Amazing. Money and politics ... priorities of people with their brains filled with concrete, seemingly unable to understand that if life on the planet cannot survive because of pollution and short-sighted destruction of eco-systems supportive of biological diversity and crucial, natural planetary "organs," such as the rain forests/the lungs of the planet and rivers, streams, oceans that are comparable to capillaries, veins, arteries ... blood of the planet, money and politics will be rendered meaningless. And Time to turn things around is running out.

But also, whether it is the numbing and dumbing that begins in earliest childhood with babies strapped in a plastic carrier plunked in front of a television screen for hours and hours and hours, most of the ordinary persons I talk with where I live, born into the age of color and cable do not have a clue and are not particularly interested. Frequently they think I am doom-and-gloom nutz. Aren't they shopping still and getting what they want, whether food, clothing, cosmetics, lawn mowers, barbecue grills or the like? WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? Didn't we just elect a new president?

The best and most effective teacher to blast through ignorance is direct experience requiring immediate action for survival, and that does not bode well for the earth and all its life forms. "Oh, ohhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhhh, this is a tsunami ... glug, glug, glug ..."

Lest I ruin my own afternoon with an overdose of pessimism, I shall connect and reconnect with those who are being or finding new ways to be Paul and Paula Revere making a difference, and then keep on keeping on whether some think I'm nutz or not. ;-)

It's such a lovely planet.

/cm

In this up-side down world, the government, hopefully different this time, seldom ever leads. Perhaps,---no, not even 'perhaps'--- WE have to do it inspite of the inertia of the system and people who 'don't get it'. It's always been that way. It's sad, but everyone who can get it, has got it.
Forget the rest.
Set about doing what must be done, on whatever scale you can do it.
Big Ark, little ark, just do it.
You'll need 90 days of food, water and a way to filter water, some way to hide/defend your stash, a radio, solar battery charger, medical stuff, on and on.

Good luck. Keep on talking and network with like minds.

I think seismic activity will be the opening act. Stay tuned. Sell the beach house.

YES to we have to do this. Yes and yes.

My fantasy: STOP THE WORLD I WANT TO STAY ON global action.

The way this global action would work would be that different groups, ideally those associated with caretaking and basic survival, like educators, food delivery, would select a time to have a strike and "stop the world" going on as climate-change destruction usual. Strikes would come randomly, happen all over, without warning or perhaps in some cases with warning, mirroring how climate change is impacting us. Things happen without warning, all over, that derail and disrupt life as usual. Stirkes are always non-violent.

BUT, and this is important, what the strikers DO on their strike days is something positive: they hold a teach in about climate change, post peak oil, they organize the plant a community garden, they write letters and send emails by the gazillions to leadership. They show movies, like the newly released A Sea Change about ocean acidification, or the soon to be released Age of Stupid. This is the "WANT TO STAY ON" part of the movement.

The movement STOPS THE WORLD as it is, disrupting business as usual, and engages in actions to help us STAY ON.

The key, again, is that the Stopping and the Staying happen randomly, all over, in big surges and small, mirroring climate change.

Democracy not working? Democracy has not yet been tried.

Democracy is not working? We don't have a democracy! We have a two party corporate oligarchy that manages the profit and wealth flow for a small elite. We need a reboot to a genuine democratic republic based upon the Constitution and Bill of Rights, not wordsmithing gibberish that supercedes the constitution and the common good.

1) eliminate corporate personhood (which is illegal already)

2) institute IRV, verifiable vote, totally public funded elections with a minimum of 5 parties determined by a preliminary vote for their respective party platforms.

3) allow a collective of people to run and occupy office. They represent a platform and are not in office to foist off personal choices. This would free a team of people to put in a day a week and maintain their regular life. This would also eliminate all the bargaining and bartering of favors that goes on and streamline it to a simple platform of objectives like the Green Party has. For instance reduce all toxicity in industry and society by 95% within 10 years. They have 10 years to comply or go out of business. Any business can retool in 10 years. No compromise on final goals, compromise on incremental stages in between instead.

