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TechnoratiCrunch Time for Planet Earth
It's crunch time for Planet Earth.
The climate change negotiations in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit seem to be deadlocked.
"America indicated yesterday that a legally binding agreement was probably impossible, and acceptance is growing among both rich and poor countries that no binding deal will be reached in Copenhagen next month, and that talks could drag well into 2010 or beyond," The Guardian reports.
The problem is that the West and developing countries are at loggerheads over who needs to make big emission cuts at this stage, and whether there should be a large compensatory fund for poorer nations to help with a transition to green technologies.
The stance of the developing world makes a lot of sense. After all, as Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, enlightened me, the rise in world temperatures is almost all the rich nations' fault, since it's due to combined greenhouse gas emissions since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.
"Remember, the problem has been caused not by today's emissions or the last twenty-five years of emissions; it's been caused by cumulative emissions beginning with industrialization," he told me. "The role of the industrial countries is paramount in having contributed to human-induced climate change."
Not surprisingly, both Pachauri and his organization are strong backers both of the concept of "differentiated responsibility" (that the obligation of rich and poor nations to fight climate change is very dissimilar) and of a compensatory mechanism to help the developing world cope with the financial burden.
But the Obama Administration has been disappointing on global warming, lowballing on its financial commitment to help poor countries, and claiming that it can't make big pledges on cutting emissions since progress on this front depends on congressional action.
"What we're actually seeing ... has been extraordinarily destructive behavior on the part of the U.S. government, on the part of the Obama Administration, absolutely derailing the climate negotiations in the lead-up to Copenhagen," says Naomi Klein. "Developing countries are absolutely shocked by what U.S. climate negotiators have done."
Well, at least the Obama Administration's excuse about Congress's inactivity is being taken away. A Senate panel just approved a bill (with a complete Republican boycott) that aims to cut emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. It will now have to face a full Senate vote, and will have to be reconciled with a slightly less ambitious House bill. While flawed and not far-reaching enough (there is too much faith in the market "cap-and-trade" mechanism, for instance), these are at least steps in the right direction.
Meanwhile, the American public is in full denial mode about basic science.
"There has been a sharp decline over the past year in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising," states a Pew poll released last month. "And fewer also see global warming as a very serious problem-35 percent say that today, down from 44 percent in April 2008."
As if that's not startling enough, the percentage of Americans who believe that global warming is caused due to human activity is also down: from 47 percent last year to 36 percent now. And I thought that the battle to convince people of the immediacy of climate change was over with "An Inconvenient Truth."
Know-nothings like the National Review's Jonah Goldberg are exultant. ("The notion that America will sacrifice its sovereignty and treasure ... to reduce warming by a fraction a century from now is absurd," he writes.) Obviously, the smart obfuscation campaign by global warming naysayers is working. ("We aren't saying that climate change isn't happening, we're just saying that we can't be certain.")
We need to stop being in denial mode and take action to stop the Earth from heating up. If we keep burying our heads in the sand, we're going to get buried.
30 Comments so far
Show AllThe US gov't stands ready to deep-6 any solution to energy difficulties that it can.
If you spend a record amount of money to monopolize carbon resources, you hardly want to encourage people to find alternatives.
The contradiction between the perceived self-interest of the US government and the well being of most people, including most American citizens, is deep and broad.
Further, the government shows all signs of having decided quite explicitly that it does not stand with the well being of its people. Accordingly, it has progressively removed rights to expression and against search and seizure, built up supplies of population control armaments, and developed connections with private armies.
As unemployment rises and self-perceived endgame strategies expand, this struggle stands to sharpen.
A popular movement early will likely meet less violence than later.
"The rich are the reason that so many others aren't poor. They are the reason that I am not poor. When a rich person spends money, he provides employment for others."
Wealth tends to trickle up my friend.
Misanthropy will only cause the Earth to slide further into ruin. There are ways to halt and reverse this. To throw one's hands up in the air and damn humanity is not much better than actively, purposely poisoning the water and air.
We have options and ample time.
If someone has cancer, what do you do? Do you treat the cancer or do you condemn the patient for spending too much time in the sun?
