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Earth Meanders
Insightful original Earth essays placing environmental sustainability within the context of other contemporary issues including peace and freedom
December 25, 2008
EARTH MEANDERS: Earth Bailout and the Stewardship Revolution
Global citizens together committing to a revolutionary spirit of action are the Earth and humanity's last best hope
EARTH MEANDERS
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
From Earth's Newsdesk
Oceans on acid, certifiably crazy ancient forest logging, carbon markets paying to log and pollute -- the global ecosystem is failing and the world has gone mad. The disease of too many humans, each wanting to forever consume more at the expense of liquidating life-giving ecosystems, must be decisively cured before being ends. It has become apparent that changes of the magnitude necessary to ensure humanity's shared survival are not, indeed cannot, occur without transformative revolutionary action. What hope remains for the Earth and humanity lies in a global people's movement to topple polluting industries and usher in an era of stewardship.
Global citizens could choose to commit ourselves to planetary, bioregional and personal stewardship by pursuing mass protest and if necessary revolutionary insurgency to bailout the Earth. There is virtually no chance of saving the Earth and all her inhabitants without overthrowing speculative, industrial capitalism. To maintain a livable Earth, it may be that an unprecedented Earth Revolution waged by global citizenry -- first through mass protest and political means, and if need be through sabotage, insurrection and violent revolution targeting the Earth destroyers -- must commence immediately.
Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: Earth Bailout and the Stewardship Revolution" »
December 13, 2008
EARTH MEANDERS: Light REDD: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests
EARTH MEANDERS
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
From Earth's Newsdesk
Using carbon funds, the world's governments are poised to subsidize ancient forest logging, claiming it benefits the Earth's climate. REDD's potential support of "low impact" logging of ancient forests, and conversion of natural forests to tree farms, fails the climate, biodiversity and biosphere.
Plans to pay for rainforest protection using funds from carbon markets progressed during this week's UN climate talks. I have long promoted the deceptively simple idea of paying to keep rainforests standing, yet am far from jubilant with the results. It appears first time, industrial logging of ancient forests -- through so-called low-impact and certified logging, and the conversion of these and other natural forests to plantations -- is falsely considered as having carbon benefits, and will be paid for with our tax dollars and carbon offsets.
The concept of paying for rainforest protection with carbon money has become known as avoided deforestation, or alternatively, as REDD for "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation". Like many promising concepts before it (i.e. "sustainable development" and "certified forestry"), REDD is in danger of becoming empty jargon meant to legitimate continued environmentally destructive activities.