"If we destroy Creation, Creation will destroy us!"
--Pope Francis:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/capitalists-are-destroying-capitalism-along-with-the-planet-2014-11-24?siteid=yhoof2
As Naomi Klein wrote in The Nation: "Climate change demands we consume less, but being consumers is all we know" — all every capitalist knows. We all consume.We are all capitalists. And we will not change in time to save the planet, save us from ourselves. Because when humans finally awaken from our collective trance capitalism trance, it will be too late. The war has already been won by capitalism. Climate lost.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/09/this_changes_everything_naomi_klein_on_climate_change_and_capitalism.html
"We can't just do nothing!" --Margaret Thatcher
ReplyDeleteSpeech by Margaret Thatcher to United Nations General Assembly (Global Environment) 11/8/1989 -
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx? DocumentID=2712&ArticleID=9462&l=en#sthash.xZDPfhpW.dpuf
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx? DocumentID=2712&ArticleID=9462&l=en
http://youtu.be/VnAzoDtwCBg
Doing nothing is not an option!
Deletehttp://news.yahoo.com/global-warming-nothing-033609526.html
Watch the docimentary:
ReplyDelete"Journey to Planet Earth: Extreme Realities"
http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/home/
Hope for survival
ReplyDeleteWe can hope that in such desperate times
leaders will emerge
who will make the difficult but necessary decisions
to ensure survival of life
on this planet
"You have to change yourself to change the world. WE ARE the leaders we have been looking for." -Grace Lee Boggs
DeletePope Francis’s encyclical on the environment
DeletePope Francis urges "cultural revolution" to save the planet
Pope Francis offered a broad and uncompromising indictment of the global market economy, accusing it of plundering the earth at the expense of the poor and of future generations.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-delivers-powerful-message-on-climate-change-1434621606
Pope Francis: Unfettered capitalism is “the dung of the devil”
DeletePope Francis denounces capitalism, greed and the pursuit of money
Pope Francis is not known for mincing his words, but he truly unleashed his wrath against capitalism last night during an address to grassroots organizers in Bolivia, as part of his South American tour:“Human beings and nature must not be at the service of money. Let us say no to an economy of exclusion and inequality, where money rules, rather than service. That economy kills. That economy excludes.
That economy destroys Mother Earth.”
DeleteForget Bernie vs. Hillary. Forget the circus-clown-car distractions created by Trump vs. the GOP’s Fab 15.
Pope Francis is the only real political leader that matters this year.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pope-francis-leading-the-new-american-socialist-revolution-2015-07-20?siteid=yhoof2
Pope Francis ignites a revolt that will overthrow American capitalism
By Paul B. Farrell
Published: July 21, 2015
"Conservative capitalists. ..are on the wrong side of history"-- Paul B. Farrell
DeletePope Francis undermines conservative policies:Francis’s agenda, which also includes calls to address income inequality and limit climate change, is putting him at odds with Republicans, “Inequality is the root of social evil,” Francis tweeted in March, after months earlier slamming “trickle-down” economics as a “crude and naïve” theory.Next year, as part of a speech he’ll give to the United Nations General Assembly, Francis will issue an edict urging the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to do what they can to fight climate change.
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/01/pope-francis-odds-gophttp://thehill.com/homenews/administration/228289-pope-francis-splits-with-gopDelete
"climate change is not a problem that can be left to the next generation"
Delete--Pope Francis in America
Will 70 million American Catholics hear his voice!?
The Hollow Men
ReplyDeleteby T.S. Eliot
The poem begins with two epigraphs: one is a quotation from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness remarking on the death of the doomed character Kurtz. The other is an expression used by English schoolchildren who want money to buy fireworks to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.
On this holiday, people burn straw effigies of Fawkes, who tried to blow up the British Parliament back in the 17th century.
The poem is narrated by one of the "Hollow Men.
"In the first section of the poem, a bunch of Hollow Men are leaning together like scarecrows. Everything about them is as dry as the Sahara Desert, including their voices and their bodies. Everything they say and do is meaningless. They exist in a state like Hell, except they were too timid and cowardly to commit the violent acts that would have gained them access to Hell. They have not crossed over the River Styx to make it to either Heaven or Hell. The people who have crossed over remember these guys as "hollow men.
"In the second section, one hollow man is afraid to look at people who made it to "death's dream kingdom" – either Heaven or Hell. The Hollow Men live in a world of broken symbols and images.
The third section of the poem describes the setting as barren and filled with cacti and stones. When the Hollow Men feel a desire to kiss someone, they are unable to. Instead, they say prayers to broken stones.
In the fourth section, the hollow man from Section 2 continues to describe his vacant, desolate surroundings, in which are no "eyes." The Hollow Men are afraid to look at people or to be looked at.
The fifth and final section begins with a nursery rhyme modeled on the song "Here we go 'round the mulberry bush," except instead of a mulberry bush the kiddies are circling a prickly pear cactus. The speaker describes how a "shadow" has paralyzed all of their activities, so they are unable to act, create, respond, or even exist.
He tries quoting expressions that begin "Life is very long" and "For Thine is the Kingdom," but these, too, break off into fragments.
In the final lines, the "Mulberry Bush" song turns into a song about the end of the world. You might expect the world to end with a huge, bright explosion, but for the Hollow Men, the world ends with a sad and quiet "whimper."
Does Bernie Sanders have what it takes!