Human beings are not a failed species they just failed to live with the earth wisely & properly. The Kogi are a remote Tribe in South America that escaped the slaughter of the Spanish by fleeing to a remote mountain area that is still difficult to access today.
The Kogi still live the way that is referred to by Native Tribes as the Old Way or the Original Way. They pretty much just continued on living simply with the earth in the least destructive manner with the earth & wisely with one another because they understood The Way.
The Kogi were still pretty much able to continue on living upon the earth without the invention of money, & all the other inventions your world created.
Everything your world invented all leads to destruction of the earth. All these things were spoken about in our Native prophecies, the prophecies of the Israelites, & the prophecies of many other peoples.
Because human beings departed from or never knew the way they merely created a world of manufactured reality where all reality is manufactured for them that brings about their own destruction.
the kogis have not as yet totally trivialized the realization that they are nature. the mamas keep this connection lively through respectful consultation with the surrounding environment, always asking for permission to perform an action that might disrupt nature and possibly diminish their awareness as an outward expression of the Aluna. Because of the necessity of innocent openness, for the realization and maintenance of the perception of man as nature, the Kogi and other ancient cultures are also open for attack, psychically and physically. The Mama's the gurus saints etc. must also be vigilant to not trivialize their 'fully awake' status, and carry the task of simultaneously providing an aura of protection for their people. The rarified atmosphere necessary to reflect and assist this maintenance is no more. Even in their physically isolated environment they are under attack by the spiritual pollution that knows no boundaries.
That is the prophecy of the Book of Revelation about The Beast, & all who worship the Beast & the Image of the Beast. Just as it is the prophecy of a Native Tribe that the Europeans would come to this land saying Love & Peace, but they would cause the Tribes great misery.
Not to boast but there aren't many prophecies of many people I do not know, & most all prophecies that are true/fulfilled or prophecies being fulfilled are all reflective of one another. Like many mirrors the prophecies of many people's reflect what one people's Prophets spoke at one time around the Planet.
The Beast Kingdom's of the Book of Revelation will keep moving in on the indigneous people's/Tribes for their natural resources to keep feeding their Beast of Civilization. While they are doing this they will also be building the worldly Govt of the Beast. Some consider the one of the key's to building this globalist Beast system upon the earth is Mystery Babylon.
Many prophetic researches of all races consider Mystery Babylon to be American. And they may be right? They may be far more right than they know? If they are right then both God & Jesus hated America before George Washington was ever born? That would be rather ironic all things considered.
Those who do not worship the Beast & the Image of the Beast, an individual Beast Kingdom or Mystery Babylon will turn away from any love, worship, or adoration, of that Beast Kingdom so they are not worshippers of the Beast & the Image of the Beast.
They will spiritually reject this world for themselves. They will live in this world but they will not be of this world. God has already cast his judgment upon any who worship the Beast & the Image of the Beast so there isn't any reason for me to judge anyone for their life.
All of the people posting here were born into this world when they were born into this world. They were born upon the planet where they were born. Things were the way they were born upon this planet regardless of when, where, & to what race they were born.
Just because they have become Conscious to the destruction of the earth doesn't mean they are going to "Save the Earth." They are merely Conscious now of the destruction of the earth.
I quit talking to anyone about the destruction of the earth around 1988 because I knew the mathematical odds of the human race "Saving the Earth," is slim & none. Even at this time it is unknown how much the destruction of the earth will play into things concerning the end of this age as nuclear war may play into things, too.
If that ever happens then what are they going to talk about then except nothing. And yet that is a prophecy of the Hopi that this land pretty much gets burned off the face of the earth by man made fire that became a possible reality in the 1940's & is very simular to the prophecy of Mystery Babylon.
People of European heritage often think I am a racist because I don't worship them, their world, or things of their world, but I am not a racist. It isn't my job to Save their America, or to Save the Earth. Their world is nothing more than boringly predictable. Republicans say this, yeah yeah yeah, & Democrats say this, yeah yeah yeah.
So just like them the bills come in, & I have to pay the bills, render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, & obey the law. From time to time pick up the guitar & play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," & many other assorted songs.
