CASSANDRA, TITHONUS, ICARUS, AND ABU SIMBEL

摘要

As a baby boomer, I grew up in an optimistic generation. We believed we could do anything we wanted and there was no problem our science, technology, and society couldn't overcome. We're the generation for whom the phrase, "well, if we can put a man on the Moon, we can certainly do..." was our motto. We also engaged in the sin of hubris; excessive pride not considering our actions' full consequences, such as in land use and infrastructure investment. I remember as a kid going through an "Egyptology" phase, fascinated with this ancient culture. I was astonished at how modern Egypt was damming the Nile to provide better agricultural water supply, electricity, and flood control. A problem with the Aswan High Dam project was that the massive temples at Abu Simbel were going to be flooded. Not a problem after all - they just cut them out of the living rock and moved them up out of harm's way; a great example of modern science and engineering. There were other problems like the subsidence of the delta due to lack of silt nourishment from spring floods, threats to lives and livelihoods from salt water intrusion, storm surge and many other impacts that weren't accounted for. The taming of the Nile was not without unintended consequences. Later I learned in natural and social science classes and from pop culture (e.g., sci-fi and comics) the necessity of precaution in all endeavors; or to quote another catchphrase "with great power comes great responsibility."