ReplyDeleteBernie Sanders Is Forcing Republicans to Embarrass Themselves on Climate Change:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWDHsnEoAaE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
He was the only independent member of the House of Representatives during most of his service and is the longest-serving independent in U.S. Congressional history.In an interview with The Nation on March 6, 2014, Sanders stated that he is "prepared to run for President of the United States" in 2016.
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/us-senate-agrees-on-the-reality-of-climate-change-but-fails-where-it-matters-most/44082/
Delete2014 Was The Hottest Year On Record Globally By Far
ReplyDeleteBy: Joe Romm
Think Progress
Monday, January 5, 2015
http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/JMA2014-638x597.jpg
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has announced that 2014 was the hottest year in more than 120 years of record-keeping — by far. NOAA is expected to make a similar call in a couple of weeks and so is NASA.As the JMA graph shows, there has been no “hiatus” or “pause” in warming. In fact, there has not even been a slowdown. Yes, in JMA’s ranking of hottest years, 1998 is in (a distant) second place — but 1998 was an outlier as the graph shows. In fact, 1998 was boosted above the trendline by an unusual super-El Niño. It is usually the combination of the underlying long-term warming trend and the regional El Niño warming pattern that leads to new global temperature records.What makes setting the record for hottest year in 2014 doubly impressive is that it occurred despite the fact we’re still waiting for the start of El Niño. But this is what happens when a species keeps spewing record amounts of heat-trapping carbon pollution into the air, driving CO2 to levels in the air not seen for millions of years, when the planet was far hotter and sea levels tens of feet higher.The JMA is a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Climate Center of excellence. The WMO had announced a month ago that 2014 was on track to be hottest year on record. Different climate-tracking groups around the world use different data sets, so they can show different results for 2014 depending on how warm December turns out to be.
"climate change" is the greatest threat to the planet!
DeleteWe have to change our trajectory...or our children are doomed.
DeleteIf ever there was a time to put our bodies on the line that time is now!!
The individual appears for an instant, joins the community of thought, modifies it and dies; but the species, that dies not, reaps the fruit of his ephemeral existence.
DeleteA.S. Byatt, Possession
(unless the species goes extinct!)
Planet Burning
DeleteWe deserve to suffer the consequences of our actions...
but what about the innocent animals and our children!
Why should my generation (and my children's) have to suffer and pay for the greed and excesses of our parents? Curse them for leaving us bankrupt on a poisoned planet!
Deletewe have to stop living high
Deleteon the backs of future generations!
Do you think that the lives of people yet to be born decades in the future have more value than those living and suffering today
DeleteThis argument cannot be used to justify leaving huge financial and ecological debts to future generations.We cannot justify polluting the environment in the name of "economic growth".
Economic activity wch negatively impacts the enviromment is not sustainable.
This is a false dichotomy.
A healthy environment is essential to all creatures--present and future alike!
This planet is poisoned beyond saving!
ReplyDeleteWe have to build or travel to a new home.
Perhaps this one--just 500 light years away.
http://m.space.com/25530-earthsize-exoplanet-kepler-186f-habitable-discovery.html
For the first time, scientists have discovered an Earth-size alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star, an "Earth cousin" that just might have liquid water and the right conditions for life.
The newfound planet, called Kepler-186f, was first spotted by NASA's Kepler space telescope and circles a dim red dwarf star about 490 light-years from Earth. While the host star is dimmer than Earth's sun and the planet is slightly bigger than Earth, the positioning of the alien world coupled with its size suggests that Kepler-186f could have water on its surface, scientists say. You can learn more about the amazing alien planet find in a video produced by Space.com."One of the things we've been looking for is maybe an Earth twin, which is an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a sunlike star," Tom Barclay, Kepler scientist and co-author of the new exoplanet research, told Space.com. "This [Kepler-186f] is an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a cooler star. So, while it's not an Earth twin, it is perhaps an Earth cousin. It has similar characteristics.
Here's another candidate:
Deletenew earth-like planet found in our galaxy be NASA's Kepler telescope
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33641648
The new world, named Kepler-452b,
is among 500 new possible planets sighted by the Kepler space telescope around distant stars.Twelve of the new candidates are less than twice Earth's diameter, orbiting in the so-called habitable zone around their star.This zone refers to a range of distances at which the energy radiated by the star would permit water to exist as a liquid on the planet's surface if certain other conditions are also met.
While similar in size and brightness to the Sun, Kepler-452b's host star is 1.5 billion years older than ours.
Can we get there...in time?!
ReplyDeleteBefore you get too excited about Kepler-452b, keep in mind that Earth 2.0 is located 1,400 light years away, in the constellation Cygnus.
DeleteNew home for sale
ReplyDeleteVoyager 1 is leaving our solar system at a speed of about 523.6 million km per year ( 62,136 km/h)
one light-year is equal to 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers ...>
500 light years = 9,500,000,000,000 X 500= 4,750,000,000,000,000 km> (4.75 X 10^15)
Therefore,
At our present maximum achievable rate of propulsion
(i.e. 523.6 million km per year) how many years will it take to reach > Kepler-186f?
Answer: 4,750,000,000,000,000÷523,600,000=> 9,000,000(9 million years)
At the speed of 523.6 million km per year it will take
9 million years to reach Kepler-186f.!!
Clearly at the highest propulsion speeds that we can currently achieve > we are not yet up to the challenge of interstellar travel!!
Does that mean this is the only earth we'll ever have!
*******************/**/*
"Planet earth is poisoned beyond saving!