I am just on my journey through this world whatever this world is trying to be of no harm to any person as human beings are way more than good enough at harming one another as this are now.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
Nuclear weapons, power plants, & all the rest of it is their vanity upon the earth. Their ego. Born out of their style of schools upon the earth. Mr. Science that they worship.
In the prophecies of the Israelites Creator warns about the increase in knowledge but their prophecies state this thing will happen, but Creator did not speak about this thing in any good light at all.
There were Tribes that did not want to learn the knowledge of the Europeans when they began arriving as they considered such knowledge to be forbidden. Interesting they had the concept that there was knowledge that was forbidden. Forbidden by whom?
They didn't even have books where such things were written warning about the increase in knowledge.
We are just a failed species, and it may be time to start over, evolutionarily speaking.
Climate change, oddly enough, is a sign of a larger problem; that is, the sixth extinction event that is under way as we blog. The media have it backwards. The sixth extinction and collapse of ecosystems on a vast scale will exacerbate climate change. Focusing on climate change will not necessarily alter the trajectory of this extinction event. Rich or poor, our human population is too large for this planet to bear. Change is coming FAST. If you want to blame someone, blame everyone.
This is just my crude, rough opinion , minus the statistics, numbers , proper studies that more expert people might hopefully have a better grasp of:
BUT , i think that the world's "groaning" under the weight of the demands of civilization upon it ..if one were to reduce things to "consumption of energy"..
is probably a responsibility that can be laid down on the lap of the RICH .
for every rich person on earth - it is likely, imo, that the consumption of energy in all its forms and how they are doled out , in order to MAINTAIN a SINGLE rich person's "lifestyle" , it would take MANY , MANY individuals to consume to maintain THEIR lifestyles...
and even then - while the aggregate population of the world collectively consumes energy - MUCH of that energy is consumed needlessly in the "first world" or even "emerging countries"...or "advanced world" ...based on accepting the dogma of trying to emulate the "wealth" lifestyle that THE RICH exemplify and exhort others, through their lifestyles, to follow.
for example:
a very rich person - who has, what, 3 children, a wife, a butler, driver, 15 cars, 3 swimming pools, acres of "beautiful" residential estate...parties to give every week or so, wine of the most expensive kind, speedboats, yachts, ...jet-setting throughout the world, spending breakfast in London, reaching new york by evening for a dinner, being served the most expensive meat that required the best grass purposely grown for that cattle for that rich person...countless yards of lama skin for winter coat, more for autumn, fashion, etc...oil and gas to burn for 3 mansions with ten thousand lights in 50 rooms...
MERELY to Satisfy the EGO of feeling IMPORTANT.....
how much energy from the earth and then the exhaust to pollute and additionally DENY the MANY MANY people who could live on a FRACTION of that?.
do the math.
it makes one weep at the INJUSTICE of it all...
on how thousands, millions even, of afghanis have walked the earth barefoot just to find water and to them that is GOLD and something to be thankful to the heavens for...
while a RICH person - with his or her "dividends" can spend a night in Monte Carlo's gambling casinos - with his yacht fully loaded, fully energized for a moment's notice that he wants to go home to SIT on his Golden Throne to take a SHIT - because he has to be "private" ...and then go back to the casino - with a completely new wardrobe to feel "fresh" - and then throw away ten million dollars for nothing more than to show that he is RICH.
that is money , energy, knowledge technology, science, efforts, time - that could have been used to alleviate the needs of the poor and so many other billions of people --
who subsist, individually, in their collective mass - on SO LITTLE consumption compared to a few million "RICH" folks of the earth...
and to find ways to satisfy everyone's needs through incredible scientific breakthroughs that would NOT have to make our Mother Earth GROAN under the demands.
it makes one weep at the injustice and the RAPING of our Mother Earth, primarily BY the rich!
I am poor. i subsist only from day to day...every end of the month i am always worrying how i can survive the last week to pay rent or tighten my belt and spread the last few bucks on food...but always feel I am RICH compared to the people in Congo, in the Philippines, in afghanistant...because at least I don't , YET, have to run around from bullets while trying to find water...and can use something of my abilities to earn a living and maybe, in some way, make people i work with smile when they see me...
and YET -- i feel so GUILTy . and WEEP when all i could spare of my money once in a blue moon is a few dollars to donate somewhere online so some starving children somewhere can eat something or have clean water for a day MORE before , perhaps, they have to face another day, another week, another month of physical and mental pain through their inevitable death from starvation.
