OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #137, JULY 24, 2023

 

OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #137, JULY 24, 2023

RESISTANCE (5)
Steve Dunn.  2007 Early Warning: “Minimizing Global Warming.” (Dick).
Bernard Connaughton.  XR v. Citibank.
Dick.  Population Connection.
JAKE JOHNSON.  Greenpeace v. EU Planet-Warming Pollution.
GELF.  New Book, Putting Out the Planetary Fire.

 

Early Warnings of Climate Change

 Steve Dunn.  “Driving Home: 4 Steps Toward Minimizing Global Warming and Achieving Energy Independence."   The Humanist Sept.-Oct. 2007. 
   Recently I heard a participant of a climate panel complain about the rising temperature: “Why weren’t we warned?”  Well, scientist James Hansen warned Congress in 1988; the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) began its studies eventually calling upon thousands of scientists in 1990 resulting in six “assessments” by 2021; and by mid-1990s many writers were making those revelations public.  For example, Steve Dunn in 2007 described the impending catastrophe and offered solutions (The Humanist, Sept.-Oct. 2007).  “This century,” he wrote, “may be the hardest thing humans have ever had to handle, unless we plan and act accordingly.”   The worst will be reduced if humans “stop burning oil and coal.”  His proposal has four components that must “move together like wheels on a car, [or] we won’t get anywhere”:   “1.  Transformation of the Energy Infrastructure.  2.  Government “Leveraging.’  3. National Service.  4. International Agreements.”  As we well know, his recommendations were disregarded by global “leaders,” US capitalism continued its destruction, and the temperature a few days ago was the highest on record followed the next day with the highest on record!  --Dick

Banks v. Planet
Bernard Connaughton.  “XR: Stayin’ Alive.”    Catholic Worker (June-July, 2023).  Describes a 3-day protest by XR outside Citibank in Manhattan.  “Why Citibank?  Because despite all its claims of being a leading proponent of sustainable energy, Citibank has poured huge sums into new oil exploration, more than any other bank.”

Population Connection
“…the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources.”
Population Connection (June 2022).  
President’s Note
When it comes to scaling the twin peaks of overpopulation and overconsumption, we’re barely into the foothills. . . .[But] We know that education and empowerment coupled with deep respect for the natural world are central to our population stabilization mission.”  John Seager.

[No institution has served the struggle better against climate change/rising temperature than the IPCC, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and its six assessments.  But in one aspect it failed.  D]
Marian Starkey (editor of Population Connection).  “New IPCC Report [6^th] Glosses Over Role of Population Stabilization in Climate Change Mitigation.”  “…despite the frequent acknowledgment of the role population size plays in . . . greenhouse gases (GHG), family planning was only mentioned once. . . . Contraception and birth control weren’t mentioned at all” (6).

[Some coming events]:  2 books discussed in PC’s book club:  Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe, and 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World by Jennifer Sciubba.

[Much more: articles on “Africa’s Baby Boom,” SC overturning Roe v. Wade, UN’s Population Fund (UNFPA), PC ‘s student video contest, etc.]

 

JAKE JOHNSON.  Greenpeace Slams EU Countries for Subsidizing Airline Industry's Planet-Warming Pollution.  Common Dreams.  JulY 20, 2023. 
Cheap airline tickets, made possible by favorable government tax treatment, "come at a high cost to the planet and its inhabitants," the environmental group warned.

A study released Thursday by Greenpeace found that the policy decisions of European governments have made flying a significantly cheaper option than traveling by train, even though the former is far worse for the climate than the latter.   MORE  https://www.commondreams.org/news/greenpeace-airline-industry

 

“Putting Out the Planetary Fire.”

http://gelfny.org/putting-out-the-planetary-fire/

Green Education and Legal Fund - www.gelfny.org - January 1, 2023.

 

Dear Climate Activists and friends:

 

As we welcome a new year, time is rapidly running out for the world to avoid climate collapse. I have compiled a new climate book - Putting Out the Planetary Fire: An Introduction to Climate Change and Advocacy – which you can read for free on the Green Education and Legal Fund’s website. The link is to the index and chapter outline; each chapter is also posted separately on the site. There is also a pull-down menu on the top of the website for the book and its chapters.

 

Extreme weather and global warming continue to accelerate. The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) has repeatedly warned that the world is not acting fast enough to deal with climate crisis. With presumably seven years or less left for drastic climate action, there is no time left for incremental changes. . . . [ for the entire statement click on title]

 

If you would like to support the publication of the book, you can send a tax-deductible donation to GELF, 156 Big Toad Road, Poestenkill NY 12140. (Any donation of $25 or more will receive a copy of the book once it is published.)

 Yours for peace and justice, Mark