We have to build or travel to a new home.> > > Perhaps this one--just 500 light years away.> > >> > > http://m.space.com/25530-earthsize-exoplanet-kepler-186f-habitable-discovery.html> > >> > > For the first time, scientists have discovered an Earth-size alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star, an "Earth cousin" that just might have liquid water and the right conditions for life. > > > The newfound planet, called Kepler-186f, was first spotted by NASA's Kepler space telescope and circles a dim red dwarf star about 490 light-years from Earth. While the host star is dimmer than Earth's sun and the planet is slightly bigger than Earth, the positioning of the alien world coupled with its size suggests that Kepler-186f could have water on its surface, scientists say. You can learn more about the amazing alien planet find in a video produced by Space.com."One of the things we've been looking for is maybe an Earth twin, which is an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a sunlike star," Tom Barclay, Kepler scientist and co-author of the new exoplanet research, told Space.com. "This [Kepler-186f] is an Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of a cooler star. So, while it's not an Earth twin, it is perhaps an Earth cousin. It has similar characteristics."
********************> >
On second thought perhaps it might be better to send a drone/probe to see if the natives are friendly!
"man's reach must exceed his grasp
ReplyDelete....or whats a heaven for?"
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOur nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri,
ReplyDeleteis just 4.2 Light Years away.
The Voyager 1 spacecraft left our solar system at 37,000 miles per hour.
At that speed, it will take Voyager 80,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri.
Even if Kepler finds "another earth" orbiting our nearest neighbor star...we can't get there!!
Delete"We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful not to destroy ourselves during this period.
DeleteBy that time we should have spread out into space and to other stars,so that a disaster on earth would not mean the end of the human race."
--Stephen Hawking
http://katesolomon.tumblr.com/post/137611689604/prof-stephen-hawking-has-more-bad-news-for
What is impossible today may be possible in a hundred years.
DeleteBut to realize that possibility we must first survive.
Now if we traveled at the speed of light,
ReplyDeleteit would just take 4.2 years to get to Proxima Centauri,
The 4.2 years to Proxima Centauri would seem like 4.2 years to anyone traveling at the speed of light (assuming one could),
... but time flow for those left behind would pass much faster, and many thousands of years would pass on earth before you arrived.
Countries at highest risk from climate warming:
ReplyDeletehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/countries-most-likely-survive-climate-150207158.html
ReplyDeleteClimate change and Al Gore's plan for a sustainable future
Al Gore interviewed by Susan Bonner:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/climate-change-presents-job-opportunities-former-world-leaders-say-1.3144537
Stephen Hawking predicts carastrophic end to planet earth:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.marketwatch.com/story/stephen-hawkings-catastrophic-end-for-planet-earth-2015-07-09?siteid=yhoof2
"I think the survival of the human race will depend on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe, because there's an increasing risk that environmental conditions will deteriorate to the point that earth will no longer be habitable."
Delete--Stephen Hawking
Failure to take care of thr environmrnt has consequences to our health
ReplyDeletehttps://www.yahoo.com/health/earths-degradation-threatens-major-health-gains-124204503917.html
Earth's Degradation Threatens Major Health Gains:
The dramatic decline of bees has already compromised the quantity and quality of many nutrient-rich crops that the health of women and children depend on.
The unprecedented degradation of Earth’s natural resources coupled with climate change could reverse major gains in human health over the last 150 years, according to a new report. “We have been mortgaging the health of future generations to realize economic and development gains in the present,” said the report, written by 15 leading academics and published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet. “By unsustainably exploiting nature’s resources, human civilization has flourished but now risks substantial health effects from the degradation of nature’s life support systems in the future.” Climate change, ocean acidification, depleted water sources, polluted land, over-fishing, biodiversity loss —all unintended by-products of humanity’s drive to develop and prosper — “pose serious challenges to the global health gains of the past several decades,” especially in poorer nations, the 60-page report concludes. The likely impacts on global health of climate change, ranging from expanded disease vectors to malnourishment, have been examined by the UN’s panel of top climate scientists.
Mass industrialisation -– in which human activity has arguably reshaped Earth’s bio-chemical make-up. “This is the first time that the global health community has come out in a concerted way to report that we are in real danger of undermining the core ecological systems that support human health,” said Samuel Myers, a scientist at Harvard University and one the authors.
A companion study on the worldwide decline of bees and other pollinators, led by Myers and also published in The Lancet, illustrates one way this might happen. The dramatic decline of bees has already compromised the quantity and quality of many nutrient-rich crops that depend on the transfer of pollen to bear fruit. Pollinators play a key role in 35 percent of global food production, and are directly responsible for up to 40 percent of the world’s supply of micro-nutrients such a vitamin A and folate, both essential for children and pregnant women. The complete wipe-out of pollinating creatures, the study concludes, would push a quarter of a billion people in the red-zone of vitamin A or folate deficiency, and cause an increase in heart disease, stroke and some cancers, leading to some 1.4 million additional deaths each year. A 50 percent loss of pollination would result in roughly half that impact, the researchers found. Scientist are still debating exactly why pollinators are dying off, but there is no disagreement that all the possible causes— pollution, insecticides, land-loss —are related to human activity. A second companion study examines for the first time the impact of decreased zinc levels in staple crops such as wheat, rice, barley and soy caused by higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the main driver of global warming. Already, nearly a fifth of the world’s population is at risk of zinc deficiency, which can cause pre-mature delivery, reduce growth and weight-gain in children, and compromise immune functions. By 2050, projected CO2 emissions could place an additional 150 million people at risk, according to the study published in Lancet Global Health. “Our civilizations may seem strong and resilient, but history tells us that our societies are fragile and vulnerable,” Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet and a co-author of the main report, said in a statement. Introducing the concept of planetary health, the report calls for urgent action, starting with a paradigm shift in the way we understand the relationship between our environment, social or economic progress, and human health.