Don't the rich people SEE this and see that it is LARGELY their DOING that not only there is such injustice, unfairness in economies, and even politics as a result , and that the earth can't even supply what largely , THEY are responsible for consuming or making so many others desperately, unthinkingly do things merely to "keep up" or even worse, to MERELY survive another day?. ..and mainly because resources that could better be used to alleviate suffering AND make great discoveries to learn how to NOT make the earth groan to sustain our civilization are not there and most people can't even THINK of such things simply because all they are trying to do is SURVIVE ACCORDING TO THE DICTATES of the systems that
are designed , maintained, and promoted FOR the sake of the RICH?.
Wow. Like a little cheese with that?
The rich are the reason that so many others aren't poor. They are the reason that I am not poor. When a rich person spends money, he provides employment for others.
So many others are poor.
The raping and plundering of the earth is primarily caused by elites as you said. Elites do their share of the plunder directly for zero-sum personal gain but they also push a majority of the population into such economic desperation that they join in the plunder just to survive. Another chunk of the population that is not so much desperate to survive but desperate to achieve elite status for themselves are also driven to rape/plunder the earth by the carrots dangled by the elites in their Follywood media channels.
that's exactly what I meant. rtdrury.
you put it so much clearly , succinctly than i could, thank you.
it's like when someone "gets rich" for whatever reason - it becomes a race to who can do it some more and bigger and more luxuriously -- until all sense is gone.
exactly HOW MUCH lighting in a house does a SINGLE person need? for what? so that upon entering one's Foyer - a rich person can feel the glitter and the beautiful chandeliers burning electricity will show his image against the mirrors on how important he is?
this is supposed to reflect upon one's worth in the world? one's "accomplishments" . one's high position of "important decision making?"
and then the rest - in society is made into a kind of "lesson" -- where others HAVE to fall over themselves trying to emulate some reflection, some borrowed "glow" from "living like the rich"
accumulating habits, possessions, thinking, desires, "hopes for the future" To one day live a life that is full of "comfort" and conveniences....
even if they are NOT REALLY essential to living a FULL , MEANINGFUL life.
I give an example in history:
the one composer in western classical music who is considered by many perhaps the greatest that ever lived - who in his span of 60 or so years was like the repository of all the significant "threads" of musical knowledge of the west before the 18th century and THEN through his amalgamation of that knowledge and putting HIS personal stamp of genius and creativity and perfection of composition POINTED the "highway" of what would follow right up to today -- that was Johann Sebastian Bach.
he learned his music as a child from an older brother showing him the fundamentals, but because they had no 'electricity' yet - nor photo copy machines...the only way for musicians to LEARN how to compose besides direct isntruction was to merely COPY BY HAND - every composition they could lay hands on. he did that by Candle light staying up late at night - which eventually cost him is eyesight when he was in his final years - and he had to just dictate his notes to his students for his last - "pure thought" compositions of such profundity and perfection..that until TODAY - they are still considered works of art
from which all others can "drink" and find new discoveries to inspire them.
and this man - for all his genius - NEVER traveled BEYOND a mere 50 square miles of a few towns or cities in germany - and mainly to find contracts to have better , more reliable work to feed his family - such as by working for a rich nobleman for a few years, or be a church musician, etc...
and upon his death - had so little money earned anyway - that his OWN wife died a PAUPER and had to be supported by their town , through a decision by the town council - as the only decent way to behave towards his widow and orphans out of respect for what HE had given to the world.