4) vote for any party other than the Republicans or Democrats that promise a platform of functional goals to make a sustainable world.

Can we put a CAP on the Earth and TRADE it in for Mars?

Democracy IS THE TOOL of the two party corporate oligarchy that manages the profit and wealth flow for a small elite.
Have a close look all over the world. Isn’t it amazing that in most countries it is pretty much the same that there has been a two party system established which plays tennis with the citizens’ votes, draining all chance for radical change of ways, which is desperately needed.
The intelligentsia of a system, clued up enough to make sense of the mess and to have the education to see alternatives, is in the minority. The voting masses are kept in convenient ambivalence with welfare payments, games and survival struggle.
Democracy is the tyranny of a few cunning circles that use the stupidity of the masses.
The world would need a benevolent altruistic and humanistically inclined ‘King’ with wisdom, integrity and foresight. But you can’t always get what you need when you get what you want. For the time being.

The world political systems would need a total remodeling of democratic mandate formation. The right to vote should require a minimum historic and political knowledge. Because why, and I ask you in all seriousness, should millions of gullible ignorami, appeaseable with banal consumerism, have a right to decide on the fate of this planet?

Yes, the Constitution and Bill of Rights is a good way to start. In Benjamin Franklin’s times half of the Wall Street gangsters, half of Congress, half of all bankers and most lobbyists would have been tarred and feathered, the other half would have formed chain gangs.

As in any crises, a total collapse seems requisite for catharsis to eventuate fundamental change. One does not need to be a pessimist to see the writing on the wall.
Dante put it nicely.
In the Divine Comedy Dante passes through the gate of hell, which bears an inscription, the ninth (and final) line of which is the famous phrase "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here".
Before entering Hell completely, Dante and his guide see the Opportunists (=above-mentioned gullible halfwits, appeaseable with banal consumerism), souls of people who in life did nothing, neither for good nor evil. Mixed with them are outcasts who took no side in the ‘Rebellion of Angels’. These souls are neither in Hell nor out of it, but reside on the shores of the Acheron, their punishment to eternally pursue a banner (i.e. self interest) while pursued by wasps and hornets that continually sting them while maggots and other such insects drink their blood and tears. This symbolizes the sting of their conscience and the repugnance of sin.
I wonder what will go on in hell, the party room for the corporate oligarchy.

Democracy, in its current form, is tyranny of the ignorant majority and will bring down this planet.

The Republic IS working.....and Mr. Hansen is in no way a leading climate scientist. He is a shrill for the Oil Co's, who want to protect their assests.

Democracy in the U.S. is more like one party system with two right wings that jerk the majority of the citizens around from one wing to the other every so often, by playing on their hopes and aspirations -- reminiscent of Japan's phoney democracy, which the U.S. put into place at the end of World War II.

Yachtie said it all for me! Way to go, I couldn't agree more! Also, I would recommend the new documentary 'The Obama Deception' as relevant viewing for all citizens of the planet. A new revolution by the people, for the people is needed and we must step up to the plate with courage or lye down and surrender to the arch criminals at the federal reserve and all the other Banksters that are running the show!

Your comments are dead on and I do mean dead. Try to get your family to turn off the zombie machine (TV) and get your library cards renewed and maybe just maybe we can take back this country once and for all from those who refuse to clean up after themselves, turn out the lights when not in use, and put the trash (use less stuff and there will be less trash) in the waste basket. With the likes of Rush et.al. lieing about everything America can have no dialog about anything because it gets so twisted and the bobble heads keep right on agreeing. Do you know that the glaciers have been hidden from view by a great left wing conspiracy?? At least that's what they think around here because there is no global warming but a cooling off period because Exon-Mobile says so.

If I have an idea for inhibiting global warming through restoration of the Arctic Ocean's ice floes, I have to earn money myself so that I can afford to build and test a prototype. Then the world's governments can see it working, and ignore it anyway. No, the democracies aren't working.