ReplyDeleteGreenView: New Study Confirms Lack of Connection to Nature Is Making Us Sick
Contributed by admin on May 04, 2015 - 04:52 PMOTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - May 04, 2015) -
The newly released Helsinki Alert of Biodiversity and Health report confirms that a lack of exposure to nature contributes to human illness. Primary authorLeena von Hertzen along with international leading experts including famed Canadian immunologist and member of the Order of Canada, Dr. John Bienenstock concluded that "the loss of habitat due to urbanization has caused a massive loss of biodiversity and this loss of biodiversity impacts our health. Our disconnection from nearby nature is a prime reason why allergies, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and even some forms of cancer have become epidemics. The same is true for mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression."According to the report, exposure to natural environments enhances physical and mental health as well as cognitive functions. "Contact with biodiverse natural environments in our cities is key to the maintenance of the broad community of microbiota required to promote a healthy immune system and thus prevent chronic inflammatory diseases," says Canadian contributor Dr. Bienenstock.The Canadian Wildlife Federation is working to combat the growing trend of lack of connection with nature. "This report proves what CWF has been saying for over 50 years," says Wade Luzny, CWF CEO and Executive Vice-President. "Whether you live in a major urban metropolis or a rural setting, our country is graced with having wildlife and nature all around us. Connecting with nature not only is builds a conservation ethic amongst Canadians, the bottom line is it makes us all happier, healthier people."CWF programs such as the new Wild Family Nature Clubs and Wild Outside provide opportunities for families and youth to actively engage in outdoor play, exploration and discovery.Beginning this week, CWF is proud to be the national presenting partner for an education campaign to get children out and about in their neighbourhood. International researcher Tim Gill, author of No Fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society, will be speaking in eight Canadian cities at 12 events to encourage discussion of the benefits of outdoor play."There is growing evidence that nature is good for our health and well-being. Now a leading international group of immunologists have warned that a lack of contact with nature may be bad for us," says Gill. "This warning adds weight to the call for decision-makers to pay more attention to the role of nature in our everyday lives -- and especially in the lives of children."
"What kind of animal continues down a path that threatens tha survival of its grandchildren?
ReplyDeleteThe survival of humanity depends on our changing course and learning to live in harmony with our environment.
--David Suzuki
It has happened before...though on a smaller scale:
Deletehttp://www.stevegrossi.com/on/collapse
If we love our children we should strive to leave the planet in better shape than we found it...so the future generation can enjoy a better quality of life.
Deletewatch the documentary "Architects of Change"
Leading UK scientific organizations urge governments to tackle climate change head on
ReplyDeleteJul 21, 2015
A joint statement on climate change from 24 of the UK's foremost academic and professional institutions, including the Royal Society and the Institute of Physics, which publishes Physics World, has been released today. The statement recognizes that human activity is responsible for climate change, and the organizations are urging governments to take immediate action if they are to avert the serious risks posed by the changing climate.The statement brings together a variety of institutions from across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, medicine and engineering fields. These leading UK institutions say that to tackle climate change, governments worldwide, including that of the UK, must seize the opportunity at November's UN Climate Change Conference in Paris to negotiate a legally binding and universal agreement on tackling climate change, based on the latest scientific evidence.
Physical view
"The scientific evidence that climate change is real, and that it's caused by human action, is compelling. If we're to limit its effects, then we have to act sooner rather than later," says Institute of Physics president Frances Saunders. She adds that "physics is not only central to understanding the climate, it will also be fundamental to mitigating its effect and transitioning to low-carbon technologies".The statement warns that to truly limit global warming in this century to 2 °C relative to the pre-industrial period will require a transition to a net zero-carbon world by the end of this century, and calls on governments to put in place the necessary policy and technological responses, while seizing the opportunities of low-carbon and climate-resilient growth. The organizations agree that the scientific evidence is now overwhelming that the climate is warming, and that human activity is largely responsible for this change through emissions of greenhouse gases.Climate change poses risks to human beings and ecosystems the world over by worsening existing economic, environmental, geopolitical, health and societal threats, and generating new ones. These issues include everything from the increased risk from extreme weather – the like of which is already being seen globally – with a rise of 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, to substantial species extinction and global food insecurity at or above 4 °C.
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2015/jul/20/leading-uk-scientific-organizations-urge-governments-to-tackle-climate-change-head-on
Obama acts on climate change: "Clean Power Plan" will drastically limit emissions
ReplyDelete"Climate change is not just a problem for the next generation. Not anymore!"
--Obama
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-unveil-more-ambitious-climate-change-plan-082320017.html
http://www.mtv.com/news/2230041/obama-clean-power-act/
http://news.yahoo.com/american-lung-association-lauds-clean-power-plan-for-protecting-vulnerable-citizens-154339725.html
Probably "too little,too late"
Delete....but better late than never!
"We are the last generation that can do something about it (climate change)"
--Obummer
the "time of trouble" is not coming
Deletein some distant future
that will befall our grandchildren;
It is here and now!
"climate change is not a problem that can be left to the next generation"
Delete--Pope Francis in America
Will 70 million American Catholics hear his voice!?
Anglican Church divests its investments from fossil fuels.