TODAY -- someone like THAT would be a GAZILLIONAIRE....
and yet such people were always about the TRUE creativity that shone through DESPITE their privations compared to the rich of THEIR own times and compared to the rich of OUR times.
he lived much of his life - with his growing family - in a CORNER of an apartment - SEPARATED BY A CURTAIN from several young boys that were orphans or from poor families and supported as music scholars by the town , to be UNDER HIS tutelage
whom HE had to teach singing, choir, composition, playing the organ , violin, keyboard, MATHEMATICS, Philosophy, Astronomy, Latin and the bible which was of course their culture at that time.
can you imagine that?
and THAT Johann Sebastian Bach IS the FATHER of ALL our western modern music that the mere primitive few chords of much of today's "pop music" is really just a MERE insignificant fraction of what that man had laid the foundation for great artistic creativity that has enriched civilization at its VERY HIGHEST possible achievements!!
now compare that to the "lives of the rich and famous" and how USELESS most of THESE people really ARE!!!
Since electricity dependence will not be abandoned, salvation depends on going wholesale solar power, and abandoning Coal Oil and Natural Gas.
No nation is abandoning CONG yet. We are still fighting wars, with murder, torture and deceit over the rights to feed our insatiable consumption of fossil fool civilization. We are still pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at faster rates.
In recent media releases, Obama and Gordon Brown pretend to be tough about reducing corruption in the unelected Afghan Government that is fully paid for and protected by the Western CONG Mafia. Take away the western government protection money and heavy troops and air support, and the Afghan Government would fall within a week.
Only sheer desperation over future CONG supplies keeps the USA wars going. Without fossil fuel supplies for the ships and planes the last world empire of the USA will fall within a month. The millionaire "peoples" representatives in Washington would go broke.
Kevin Rudd complains about the greenhouse denial issues with the CONG Mafia. Its the closest to the truth I have heard a politician utter yet.
The Australian Prime Minister is yet to announce he will pull Australian troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq, stop giving away hundreds of millions of dollars to the local coal extraction and export industries, and instead bet the money on creating a solar power future in Australia. Since this is a world climate emergency, then it makes good sense to divert fully all resources into meeting the challenge, especially those nations that have resources to spare for making war.
Unfortunately all the major western politicians have placed the majority of our money on continued dependency on CONG, through viscious wars or by direct cash subsidy. Solar power apparently does not yield a large enough immediate profit opportunity for our gilded capitalists. A high degree of social reorganisation will be required to change to a lower per capita lifestyle. Likely enough this will mean sharing and careful use of suddenly scarse energy, food and water resources.
So Obama, Gordon Brown, Kevin Rudd, and those English language nations that might actually understand what I say, how about it?
Or do you plan on Climate Change being the ultimate weapon of human population control? The big Climate Bomb that will last for millenia, if not forever. You prate on the danger of nuclear weapons, but this may be the big one for all time.
Thanks, B3nign for your thoughtful and on-target post. However, I think we climate activists have to take the next step before Copenhagen turns into another Obama triumph like the health care fiasco. We have to name the system. Joel Kovel said it well, "...one could see capital as much more than a simple material arrangement, but as something cancerous lodged in the human spirit, produced by and producer of, the capitalist economy. It takes shape as a queer beast altogether, more a whole way of being than anything else." Joel Kovel, The Enemy of Nature, p. xii
Science means nothing when it comes into conflict with capital's demand for endless expansion. What the left fails to understand is that we love our illusions and these illusions are fostered by the most advanced system of suggestion (Manufactured Consent) that the world has ever seen. I think there may be more than a grain of truth in your idea about population control. Unfortunately, the control will only last a short time and then the ones doing the controlling will be controlled as well.
It's 63 degrees right now in Pittsburgh...in November.
Again the tapeworms vote to postpone leaving the victim in peace.
"If I drain no blood, my neighbor might continue and get strong."
Steprightup sonny, heres the pea, see the shells? Now keep yer eye on the shells, sonny, step right up, lay down yer bets gents, sonny, get outta my way, stand over there... steprightup see the pea, yessiree....
capandtrade capandtrade....yesiree...steprightup sonny, lay down yer bets gents....
"As I read the story of what we've done and do, my heart breaks for sorrow, my head bows for shame.
We have killed all our yesterdays and tomorrows and today, this precious day, is bursting into flame!"
-- Crazy Bird
__________________
There's a glory in the morning because the earth turns 'round and a promise in the evening when the sun goes down
Dang, if I had the money for gas, food, lodging, & possible repairs I could drive around to all the Native Rez's and inform the people the world of the nuclear waste cash register people now has environmental problems.