It's hard to get fired up about something as unsexy as good government reform, but it's got to happen so that great people can do great work faster, or in some cases, at all. Publicly financed elections are a piece of this picture. Read up on Fair Elections, or the Clean Elections system in place in Maine, Connecticut, and Arizona.

The API (American Petroleum Institute) has a new radio ad campaigning against "these new energy taxes". Unless Rupert Murdoch (owner of Fox and recently on board about global warming) lays down the law, Hannity, Beck and company will be tearing into every cap & trade/carbon tax proposal out there.

Obama and congressional dems will try for a climate bill this year or next. It probably won't be good enough, and the Republicans, neocon pundits and fossil fuel industry will do their best to rabble rouse the taxpayers and shoot it down.

Good luck with this Dr. Hansen and Mr. President.

The author seems so dismayed that "the democratic process doesn't seem to be working." I assume he's talking about elections. "It turns out money speaks louder than words." Doesn't he realize that this has always been the way it is. Elections are bullshit. The only way the government responds to the needs of the people is through direct popular action taken against the corporate elite (the plutocrats). This has always been the case. All the author need do is have a look at current history -- let alone the entire history of the republic -- with the civil rights movement, woman's movement, gay and lesbian movement, environmental movement, labor movement, etc. The government responds to popular mass action only. Short of this government remains exactly where it is today -- in the hands of the plutocratic capitalist class. The rulers never make progressive legislation out of the kindness of their hearts but bow to outside pressure from below and this has always been the case. Where has the author been, under a rock? -- oh that's right, secluded away in his lab.

So the guy from Naza, states "democracy doesn't work" so it is time to force a Global Carbon Tax onto people basically. Fascism is the under tone from this guy so that people should have no freedom of choice. Yavolt, force the people to goose step!

No way to find out, but I wonder and wonder: are freedom742 and anewone PAID to sow doubt about climate change, or are they just dupes? Are they actual people, or two e-mails used by one operative? It seems there has been a big increase lately in this new conspiracy theory wherein most of the world's scientists are just pretending climate change is real so they can panic us into a fascist One World government. It's ironic that the internet, which has become the best means of exhahanging information without having to pass through gateways owned by the five big corporations that control virtually all media, also is a way to disseminate wild rumors at lightning speed with no proof required.
It IS true that rational action in the face of the threat of climate change would reduce freedoms. We can't have that--we must all remain free to have twelve kids if we want, to dump our gabage and our shit in the nearest stream, to steal from anyone not paying sufficient attention, and to kill the children other people had when a combination of climate change, overfishing, pollution, desertification and the ravages of war create famine.
Hansen is not saying, "Democracy doesn't work because the people have not agreed to do what I want so we need to move toward a dictatorship run by me." He's saying, "Democracy doesn't work because the will of the people is being ignored, and the corporations are dictating to the people in the national capitals who are supposed to represent the public." Actually MOST people want real action on climate change even if they have been so misinformed that they don't understand the urgency.

No, the democratic process isn't working, because we don't have democracy in the world anywhere.
Global corporate, fascist, military institutions rule and reign.
THEY must go first if we are to change our world.

Steve Jones
Global Environmentalist
California USA
http://geocities.com/sapphire2029/sei.html
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http://www.democratherald.com/articles/2009/03/15/news/local/1loc03_taylor.txt

The carbon cap and trade idea is foolish. IT does nothing about co2 emmissions, only moves them somewhere else for money.
It will be a huge tax increase on all peoples for a cause that has not been proven, it is still a theory.

I am not paid by anyone. I have studied climate for years as it directly affects my livelyhood.

You= one vote
Corporation with 'rights of personhood' = ? votes ?

You= ?how much money to throw behind your vote? $50??
Corporation= $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Scientists are like lobbyists. If you pay them enough money they'll say anything no matter how untrue. I'm glad to see NASA is no longer interfering in Hansens' research if that is true.

http://www.bccmeteorites.com/misconduct-planetary.html

Our planet has sustained life and flourished for millions of years. Every now and then things did go a bit wrong, we have had 5 extinctions, but each time life returned better and stronger.

