Remaking the Deck Chairs on the Titanic
Of the Titanic II and why this time we’re all passengers
We are the apprehensive passengers on a Titanic II, better informed than our predecessors, equipped with the latest in radar and sonar, but also lacking their touching confidence in their own survival technology. Is it possible that an iceberg might strike twice? ~ George Nelson
A little over 100 years ago the unsinkable RMS Titanic departed from Southampton, UK, with 2,224 passengers on board. From the wealthiest of the wealthy on the top decks to the sweat and toil of the boiler rooms below, the Titanic represented a microcosm of the industrial age.
Exceeding standards of maritime luxury, the Titanic boasted the latest in modern conveniences, from a gym, electric bath and libraries, to opulent cabins, high-class restaurants and a telephone system. A feat of structural and mechanical engineering, the ship’s engines produced over 45,000 horsepower, while the output of the on-board electrical plant exceeded that of a city power station. To achieve this 600 tons of coal had to be relentlessly hand-shovelled into her furnaces every day, resulting in 100 tons of ash being dumped into the ocean. To apply modern rhetoric, the Titanic would certainly have been considered too big to fail. But brute force and technology are not impervious to tragedy…in fact they appear to guarantee it. After striking a massive iceberg on April 14th, 1912, the Titanic sank, leaving 1,500 people to perish in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.
It is fitting that someone who has made their fortune digging up the past in order to exploit it should be the one to bring the Titanic back to life. Already known for his less-than-subtle endeavours such as the recently unveiled Jurassic Park replica ‘Palmersaurus’, billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer announced his new project on August 3rd, 2012: the Titanic II. Intended to recapture the magic and romance of the era and to be a place “you can take the wife and fall in love again”, Palmer will spare no expense recreating the Titanic down to the last detail, from light fittings to furniture, and even period costume for passengers to wear.
You might say spending hundreds of millions of dollars on misguided nostalgia and animatronic dinosaurs is the right of eccentric billionaires like Palmer. However considering those billions are being made at the cost of a viable planet on which to live, the joke is on us. We have reached a golden age of unlimited potential, but limited accountability. Palmer’s empire, built on the mining of iron ore and nickel, now extends to coal production. Approval was recently granted by the Australian government for his China First mine in Queensland, which will produce 40 million tons of coal yearly for export. Not only will the use of that coal add an estimated 85 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, but the building of the mine will decimate the nearby woodland area of Bimblebox which is used for species conservation. Subsequently, Palmer is responsible for developing a coal export facility in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, severely endangering one of Australia’s national treasures as potentially 3 million cubic metres of seabed will be dredged and dumped there. For what? Demand for coal export from Australia is waning as China pursues strict environmental regulations, carbon pricing and investment in renewable energy. Even the World Bank, US and UK governments have said they will stop investing in coal-fired power generation, reinforcing the imperative need for renewable energy.
We have reached a golden age of unlimited potential, but limited accountability.
Our Dickensian addiction fossil fuels persists however, particularly in Australia. Pair this with a regressively conservative, climate change denying and immigration fearing government, and Australia is blazing into the future in reverse gear. Greg Hunt, Australia’s Environment Minister, appears to be protecting the interests of industry even when it means repealing World Heritage listings. A delicately balanced ecosystem, Australia finds itself in a position to lead the charge towards a sustainable future but repeatedly squanders it; short-term gain somehow justifying long-term destruction.
Directing will and resources toward a constructive goal instead of destructive profiteering requires a type of vision that is sorely missing in both the public and private sectors. A bespoke creation, the Titanic II will require the involvement of skilled designers, architects, engineers and manufacturers to come to life, as well as immense amounts of raw material and energy. It’s a proven fact that we can now mass produce and mass consume anything, but this comes at the cost of severe social and environmental issues — issues that we are so inescapably surrounded by that superficial problem solving, ignorance, or outright apathy has become the route of choice for those who know better.
Though quick to pat ourselves on the back over our technological achievements, we are still the wilful participants in an industrial age. Down below the furnaces are still blazing furiously, consuming unrenewable resources and belching pollutants while on the top decks we immerse ourselves in as many methods of distraction as possible, only caring to notice when something goes wrong. George Nelson’s opening quote begins to ring true, both a strangely apt metaphor and commentary on manufactured reality.
Advancements in propulsion technology notwithstanding, safety will of course be the most obvious modern improvement on the Titanic II, though Palmer thinks it may not be necessary: “One of the benefits of global warming is there’s not as many icebergs in the North Atlantic,” he said, confident that history won’t repeat itself.
We have enough history to learn from. It’s time to worry less about making history and more about making the future.
