Climate change and the bad economy are both symptoms of the same growth-based “ecological bubble”. Tell governments to urgently address climate change despite the economic downturn, as both Wall Street and Main Street must realize that without ecosystems there can be no economy
TAKE ACTION! Wall Street’s sickness of growth at any cost, and its damage to both the world economy and global ecosystems, is bad news for already faltering efforts to craft a new international climate change treaty [search]. Tighter budgets and worries about jobs will surely be used at upcoming UN talks as excuses by governments hesitant to make the sacrifices necessary to avoid looming abrupt and run-away climate change. Current global economic difficulties must not stop urgent ecological measures — like dramatic emissions reduction and natural habitat protection and restoration — necessary to maintain a habitable Earth. The global growth machine [search] is seizing up because it is hitting ecological and economic limits, and because of its own greed.
We must demand world leaders not ignore looming apocalyptic global ecosystem collapse [search], in a vain effort to return to unsustainable and inequitable economic growth which caused the problems in the first place. This is a last warning, after which all men and women of good conscience and clear minds must commit to escalating “people power” resistance to bring about the necessary changes to ensure a continuation to being and a livable Earth. Tell world government below that climate change is a deadly fact, action cannot be delayed and its solution will help, not harm the economy. TAKE ACTION!
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October 6th, 2008 | Category: ecology | Leave a comment
Amongst scientists, James Hansen [search] has long been one of the clearest voices for strong action against climate change including ending the use of coal [ark | search]. Yet now he advocates replacing coal with wood from vast tree plantations [ark | more\ark], burning the wood and capturing and sequestering the carbon dioxide. It is saddening that such an ecologically short-sighted proposal comes from the man who rightly warns that we are already ‘beyond safe levels’ of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. It is understandable that he and other scientists are looking at ways of reducing the fast increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. Unfortunately, most of the proposals put forward for ‘cooling the planet’ involve either using vast amounts of energy for still unproven technologies (air capture of CO2) or, even more worryingly, sacrificing biodiversity and ecosystems.
Scientists who have developed the idea of using biomass power plants with carbon capture and storage in order to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels have made it clear that at least 500 million hectares of plantations would be required, which is over one and a half times the size of India. Replacing all coal burnt today with wood would require far more land and would almost certainly be impossible, although that may go beyond Hansen’s proposal.
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October 3rd, 2008 | Category: ecology | Comments Off
Wake up to the World’s greatest crisis! No, it is not financial; rather, the global water crisis [search] is both the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century. An important new documentary entitled “Flow - For the Love of Water” was released earlier in the year and sounds an urgent alarm, water resources are severely stressed globally and without massive societal and personal change, water necessary to sustain life will simply run out. You can live without a loan, but not water. The water crisis perfectly integrates and amplifies related climate change, terrestrial ecosystem loss, and over-population and consumption.
Ecological Internet has long predicted that global water shortages [search] may be the first wide-spread ecological calamity that occurs. Try living a few days without water and you will be swiftly brought back into touch with the fundamentally ecological nature of being. This provides the basis for our Water Conserve Portal and Water for All Always campaign. Solutions? Protect and restore old forests and their watersheds, dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, and strictly limits births and excessive conspicuous consumption. Anything less means a thirsty death for most if not all of humanity and our sister species as global ecosystems collapse [search].
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October 3rd, 2008 | Category: ecology | Leave a comment
Al Gore this week called for young people to engage in civil disobedience to stop new coal plants [ark | more\ark]. As is typical with the Goracle, you never really get the full truth and ecologically sufficient solutions, even when he tries to be radical. To achieve shared survival we ALL need to physically protest coal, ancient forest logging AND elite rule — the young and old, poor and middle class, educated and not — to end both, and ensure a livable world.
We agree that increasingly the economic and ecological crises are converging [ark]. It is the elite that have liquidated habitats for their leveraged financial thievery, leaving barren ecosystems and feeble markets in their wake. Given the failure of the ruling elites to play fair, share and maintain an operable biosphere and economy; it just may be time for a global citizens’ revolution to pull the whole stinking system down. Just an idea to equitably and justly solve both the ecological and economic crises plaguing us all and threatening our shared survival.
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September 28th, 2008 | Category: ecology | Leave a comment
There is no chance of achieving global ancient forest protection, climate stabilization and ecological sustainability until RAN and other ancient forest logging apologists follow Friends of the Earth in withdrawing from the Forest Stewardship Council and uniting to work to end ancient forest logging
TAKE ACTION! Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is one of a shrinking group of international environmental NGOs that supports industrial logging of ancient primary and old-growth forests by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) [search]. Sadly, as RAN prepares to gather for their annual lavish, celebrity studded “Revel” fund-raiser, there is little to celebrate regarding their disjointed and harmful Old Growth Campaign — legitimate questions regarding their FSC support have been stonewalled, Ontario’s continued ancient forest destruction legitimized, and the forest protection movement needlessly divided. Last week Friends of the Earth (FoE) became the first major international NGO to confirm they no longer support FSC certification; which falsely suggests primary and old-growth forest logging is desirable, benefits the climate, and is even sustainable; and that plantations are forests. RAN must stop supporting outdated, destructive logging. The following alert lets Revel’s many sponsors know they are funding greenwashing of ancient forest devastation — and asks that RAN immediately review and cease their support for destruction of centuries old ancient trees and their ecosystems. Please note, there are two different protest emails to send. TAKE ACTION!
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September 27th, 2008 | Category: ecology | Leave a comment