What makes life on earth possible is biodiversity. Every species outputs are neutralised by other species and our little planet remained in balance. Our energy comes from the sun.

Evolution favours intelligent species. They can dominate over the rest.

Man is the most intelligent species (in our size/time scale grouping) on this planet, and he has been exploiting the resources of this planet without regard to its consequences. Intelligent man also favours certain life forms and considers the rest weeds or disposable life. The prolonged effect has been to reduce biodiversity, the very thing that sustains our planet.

Plants are the basic creators of food on land. They take up CO2 & water in the presence of sunlight and generate our basic food molecules. We have destroyed 25% of the plant cover of our planet, reducing 25% of the basic food supply. Plants also moderate temperatures, moisture emissions during photosynthesis cool the area during the day, at night condensing dew returns moisture to the soil and warms the night. When plants die they add fertility to the soil. The wildlife living in forests also add to the fertility of that forest from their wastes as well as from the biomass they add to the environment when they die. We had a fertile bio friendly planet. Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and all the rest of the elements had set up their short, medium and long-term cycles.

Man learned to extract energy and chemicals from coal, oil and gas. Our planet contains a huge store of carbon, most of it in limestone. Carbon is also deposited as coal, oil and gas. Coal has a unique property its active surface, which stores methane and other chemical molecules that can be held by this active surface. When coal is mined the adsorbed matter is released contaminating our air, water and land. Burning coal converts it to CO2 and releases mercury, which ends up in our oceans. We are now adding carbon from the medium term to the short-term cycle. Compound this with deforestation and carbon (an essential element for life) begins to alter our planet’s environment.

Welcome to the sixth extinction. Life will return but will an intelligent species cause a seventh extinction? Evolution through its preference for intelligence eventually destroys life. Don’t look for intelligent life forms any where in the universe.

Anewone

You try to pan the phenomenon of global warming by saying that "it is still a theory."
But you may as well try to pan the theory of evolution, and the theory gravity, and the germ theory of disease if the word 'theory' is your biggest hang up .

Theories put forth by peer-reviewed science aren't the same as hunches or guesses, as people use the word 'theory' in informal everyday language.

Scientific theories start out as evidence-based hypotheses to explain a phenomenon or interrelated phenomena, and only move to the level of formal theory (evidentary fact) when all other counter hypotheses are disproved by repeated peer reviewed, evidence-based experiments.

Sometimes established scientific theories are superceded by larger-encompassing theories [as in the case of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity absorbing and modifying Newton's Theory of Gravity], but they're rarely, anymore, wholly overthrown. And if and when they are junked, it's only on the basis of compelling, new, systematically-reproducible evidence.

Global Warming is happening --enough objectively tested evidence proves that.
Its Theory is meant to describe, first, the proofs of the warmings EFFECTS, and then the provable causal mechanisms that sufficiently give them rise.

True enough, no one knows with Theory-certainty to what exact degree increased solar radiation output alone, or human activity alone, and/or some other unknown mechanism, may be playing THE decisive role (if any) in the accelerating levels of atmospheric CO2 (--CO2 being the efficient causal engine of the warming.)
But science HAS proven that human activity contributes enough to the causal engine to warrant declines in human contributions on the basis of advised caution and self-preservation.

Based on the known evidence, a decline in human contributions to atmospheric greenhouse gasses is warranted on a simple risk assessment basis, if nothing else:
...Do something to ease the human contribution, given what could easily hang in the balance by not acting; or
...Do nothing and toy with global disaster simply because the benefit from remedial measures can't be precisely quantified.

It's not as though moving to clean renewable energy is going to have us freezing in dark....but quite the opposite.

So how can there even be a debatable choice, here?

The world is not warmer than it was 8,000 years ago. What is theory is AGW. More and more is being learned about the influences of the sun on our climate. Note I talk climate, which is 100's of years, not 20 or 30. That is weather.

My stance is that in no way should we not be conserving as much as possible. That is the only sane and smart thing to do.