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Bright green environmental analysis by Dr. Glen Barry highlighting severity of global ecological crises and rigorous biocentric responses


January 14, 2009

Heathrow Airport Climate Protests Creative, Effective

Aviation causes climate changeCoinciding with expected government approval of a third runway at Heathrow airport [ark | more\ark] near London, in recent days protesters dressed as Edwardian era protesters and ate cake and drank champagne [ark] in the airline terminals to emulate the civilized Suffragette movement protests. And they have just made the surprise announcement that they have bought land where the new runway would run [ark | more\ark], potentially adding a whole new level of legal wrangling to delay the project.

A wonderful model for people power climate change protest [search] is flourishing in England, where groups such as "Plane Stupid" and Greenpeace UK are leading protests against Heathrow airport expansion. Aviation's rapidly growing impact upon climate change [search], as well as protesting new coal plant construction at climate camps, have galvanized a creative and growing grassroots climate protest movement. The groups are using technology to organize "flash mobs" to quickly mobilize protesters. Indications are the protests will continue to enjoy more success. This is precisely the type of protest activities that we are here providing news, tools and analysis to promote.


Throbgoblins International: Cantankerous Frank, by Marc Roberts

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January 4, 2009

Earth’s Leading Climate Change Portal Turns 10 Years Old

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

Climate Ark celebrates with something old, something new

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

Climate Ark turns 10 years old(Seattle, WA) -- The Climate Ark Climate Change Portal at http://www.climateark.org/ turned ten years old this New Year. Tens of millions of users have and continue to enjoy the Internet's best climate search, news feeds, blogging and action alerts. Ecological Internet has been campaigning for sufficient climate policies and been a critic of global environmental policy since Al Gore actually had the power to do something about climate change.

To mark the event, Ecological Internet's President, Dr. Glen Barry, has recommenced writing biocentric, deeply thought provoking and critically acclaimed "Earth Meanders" essays at http://www.ecoearth.info/earthmeanders/. "There is a real hunger for truthful and ambitious solutions to climate change and the many other global ecological crises that threaten planetary annihilation," notes Dr. Barry.

Continue reading "Earth’s Leading Climate Change Portal Turns 10 Years Old" »

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January 3, 2009

Geoengineering a Biosphere: Stupid, Dangerous and Doomed to Failure

Geoengineering is stupid, dangerous and doomed to failureSerious consideration is being given to the mad proposition of engineering the biosphere as a solution to climate change [ark]. Technological pseudo-scientific proposals for humans to engineer atmospheric processes are dubbed "geoengineering" [search] and generally seek to either reflect solar radiation or absorb greenhouse gases. They include such shortsighted, ill-conceived and risky ideas as mass release of aerosols into the atmosphere, fertilizing oceans with iron, and others, including my personal favorite, stationing mirrors above the Earth. Given the complexity of the Earth System, almost certain unintended consequences and the risk of doing immense further damage to global ecology; geo-engineering amounts to ecological vandalism.

Geoengineering is indicative of both humanity's ignorance and laziness when confronted with tremendous challenges of their own making such as climate change. Don’t try to change society to massively reduce emissions, don’t sacrifice or give up anything, don’t try to change the government through protest or revolution. Instead, take a craps shoot and bet the whole planet that you can engineer the biosphere. This "Plan B" comes as there have been little serious efforts at a "Plan A". What of using all resources at our disposal -- including politically engaged ecologists and other Earth scientists -- to conserve energy, reduce emissions and pursue renewable alternatives? Have we really, fully tried that yet? We are unable to control even most invasive species, for example getting zebra mussels out of the Great Lakes. Yet now humanity is going to be responsible for engineering a livable biosphere forever?


Throbgoblins International: Cantankerous Frank, by Marc Roberts

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January 1, 2009

Bush's Last Climate Obstruction Hurrah Must Not Stop Obama

Endangered polar bears need protection from climate changeIt is reported President Bush is closing off some of President-Elect Obama's immediate climate policy alternatives [ark] with last minute "midnight" environmental regulations. These include barring the Environmental Protection Agency from considering the effects of climate change on protected species [search], and forbidding the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act [search]. These are avenues Obama could have used immediately to begin regulating carbon dioxide (and still can but will take longer to undo Bush's mess). Some had hoped President Obama would make a dramatic gesture and begin regulating carbon under these existing avenues immediately upon taking office, others would argue it is better to work for more comprehensive national legislation and lead international cooperative measures to achieve binding yet differentiated carbon targets upon all nations.

I would argue for all at the same time and more, as leading NASA climate scientist James Hansen does [ark]. President Obama should begin by banning further coal plants and regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act as soon as possible. He should also begin national measures to establish a dedicated carbon tax, proceeds to be used for renewable energy development and to lower other taxes. Further, if any more time is to be wasted on establishing cap and trade systems, he must unveil an ambitious goal to reduce carbon emissions quickly -- perhaps 40% by 2020. Or else he is better off moving on to ending the use of coal and other actions commiserate with the threat. And finally, the world is calling out for international leadership to break the log jam of national interests impeding global enforceable cuts upon greenhouse gas emissions. Let's hope that Obama lives up to his rhetoric and leads on climate at this crucial juncture. Nothing less than the survival of the world, humanity and all Earth's creatures is at stake.

