NOLI TURBARE CIRCULOS MEOS

During the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC, a Roman soldier walked up to a Greek stranger who was sitting and drawing something in the sand. Since he was absorbed in thought, the Greek man asked the soldier not to disturb him, and then said the well-known sentence: «Noli turbare circulos meos!» («Do not disturb my cycles!») History has not preserved the soldier’s name, but the name of the Greek man is famous: Archimedes, a mathematician and astrologer, who was killed because of his response. Over the centuries, some other scientists were dreaming their own dreams, and drawing their cycles. The world was getting more and more developed. Their visions have become our reality

TWO WHEELS

A vehicle with two wheels – a bicycle – first appeared in the 19th century, in Europe. It is believed, however, that the first bicycle was designed by Michelangelo, three centuries earlier. Some bicycles can only be ridden over plain ground, but today there are models for riding over extremely inaccessible areas as well. Bicycles are everywhere. Until recently, they were the primary means of transportation in poor countries, but that is not the rule anymore.

FOUR WHEELS

Researching new possibilities, humans went even further: they used wheels and a shaft to design a new means of transportation that was faster and more comfortable than a bike. The vehicle was called an automobile: it was no longer the force of human legs that was making it move, but the power of an engine. With its development, new problems began to appear. Today we are facing considerable consumption of fossil fuels, which are normally used to make modern engines work, and products of their combustion is the subject of much research by scientists, especially those who study climate change. Gases released during the process of combustion end up in the atmosphere and because of that the natural layer of greenhouse gases is getting thicker and less porous. This increases the imbalance between the amount of energy we get from the sun and the amount of energy reflected from the Earth. To put it figuratively: the natural «windows» in the atmosphere are being closed so that it is becoming stuffy and too hot in the house.

Photomontage: What's problem?

WHY BIKE?

If we assume that Novi Sad, the town where I live currently, has 50,000 cars, and that each of them on the average consumes 5 liters of fuel daily, then the question 'Why bike?' is getting superfluous. However, here are some short answers:

1. because it is a cheap means of transportation
2. because cycling is healthy
3. because by using bicycles much more than cars, in a town like Novi Sad, the combustion of 250,000 liters of fuel could be avoided each day
4. because bicycles don’t contribute to global warming

GIVE ME BIKE – I’LL SAVE THE PLANET

Let’s mention Archimedes once again. He said: «Des ubi consistam, caelum terram movebo!” («Give me a fulcrum and a lever, and I can move the Earth!») Of course, he was not understood in his time.

A responsible human of the 21st century, who still relies on fossil fuels, should say as soon as possible: «Give me bike, and I’ll save the planet!» Maybe, like Archimedes, he or she wouldn’t win complete understanding by many contemporaries, but future generations would be grateful.

Photomontage: Barack Obama- Bicycling Against Global Warming