ReplyDeleteIn reproaching the lack of political will and leadership to address environmental concerns the Church of England makes a political and a moral statement:
"We have a duty to take care of the earth!"
http://www.virtueonline.org/anglican-church-must-divest-fossil-fuels-cope-climate-crisis-bishops-say
Climate warming causing coastal flooding:
ReplyDeletepolar icecaps and glaciars are releasing their sequestered water and causing ocean levels to rise.
The polar icecaps are an immense solid storehouse of frozen water. Once melted it adds to the volume of the plant's oceans.
There will be more mass migrations from coastal regions as ocean levels rise. (Most of the planets population lives along the coast)
http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-model-maps-sea-level-rise-never-video-213847122.html
Coastal farmland shrinks as saltwater not capable of food production.
http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-rising-sea-levels-more-dangerous-thought-003932980.html
Coastal and island nations will take the brunt of climate change as sea levels rise.
Delete"We may have to deal with tens of millions of climate refugees from Asia-Pacific area"
--Borack Obama
President Obama: Don't Condemn our Children to a Planet Beyond Repair
ReplyDelete.Good Morning America
By SERENA MARSHALL
President Obama issued a stark warning on climate change Monday, stating that future generations will face harsh consequences if we don’t fix the issue soon.“Climate change is no longer some far-off problem. It is happening here. It is happening now,” he warned the representatives of more than 20 countries attending the Conference on Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience, or GLACIER.“The time to heed the cynics and critics and the deniers has passed. The time to plead ignorance has surely passed,” Obama said. “Those who want to ignore the science, they are increasingly alone. They are on their own shrinking island.”
“Any so-called leader who doesn’t take this issue seriously or treats it like a joke is not fit to lead,” he said. “On this issue, of all issues, there is such a thing as being too late, and that moment is almost upon us.”
While discussing the rising sea levels, Obama cited a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters that estimates Alaskan glaciers lose 57 gigatons, or 75 billion tons, of ice per year. To describe the size he explained it as a block of ice the of size the National Mall in Washington, D.C., stretching from Congress to the Lincoln Memorial, that is four times as tall as the Washington Monument.Speaking in Alaska, he emphasized the already disappearing Alaskan villages and native cultures threatened by global warming; while adding that climate change affects every facet of life on the planet.“Climate change is a trend that affects all trends. Economic trends, security trends, Everything will be impacted and becomes more dramatic with each passing year,” he said. “Desperate refugees seeking the sanctuary of nations not their own, political disruptions that could trigger multiple conflicts around the globe, that’s not a future of strong economic growth. That’s not a future where freedom and human rights is on the move.”And while he issued warning of the need to act, he also cited that the technology exists to help solve the problem and it’s not “simply a danger to be avoided, this is an opportunity to be seized.”Obama highlighted the agreement between the U.S. and China, the world’s two largest economies and emitters, to limit emissions, while touting that the ability to grow economies and protect the environment are no longer at odds with one another. The U.S. economy has grown nearly 60 percent over the past 20 years, while carbon emissions have dropped to levels from two decades ago, he said.But he was cautious to emphasize that no nation was “moving fast enough.”“If we were to abandon our course of action—if we stopped trying to build a clean energy economy and reduce carbon pollution—if we do nothing to stop glaciers from melting faster and oceans from rising faster and forests from burning faster and storms from growing stronger, we will condemn our children to a planet beyond their capacity to repair it,” he said.Obama added that the political will may finally be upon the world to act on the issue.“We know that human activity is changing the climate. That is beyond dispute. Everything else is politics,” he said.
https://gma.yahoo.com/president-obama-dont-condemn-children-planet-beyond-repair-050642419--abc-news-topstories.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=ma
Paris climate talks last chance!
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/paris-climate-talks-last-chance-pacific-leaders-085701828.html
DeleteParis Agreement:empty promises?
the nations of the planet have agreed to reduce emissions
Will it be enough?
unenforceable aspirational goals are not legally binding
no enforcement means no consequences for failure to comply
therefore they are not binding and will not be effective
Vote out tbe deniers!
ReplyDeletehttps://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10404080_10153581343323874_2154967277649428573_n.png?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=7f04c446a90f08774a64a3f3d7679dd6&oe=5667CFFA
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2015/09/deniers-are-all-over-the-map-climate-realists-all-over-the-world/
The Tibetan plateau, which has the largest store of ice outside the North and South Pole, has experienced rising temperatures of 1.3 Celsius over the past five decades, three times the global average, the leadership said in a statement.Tibet, with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters (13,125 ft) is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Warming is already melting glaciers that are the source of water in rivers that help support about 1.3 billion people. "The Tibetan Plateau needs to be protected, not just for Tibetans but for the environmental health and sustainability of the entire world," the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, said.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/dalai-lama-says-climate-change-destroying-tibets-roof-063758979.html
Melting of the Greenland icefields:
Deletehttp://news.yahoo.com/scientists-reveal-bit-good-news-greenlands-great-melt-185613299.html
Is the threat of global warming just a conspiracy to destroy capitalism?
ReplyDeletehttp://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/021015-738779-climate-change-scare-tool-to-destroy-capitalism.htm
Capitalism exposed: putting the brakes on "out of control" greed
If the deniers are wrong, we end up with an uninhabitable planet by 2100.if the environmentalists are wrong, and we follow their prescription we end up with cleaner air,cleaner water, chemical-free food, and preserved wilderness and wildlife to enjoy.
Doesn't seem like a difficult choice.Really a "no brainer"!
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Capitalism exposed:We can no longer allow unrestrained greed to continue poisoning the planet.
