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Protecting Forests Is Our Best Defense Against Natural Disasters
October 13th is the United Nations' International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. Today, I joined local elected officials ranging from Virginia to Florida to recognize the importance of Southern forests in protecting coastal communities. We are urging decision-makers in Europe and the U.S. Senate to address the flawed bioenergy policies that are driving the destructive logging of our forests, particularly precious bottomland coastal forests.
Oct 13, 2016
October 13th is the United Nations' International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. Today, I joined local elected officials ranging from Virginia to Florida to recognize the importance of Southern forests in protecting coastal communities. We are urging decision-makers in Europe and the U.S. Senate to address the flawed bioenergy policies that are driving the destructive logging of our forests, particularly precious bottomland coastal forests.
"As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them."
Forests play a crucial role in our fight against climate change by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in wood, roots, and soil microbes. In addition, coastal forests lessen the destructive power of storm surges, flooding, and hurricanes. We read headlines about devastating mud-slides caused by deforestation in Haiti, yet US policies are allowing the same misguided practice in our country. The Netherlands, always on the front edge of water-related innovation, is planting trees as protection to absorb wave energy from powerful coastal storms.
Despite our understanding of the value of forests here in the U.S., we still ship over six million tons of wood pellets to Europe as fuel under the guise of 'renewable energy'. Renewable energy is supposed to stop climate change, not hasten it. Burning forests for fuel removes an active carbon sink and releases more greenhouse gasses than coal. Cutting native forests that support a rich diversity of wildlife and replacing them with tree farms to fuel another country's 'renewable' energy needs impoverishes us three times over. It puts our own communities at risk by compromising our climate and storm protections, and threatens our nation's biodiversity. Now, the U.S. Senate is doubling down on this bad idea by proposing rules to increase the use of our forests as fuel here in America.
Sea levels are rising and the threats from climate change to the citizens of South Florida grow every day. As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them. Our Southern forests provide vital protection from extreme weather and we cannot afford to lose any more. To ensure our economic prosperity, to protect our health and children, to ensure our security and safety, and to protect our wildlife we need to act now to keep natural forests intact. Please help is by joining me in calling on your elected officials to stand up for protection of our nation's forests.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Philip K. Stoddard
Dr. Philip K. Stoddard has been a professor of biology at Florida International University since 1992. He is in his fourth term as Mayor of South Miami. In 2015 Mayor Stoddard was appointed by the White House to the Governance Coordinating Committee of the National Ocean Council where has developed national policy for sea level rise. He has been featured in The New York Times, Time, National Geographic, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Stern, The Bond Buyer, NPR, PRI, BBC, MSNBC, and numerous documentaries. In 2016, Mayor Stoddard was named to the Politico50 for his blunt explanations of the economic consequences sea level rise.
October 13th is the United Nations' International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. Today, I joined local elected officials ranging from Virginia to Florida to recognize the importance of Southern forests in protecting coastal communities. We are urging decision-makers in Europe and the U.S. Senate to address the flawed bioenergy policies that are driving the destructive logging of our forests, particularly precious bottomland coastal forests.
"As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them."
Forests play a crucial role in our fight against climate change by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in wood, roots, and soil microbes. In addition, coastal forests lessen the destructive power of storm surges, flooding, and hurricanes. We read headlines about devastating mud-slides caused by deforestation in Haiti, yet US policies are allowing the same misguided practice in our country. The Netherlands, always on the front edge of water-related innovation, is planting trees as protection to absorb wave energy from powerful coastal storms.
Despite our understanding of the value of forests here in the U.S., we still ship over six million tons of wood pellets to Europe as fuel under the guise of 'renewable energy'. Renewable energy is supposed to stop climate change, not hasten it. Burning forests for fuel removes an active carbon sink and releases more greenhouse gasses than coal. Cutting native forests that support a rich diversity of wildlife and replacing them with tree farms to fuel another country's 'renewable' energy needs impoverishes us three times over. It puts our own communities at risk by compromising our climate and storm protections, and threatens our nation's biodiversity. Now, the U.S. Senate is doubling down on this bad idea by proposing rules to increase the use of our forests as fuel here in America.
Sea levels are rising and the threats from climate change to the citizens of South Florida grow every day. As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them. Our Southern forests provide vital protection from extreme weather and we cannot afford to lose any more. To ensure our economic prosperity, to protect our health and children, to ensure our security and safety, and to protect our wildlife we need to act now to keep natural forests intact. Please help is by joining me in calling on your elected officials to stand up for protection of our nation's forests.
Philip K. Stoddard
Dr. Philip K. Stoddard has been a professor of biology at Florida International University since 1992. He is in his fourth term as Mayor of South Miami. In 2015 Mayor Stoddard was appointed by the White House to the Governance Coordinating Committee of the National Ocean Council where has developed national policy for sea level rise. He has been featured in The New York Times, Time, National Geographic, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Stern, The Bond Buyer, NPR, PRI, BBC, MSNBC, and numerous documentaries. In 2016, Mayor Stoddard was named to the Politico50 for his blunt explanations of the economic consequences sea level rise.
October 13th is the United Nations' International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. Today, I joined local elected officials ranging from Virginia to Florida to recognize the importance of Southern forests in protecting coastal communities. We are urging decision-makers in Europe and the U.S. Senate to address the flawed bioenergy policies that are driving the destructive logging of our forests, particularly precious bottomland coastal forests.
"As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them."
Forests play a crucial role in our fight against climate change by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in wood, roots, and soil microbes. In addition, coastal forests lessen the destructive power of storm surges, flooding, and hurricanes. We read headlines about devastating mud-slides caused by deforestation in Haiti, yet US policies are allowing the same misguided practice in our country. The Netherlands, always on the front edge of water-related innovation, is planting trees as protection to absorb wave energy from powerful coastal storms.
Despite our understanding of the value of forests here in the U.S., we still ship over six million tons of wood pellets to Europe as fuel under the guise of 'renewable energy'. Renewable energy is supposed to stop climate change, not hasten it. Burning forests for fuel removes an active carbon sink and releases more greenhouse gasses than coal. Cutting native forests that support a rich diversity of wildlife and replacing them with tree farms to fuel another country's 'renewable' energy needs impoverishes us three times over. It puts our own communities at risk by compromising our climate and storm protections, and threatens our nation's biodiversity. Now, the U.S. Senate is doubling down on this bad idea by proposing rules to increase the use of our forests as fuel here in America.
Sea levels are rising and the threats from climate change to the citizens of South Florida grow every day. As storms become more frequent and intense (e.g., Hurricane Matthew), coastal communities need to strengthen defenses not weaken them. Our Southern forests provide vital protection from extreme weather and we cannot afford to lose any more. To ensure our economic prosperity, to protect our health and children, to ensure our security and safety, and to protect our wildlife we need to act now to keep natural forests intact. Please help is by joining me in calling on your elected officials to stand up for protection of our nation's forests.
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