Perhaps we could sit on the Rez, scratch our heads & figure out how that happened? Maybe scrape enough money to order some pizza's while the nuclear waste cash register people continue on in their destruction of the earth.
Maybe do some serious moola scraping & get a Nintendo Wii & play video games on the Rez while the nuclear waste cash register, look at me I am the Big Boss Man upon the earth people continue on in their destruction of the earth?
Well, it would be something to do while the nuclear waste cash register, look at me I am the Big Boss Man people upon the earth continue on with their destruction of the earth. There could be worse things to do while nuclear waste, cash register look at me I am the Big Boss Man people continue on with their destruction of the earth.
I wonder if the mountains would still be beautiful if the nuclear waste, cash register people, look at me I am the Big Boss Man upon the earth people had never arrived in this land? But there's "Coal" in them thar mountains. And "Coal" equals, "Money."
And if you don't have "Money" in the nuclear waste, cash register, look at me I am the Big Boss Man's world upon the earth you'll end up homeless then your really screwed.
Well, at least George Washington's & Tommy Jefferson's slaves are free of their slave masters now.
Such as it is, is with time, the high & low, dressed up on a planet with nowhere to go, such as it is, is with time, the high & the low. Such as it is, everyone loves toilet paper, don't try to deny it, don't try to hide it, such as it is, everyone loves, Oh yeah, toilet paper.
Wellll, the humble king, sets on his Porcelain Throne, living his life in his humble home, but he got him some toilet paper, so don't try to hide it, don't try to deny it, everyone loves toilet paper, Oh, yeah,
Wellll, the jumble humble king, writes him some blues, maybe the end of the world to him is good news, as he sits upon his Porcelain Throne, in his happy humble home, so don't try to deny it, don't try to hide it, everyone loves toilet paper, Ohh, yeah
Wellll, such as it is, with the thing called time, I am not sure this world is anything more than a crime, such as it is with the thing called time, the high & the low, all dressed up on the planet with nowhere to go, Such as it is, everyone loves toilet paper, don't try to deny it, don't try to hide it, Ohh, no, everyone loves toilet paper, Oh, yeah.
Life is good. What an experience! It's always best to forgive.
The capitalist system that has evolved over the past five hundred years represents a test of our capacity for self-awareness and imagination. The system that brought us unparalleled material abundance has also led to the degradation of our natural and spiritual ecology. Our challenge at this moment is to recognize the threat posed by our own behavior and counter it decisively. The alternative is mass starvation and widespread upheaval that will leave our race decimated and our natural environment beyond repair for thousands of years. That we are failing this test is undeniable.
Joel Kovel said it well, "...one could see capital as much more than a simple material arrangement, but as something cancerous lodged in the human spirit, produced by and producer of, the capitalist economy. It takes shape as a queer beast altogether, more a whole way of being than anything else." Joel Kovel, The Enemy of Nature, p. xii
Science means nothing when it comes into conflict with capital's demand for endless expansion. What the left fails to understand is that we love our illusions and that only a religious revolution that restores (or perhaps initiates) the worship of truth can restore us to sanity. This "religion" applies to materialists and spiritualists equally.
For America read 'Corporate America'. For sovereignty read 'The right of the rich to continue doing as they please'.
Treasure? What treasure? Whose treasure? Is our treasure clean water and air, plenty of food for everyone, A minimum wage that affords a decent standard of living? Or is treasure growth in the stock market?
"Where your treasure there will your heart be also"
"We have given our hearts away---a sordid boon!"
Goldberg values as treasure those things created by his ilk, the mammonary, military, mechanized things that they use to enslave the people. They don't value the things we need, all of which are provided by nature, in abundance. The editor of the Progressive seems to think the people are joined with the elites in pursuing their own enslavement. But we're not. We're divided cleanly away from the elites, and the elites stand alone, almost fully responsible for global warming and the rest of the plundering and destruction. The Pew Polling outfit has revealed itself to be a fraud by announcing the poll results in a way that clearly indicates its bias. As hard as the elites try, they seem to have an ever more difficult time pushing their koolaid and their rackets on the people these days.