The environmentalist agenda is not to kill or manacle capitalist enterprise (to replace Capitalism with Socialism)...but to regulate economic activity so that the pursuit of wealth doesn't poison the planet.
This can be done by taxing greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging a green economy.
Capitalism has improved our standard of living, but "unrestrained capitalism" now threatens our survival by poisoning the environment upon wch our survival depends. Absolute freedom to pursue profit is no longer in the interest of the common good.
Climate warming to have devastating impact on world economy:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/unmitigated-climate-change-shrink-global-economy-23-percent-173132301.html
children file class action lawsuit claim.
ReplyDeletePolluters are damaging their future!
http://news.yahoo.com/us-kids-lawsuit-over-climate-change-gathers-steam-022539503.html
ReplyDelete"This Changes Everything":
Naomi Klein & Avi Lewis Film on the Fight for Climate Justice
http://m.democracynow.org/web_exclusives/2658
******************
http://www.contextwithlornadueck.com/episodes/climate-change-2015
LORNA'S WRAP
I've seldom seen a story have to battle so hard against the selfish trait to consume as I've seen in this global debate on Climate Change. The need to heal our environment gets lost in scientific soundbites and confusing carbon costing battles. But the wind did bring a rather simple sound my way on climate care - I heard it in Pope Francis's encyclical Letter, Laudato Si, "On Care for Our Common Home." In his examination of the crisis facing us on climate care, Pope Francis reminds us of the Saint he chose his name for, Francis. It seems that the original Francis was so good at care for this common home that he greeted everything, the animals, the plants, as "Brother or Sister," instead of just seeing something to consume in his world, Francis engaged his imagination with relationships. He saw the earth as part of cycle of life that he cared for. Surely it can only help us in how we relate to each other and our planet to shift to a rhythm of care for life, rather than a right to consume.
Today upon hearing that Alberta has introduced a carbon tax, and that the new Liberal government intends to reverse Canada's laggard role on climate change at the upcoming Paris gathering. ..I feel somehow hopeful that perhaps humanity can still avert its own destruction.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the nations of the world can yet do enough to
re verse the inevitable consequences of the prezent trend.
The time for effective action is drawing short!
Can enough still be done?
...and then there are still the deniers!
Republicans move to block Obama's effort to reduce carbon emmissions:
Deletehttp://news.yahoo.com/slap-obama-gop-led-house-moves-block-climate-211456249--politics.html
http://news.yahoo.com/us-republicans-aim-roll-back-obama-emissions-rules-182524754.html
http://news.yahoo.com/whos-dumb-one-obama-reacts-trump-climate-criticism-151732281.html
DeleteThe fragile state of Earth's climate system was underlined in a report by the UN's weather agency in Geneva, warning of record high temperatures.Based on data for the first 10 months of the year, "we feel very confident... that 2015 will be the warmest year on record," said World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Michel Jarraud.
ReplyDeleteThe WMO said land and sea temperatures were likely to surpass previous records shattered last year.And 2011-2015 marked the hottest five-year period ever measured, at 0.57 C above the 1961-90 average."This is all bad news for the planet," Jarraud told reporters.The WHO usually waits to have a full year's worth of data before drawing such conclusions but said it wanted the findings "to inform negotiators" at the UN climate talks.The WMO said the global average surface temperature this year would likely pass "the symbolic and significant milestone" of 1 C.- 'Time not on our side' -"We have already warmed the atmosphere by more than half" of the 2 C allocation, said Jarraud."This is of great concern," he said, also pointing out that greenhouse-gas concentrations in the atmosphere also broke a new record this year.
These gases can linger for centuries, continuing to warm the atmosphere long after emissions are cut."Time is really not on our side," Jarraud said. "We have the knowledge and the tools to act. We have a choice. Future generations will not."
http://news.yahoo.com/paris-climate-conference-start-day-early-un-165205645.html
https://www.wmo.int/media/content/wmo-2015-likely-be-warmest-record-2011-2015-warmest-five-year-period
"The question we must ask is,
ReplyDelete'Is it worth killing the planet by doing nothing?'"
--Kathryn Wynne (premier of Ontario)
Climate change will cause increasing competition/conflict for dwindling resouces:
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/climate-change-conflict-perfect-storm-075806015.html
ReplyDeleteA 15-year-old kid from Colorado just walked into the United Nations and dared a group of world leaders to do something about climate change.
His name is Xiuhtezcatl Roske Martinez.
"climate change isn't just a moral issue, it's a life-or-death issue."
“What's at stake right now is the existence of my generation," he said in his speech.
"We need to reconnect with the earth and end this mindset that we have that we can take whatever we want without ever giving back," he said.
http://www.upworthy.com/meet-the-15-year-old-hero-who-just-gave-the-un-some-real-talk-about-the-future-of-his-generation?c=sr1&sr_source=lift_facebook
corporate profiteers seek to supress the voice of climate activists
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/newint/videos/10153264895188461/
http://corporateeurope.org/environment/2015/11/lobby-planet-paris-guide-corporate-cop21
For more grassroots coverage from Paris: www.newint.org/live/paris
Read the truth about corporate influence at COP21: www.goo.gl/8eAZFD
Global warming be damned!
ReplyDeleteCorporate lobbyists are seeking to sabotage the talks to ensure tbat no binding agreement to reduce global emissions is reached. They are only interested in obstructing any agreement wch will impede the short term goals of their greedy profit-motivated mazters.
