There is now, apparently, an alternative to burial or cremation. The method involves placing the cadaver in a sealed container pressurised with water and an alkaline substance. We are not told which alkali they use, however.
This is all well and good. If people want an alternative to burial or cremation, that’s okay, isn’t it?
It’s the justification that irritated me:
However for the eco-conscious, the disposal of the departed poses a dilemma. Both cremation and burial distribute contaminants into the natural atmosphere, particularly cremation which leads to the release of CO2.
The human body is an organic item that will decompose, just like any other organic substance. Organic matter enriches the soil, it does not contaminate it, it is the cycle of life and death. Our earthly remains contribute to new life – even if it is only a few daisies. And it is a demonstration of the success of propaganda that a trace gas essential for life on this planet is deemed to be a pollutant.
So, by all means offer an alternative to the traditional disposal methods, but spare us the eco-wankery, please.
We are not told which alkali they use, however.
Pikiwedia suggests it’s potassium hydroxide
With the wonderful underlying theme that humans are unnatural and need to be disposed of carefully, in a manner which would suit toxic waste. No details on what they do with the chemical soup either, which I would have thought would an even larger problem than a body being merrily munched on by the worms.
Yes I thought that too Korenwolf, that’s the trouble with so much greenery, the solutions are as bad if not worse than the problem and most of them don’t work anyway, as anyone who has ever tried to garden completely organically will confirm.