is lost every day, most of it would be gone in as little as a few human lifetimes. Many scientists are aware of this, even if they follow the Global Warming theory, which I do not, because we will never be able to obtain a scientific prove. My proposition is called Habitat Change, and it is not a theory, it is a methodologial approach to analyse and propose solutions.

The picture above shows the first milisecond of an atomic bomb test exploded about fifteen metres above ground in Arizona, US, in 1952. Like a Pandora Box, ghosts flames, vapoured spirits and red hot matter conquer the air at unimaginable speed, burning and cutting everything on the ground's surface, and for many kilometres. It is interesting the fact that you probably did not know this photo. One might think of the limitations of analog and non-computarized photography from seventy years ago, but the analog techniques used for shooting such image were extremely sophisticated. This photo represents a turning point in our civilisation. Starting with the steam machine, train, telegraph, telephone and planes, the nuclear bomb, rather than opening an era, ended the previous one.

To have self-destruction capacities of our own habitat reached and surpassed the limit of our stupidity. The great scientist and thinker Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) said manytimes that we are a stupid spieces. It is funny that a device like that is still called a 'bomb'. Unveiling the misteries of the Atom was great, but the consequences were dramatic. Any explosive artifact adds pollution and heat to the planet; on top of that, atomic bombs' radiation poison soil and water for decades. Fuel engines poison soil, water and air, putting CO2 and a hundred contaminants into land, Oceans and air. Burning wood is not a problem. Extracting oil from the deep is.

Fuel waste plus thousand of different chemicals and rubish are put into the ground, waters and air, every day, every minute, every second. It is already harder for plants -rather than us- to adapt to the new scenario, because only with some lack of rain in a couple of months, crops can fail.

Pouchulu's Habitat Observatory, 1970-2004, Buenos Aires. Ballpoint pen and coloured pencil on ordinary paper.

New institutions have to be created. Above, a quick concept for my Habitat Observatory: scattered in unhospitable regions, this monitoring stations will instruct children about the environment. What sort of architectural actions are needed? First, to educate about where we are. Second, to start thinking of new cities, I call them Broadcities, of not more than ten thousand people. Third, to abandon the use of cars in urban environments, also plastics, marketing and the fatal duo advertising-consumerism.

The best example was Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910–97), who taught a wide world audience during fifty years - I am a devote follower of his teachings, no other leader took his role- but he, like many others, has been forgotten by new generations. He eventually succeeded because his main target were children, not adults. I watched his documentary films and read his books since the age of five. Today (those kids) are oceanographers, biologists, archeologists, marine experts, and even architects.

Unfortunately, the word "activist" has been debased: activism has little to do with shouting or protesting in the streets. Activism means to put resources, logistics and teachings into a very clear track of action towards a specific goal. In 1960 Cousteau's strong activism in preventing the dumping of French atomic waste into the Mediterranean Sea ended in success. He enjoyed immediate recognition for his support of ocean ecology, a field he helped to create as a scientific discipline -in fact, we can state that he created oceanography as we know it. In 1959 he addressed the first World Oceanic Congress, appearing on the cover of Time magazine on March 28, 1960. In the next year he was awarded the National Geographic 's Gold Medal at a White House ceremony, by President John F. Kennedy (1917–1963).

Cousteau's television programs captured the imagination of three generations of world audiences in more than hundred countries. In 1966, Cousteau's first television special, "The World of Jacques-Yves Cousteau," was broadcasted. Later in 1968 he signed a contract with ABC (American Broadcasting Company), which resulted in the extraordinary and fascinating documentary series "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau". The program lasted eight seasons; it starred Cousteau, his sons Philippe and Jean-Michel. They travelled around the globe on the now historic Calypso, discovering sea creatures, mapping entire biological regions and alerting about the ecological crisis the planet was experiencing. In 1975 he founded the Cousteau Society, international organization with branches in several countries, to fight against pollution. In those years he published an extraordinary work in twenty volumes titled "The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau" reprinted in several idioms all over the years, which is a sort of first "encyclopedia" of the seas. In honor of his achievements, Cousteau received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. In 1989 France made him member of its Academy. Because he was also a great manager and communicator, he was able to enlight the world public (including millions of children) by exposing the irreversible effects of environmental destruction, more than any scientist at that time or even today, with the exception of Carl Sagan with his TV series "Cosmos". Perhaps the post-Internet scenario will never allow again the rise of educational and entertainment TV programmes like those: there are thousands of programmes and events today, which is not good for focusing on what is good, necessary or essential. In any case, and beyond contemporary media, during his time Cousteau reached every corner of the globe with documentaries. That is activism in pure form.

How far you are, my fellow readers, architects and enthusiasts, from that noble form of Academia! So far it seems we have lost 30% of the Phytoplankton in the oceans, which is where half of the oxigen we breath is originated; the other half comes from land plants, mostly from the Amazon, the Andes (lower altitude), South West Asia and northern European boreal forests, which is gone by 30% as to 2025. Europe, in Roman times, was almost completely covered by forests. The same in South East of China, 2.000 years ago. Our industrial civilisation is extraordinary, but it is also an incommensurable engine that is pouring millions of tons of contaminants and rubish every day on lands and into the oceans. It has polluted our planet at an unimaginable rate. Because of rapid Habitat Loss, we inevitably lead to catastrophe. The fact that our species can adapt and get used to almost every living condition is not a good sign. The majority of architects should revise their frugal speech about styles and sustainability and change the core of its predicament towards Organic Principles.

Read the next chapter, here.

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Contact Pouchulu here, or send an email to: architect@pouchulu.com More information in Deutsch, English, Español and Français, here.

Background photo: First millisecond photo shot of a nuclear explosion test in Arizona, US, 1952, at 20 metres over ground. Courtesy of Supreme, Department of Defence, US.