Global warming accelerating
ReplyDeleteNASA and NOAA say 2015 warmest year on record
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/20/us/noaa-2015-warmest-year/
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/science/earth/2015-hottest-year-global-warming.html?_r=0&referer=http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&rct=j&q=NASA%20and%20NOAA%20say%202015%20warmest%20year%20on%20record&ved=0ahUKEwj0iZfnt7nKAhVX7WMKHbc2DTsQqQIIHDAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F01%2F21%2Fscience%2Fearth%2F2015-hottest-year-global-warming.html&usg=AFQjCNFkbfQJP53BNV7RRX1cHWHg5s93iQ
Paris climate change agreement is non-mandatory....and therefore ineffective.
ReplyDeletewatch the documentary "Chasing Ice" by James Belog
ReplyDeletemonetary cost of Climate Change to Canadians
ReplyDeletenew report pegs price at $900.million/year
http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/canadian-disaster-relief-to-cost-over-900m-annually-report/64215
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/ottawa/canada-extreme-weather-costs-pbo-report-1.3465264
ReplyDeleteIs Justin Trudeau's vision of a "clean and green" economy for Canada...just hot air!?
http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/politics/environment-shouldn-t-be-a-partisan-issue-trudeau-1.2800849
this so-called "agreement" is an abysmal failure!.
DeleteIt does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions one iota.
Agreeing that something has to be done...is not the same as doing something!
It is time to stop talking and start doing!
Climate change is real and disastrous!
The polar icecaps are melting,the glaciers are melting,the permafrost is melting.
Punishing emissions by imposing an enforceable carbon tax is the responsibility of the federal government.
Ottawa must pass legislation on carbon pricing that all provinces will be forced to comply with.
Further delay is not an option.
It is time to walk the walk!
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-northern-hemispheres-temperature-hit-a-milestone-2016-3
Deleteleonardo dicaprio's fight to save the planet:
ReplyDeleteleonardo dicaprio's acceptance speach at Oscars
http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/leonardo-dicaprio-climate-activist/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link
http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/leonardo-dicaprios-oscar-acceptance-speech-and-why-it-made-sense_1862302.html
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lK-vrvfsTT4
student from Tanzania speech at UN on climate change
ReplyDeletehttp://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/category/video-climate-change/
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/04/remarks-by-getrude-clement-at-paris-agreement-signing-ceremony/********************** Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio at Paris Agreement signing ceremony
http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/04/messenger-of-peader-leonardo-dicaprio-speaks-as-high-level-signature-ceremony-for-the-paris-agreement/
david suzuki warning to humanity in 1992
ReplyDeletehttp://m.huffingtonpost.ca/david-suzuki/humanity-warning-signs_b_13942648.html
the fundamental problem is overconsumption driven by overpopulation
moving up from abject poverty into the middleclass we see the diseases of affluence and rampant consumption
we need to decrease our consumption and decrease our population
warning to humanity--a second edition:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/health/scientists-warn-humanity/index.html
I am quickly losing hope that humanity can make the necessary adjustments in their behaviour to avoid the immense suffering that will be caused by worsening climate warming.
DeletePrescribing austerity for others is fine... but it is not something anyone wants for themselves. Political leaders who have the power to legislate effective change are too shortsighted to do so.
Politicians cannot be trusted to solve the problem; they are part of yhe problem corrupted by power and wealth.
Any politician who advocates an unpopular policy of austerity (consuming less=shrinking the economy) would not be elected, or would soon be voted out of office.
And yet to stay the course and remain on the trajectory we are on is to reap increasingly bitter consequences. There will not be any amelioration in global climatic conditions until those pumping emissions into the atmosphere are held accountable.
Polluters must be punished in order to reduce carbon emissions. We need to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. We have to move to energy systems that do not pollute.
For effective transformative change, humans would need to subordinate their inherently selfish nature and their unwillingness to see beyond their own brief lifespans, and to work cooperatively toward the common goal of caring for the longterm health of the planet for the sake of all humanity including future generations.
Members of some religious faiths find solace in some magical prophecied event whereby a messianic leader will emerge to save us.
But is this anytjing but a delusional escape from reality.
We must take effective measures to save ourselves!
The days of unrestricted population growth must end. The more humans multiply and the more they consume, ...the more they deplete the planet's resources and the more waste/pollution thry produce.
Deletehttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-30/australian-students-climate-change-protest-scott-morrison/10571168
Deletehttps://globalnews.ca/news/5060618/student-strike-climate-change/
students strike for climate change:
https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/03/14/world/global-climate-strike-teenagers-school-walkout-greta-thunberg-intl/index.html
"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so." - Noam Chomsky
DeleteRelationship between selfishness and environmental degradation
ReplyDeletewealth inequality undermines our sense of fairness wch makes people resort to breaking the law (criminal behavior) to accumulate wealth and gain economic relief. They will not abide by societal norms and rules...and tbat noncompliance results in a degradation of trust in social institutions and a disintegration of the social order. (just imagine what would happen if traffic rules were disregarded!) Corruption in politics and the abuse of power promotes distrust in political leaders and the political process itself
When one group of people is allowed to get rich at the expense of another (one group is starved out of the economy). When the economy does not work to benefit everyone,the economically-deprived perceive a systemic bias in the economic system and have lost trust in the impartiality of the justice system. Only the broken people understand yhe meaning of justice...precisely because they have been victims of injustice.
Predatory capitalism: capitalism is slavery with a modern twist. Capitalism views the work force as a commodity rather than as human beings. We need strong unions to protect workers rights. capitalists see labour/laborers as a means to one's own enrichment
Without regulation and state oversight, capitalism is unaccountable rule by the wealthy in wch workers are no more than slaves to be exploited for ones own profit.
Capitalists love taking advantage of low labour costs in other countries (such as China and Mexico) The less they can. pay their workers the more profit tbey can keep for tbemselves.
If we are to build a just society we must not tolerate tbe victimization/dehumanization of groups of people.
extreme inequality is unhealthy (results in societal instability). It damages the entire social fabric. It erodes equality of opportunity. "Different reward for same effort" is inherently unfair. Levels of wealth are not justly earned. Most of the 1% get their wealth through political connections. Economic inequality translates into political inequality. The rich have disproportionate influence in elections. political decisions(policy choices) are made on behalf of the wealthy and of large corporations who fund campaigns.
For the elite, inequality morphs into entitlement. They feel above the law. They are more selfisb and more immoral. Those with greater wealth don't care about others. ******************** loopholes are written into law to incentivize entrepreneurship.
plugging loopholes in the corporate tax laws reforming the tax system to make it equitable for all
loopholes in the taxlaws give unfair advantage to the wealthy by allowing them to incorporate (to receive private corporate status and its associated tax breaks) People who can afford to incorporate qualify for tax breaks. Existing tax laws disproportionately benefit the wealthy. (tax labor more than capital) Whats needed is a "Robin Hood economy" where the wealthy pay more! "universal basic income" supported by higber corporate taxes. Governments must have a "poverty-reduction strategy" so no one is left behind
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capitalists see labour/laborers as a means to one's own enrichment Capitalists love taking advantage of low labour costs in other countries (such as China and Mexico) The less they can. pay their workers the more profit tbey can keep for tbemselves. Without regulation and state oversight, capitalism is unaccountable rule by the wealthy in wch workers are no more than slaves to be exploited for ones own profit.
grassroots movement for the health of Mother Earth:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/13341879933/posts/10156788925289934/?sfnsn=mo&s=and ytt&w=y
We can do this!
Let's get it done!
ReplyDeleteThe chilfren sre screaming and pleading and striking.
they are speaking up for one another as part of an emerging international movement of children and a global web of creation that includes all those amazing animals and natural wonders that they fell in love with so effortlessly, only to discover that it was all slipping away.
We must each close the gap between what we know about the urgency of the climate crisis and how we behave.
During normal, nonemergency times, the capacity of the human mind to rationalize, to compartmentalize, and to be distracted easily is an important coping mechanism. All three of these mental tricks help us get through the day. It’s also extremely helpful to look unconsciously to our peers and role models to figure out how to feel and act—those social cues are how we form friendships and build cohesive communities. When it comes to rising to the reality of climate breakdown, however, these traits are proving to be our collective undoing. They are reassuring us when we should not be reassured. They are distracting us when we should not be distracted. And they are easing our consciences when our consciences should not be eased. In part, this is because if we were to decide to take climate disruption seriously, pretty much every aspect of our economy would have to change,
capitalism, the economic system of limitless consumption and ecological depletion at the heart of the climate crisis.
Alongside the theories that rationalized treating humans as raw capitalist assets to exhaust and abuse without limit were theories that justified treating the natural world (forests, rivers, land and water animals) in precisely the same way. Millennia of accumulated human wisdom about how to safeguard and regenerate everything from forests to fish runs were swept away in favor of a new idea that there was no limit to humanity’s ability to control the natural world, nor to how much wealth could be extracted from it without fear of consequence.
the right of supposedly superior white Christians to inflict tremendous violence on those they have decided to classify as beneath them in a brutal hierarchy of humanity.
ReplyDeleteour war against nature is a war against ourselves!
Nature is telling us that we have to reduce our expansion/growth and our footprint on the p!anet.
we live in a world focused on economic growth and development
Deletethe call for relentless growth is suicidal
nature has self-governing mechanisms to ensure that populations don't grow out of control
Nothing in. nature grows exponentially...except cancer wch kills its host!
A 2017 study by environmental geographer Seth Wynes showed tbat the four most impactful actions that individuals can take to lighten their carbon footprint are(in order of impact):
ReplyDeletehaving fewer children,living car free,reducing air travel,and switching to a plant-based diet.
So why are governments telling people to switch out their light bulbs and recycle (the small easily achievable actions wch have relatively minor impacts on emissions) ,... instead of having fewer children,buying less cars, flying less, and reducing tbeir meat intake?
Because implementing the more effective policies is politically hazardous.
Can you imagine a politician who advocates reducing consumption!?
Consumers are voters and they want to believe that they can solve climate change and save the world without requiring any drastic change in their lives.
This is denial! This is delusion!
Fundamental change is absolutely necessary in our economic system and in our way of life .
For human behaviour to continue on the same trajectory is suicide.
Voters must agree that serious change is needed and they must vote for political candidates who are honest , and who have the will to implement effective climate action policies.
The new climate denialism
ReplyDeleteInterview with Seth Klein
The Current Transcript for November 17, 2020
Host: Matt Galloway
STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE
Prologue
[Music: theme]
SOUNDCLIP
VOICE: The new climate denialism is when our leaders say that they get the climate crisis, but then they don't practice a politics that aligns with what the science says we have to do.
MATT GALLOWAY: The clock is ticking and science says we need to take bold action now if we want to meaningfully address climate change. So if pragmatism won't cut it, how do we get politicians to embrace the big steps needed? Seth Klein says we need to take lessons from Canada's involvement in and approach to the Second World War. He makes that case in 30 minutes. Also this morning, as we wait for a vaccine for COVID-19, an update on the drugs being used now to treat this disease. P