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December 26, 2008

Abrupt Climate Change Deemed More Likely Than Ever

The science of abrupt climate change is improvingA major new report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey, cryptically entitled Synthesis and Assessment Report 3.5: Abrupt Climate Change, finds that future climatic shifts have been underestimated [ark], and warns of relatively low probability but debilitating "abrupt" shift in climate [search] that would be devastating. The new report builds upon earlier IPCC findings, and notes that better information means predictions continue to improve. For the United States they predict an arid and desolate Southwest as a result of drought, and a four foot rise globally in sea levels by 2100 (IPCC predictions are 1.5). The authors downplay the risk of large methane releases, but note its continued possibility.

In my twenty years as a climate advocate, the observable evidence and scientific revisions have consistently been to increase upward predictions regarding the speed and severity of climate change (to say nothing of oceans, toxics, soils, forests, water, etc.). These are not wild-eyed radicals, they are America's best scientists, and what they have to say should give pause to us all. The risk of abrupt and cataclysmic climate change that "would be life-changing" appears increasingly likely and thankfully is being given greater scientific attention and credibility. The question now is does existing political authority have the will and skill to completely restructure economic and social systems to not destroy the atmosphere? If not, it is up to us to bailout the Earth.

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December 25, 2008

Obama Assembles Climate Dream Team

Will Obama's Climate Dream Team have the Power to Get Things DonePresident-Elect Obama's pick of two of the very best -- Jane Lubchenco [search] and John Holden [search] -- for important positions in his administration, seems to portend a major focus upon climate by the incoming administration. Early indications are Obama is going to try to seriously address climate change [ark | more\ark] which is very good. I would expect a major climate initiative as part of a broader stimulus and energy package in the first 100 days. What remains to be seen is whether Obama will propose just what is politically palatable, or seek global cooperative international policies sufficient to actually reduce emissions sharply in the short, mid and long terms.

A dear colleague just asked why I have not yet praised Obama for these appointments. Good question, that left me to ponder. I guess two decades of government inaction on climate change have sullied me that any government can possibly purses actions on climate change that are strong and fast enough. I believe strongly that change will come from the people or not at all. The oil oligarchy's power is still immense, and Obama's ability to put in a carbon tax -- what is really needed -- is limited further by the recession. Climate change is one of those issues not easily addressed by one leader.

I will be more than willing to congratulate Obama for actual emissions reduced. Given recent backsliding by Chancellor Merkel in Germany and Prime Minister Rudd in Australia after lots of initial excitement over their climate policy, I think skepticism is warranted. At this point Obama's climate policy is just electoral rhetoric and staffing, and it remains to be seen how ambitious the actual policy will really be. When a real policy package with even preliminary deadlines and targets is introduced, Ecological Internet will be amongst the first to praise or protest its contents. Let's hope the Climate Dream Team has the power to do what must be done.

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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

Has the time come for another revolution, for the Earth?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" »

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December 23, 2008

Ambitious Climate Change Policies Cost Effective

Ambitious Climate Change Policies Cost EffectiveA new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that "spending money now to keep climate change in check [ark | more\ark] makes sense as it will save us money in the long run." Researchers at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands found that past a minimum threshold, every extra dollar spent increases the chance of success by the same amount. The report proposes ambitious spending of 2 percent of global GDP [ark] to mitigate against threats posed by climate change.

Why is it that economists always quote cost/benefit analysis when pursuing development that destroys the atmosphere and other ecosystems, but they and politicians resist such analysis when the message is to stop burning fossil fuels and logging ancient forests because it makes economic sense to do so? Good luck with the economy when abrupt climate change causes the atmosphere to fail [search].

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December 22, 2008

Remembering Chico Mendes, Mourning the Amazon's Demise

Things have worsened in the Amazon since Mendes' murderAs Brazil and the world mourn and memorialize the great Amazon rainforest advocate Chico Mendes [ark], two things have become abundantly clear. First, to speak and organize for Amazonian rainforest ecological sustainability still remains virtually a death sentence in Brazil. Hundreds of Brazilians activists are routinely threatened with assassination [ark]. This is so sad, and lack of a massive government response unforgivable, given increased ecological sensitivity and desire to act nationally.

And secondly, despite improved efforts at least rhetorically by the Brazilian government, the Amazon's rainforests, and thus global atmospheric and ecological sustainability, remain deeply threatened. With deforestation having increased [search] by 64% this past year, it is difficult to envision a future solution -- based upon continued piddly policy half-measures and NGO token projects -- that keeps the Amazon intact and fully functional as a whole.

Clear prohibitions in the Amazon and rest of the world's rainforests on any industrial logging and development, backed up with a well-funded and trained enforcement, would be the sufficient place to start. If this massive planetary ecosystem engine is fragmented and diminished, collapsing into pieces, Brazil and the Earth's habitability will be deeply threatened. Only responses at scales commiserate to the problem can save the Amazon now.

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December 17, 2008

ALERT: Bolivia’s Amazon Riches to Be Plundered for Oil

President Morales must be encouraged to live up to his grand rhetoric, and end his government's hurried measures to decimate massive indigenous rainforest protected areas and their biodiversity and climate values, in a manner eerily reminiscent of the capitalistic system against which he rallies

Rainforest protection and oil do not mixTAKE ACTION! Bolivia's Madidi National Park [search] and Pilón Lajas Biosphere Reserve are communal lands containing some of the most biodiverse areas on earth. With the assent of President Evo Morales, the oil giant Petrobas and collaborators have begun an oil exploration assault that threatens not only these remarkable ecosystems, but also the culture and livelihood of the resident indigenous peoples. Mr. Morales must be encouraged to live up to his grand rhetoric, and end his government's hurried plans to decimate indigenous protected areas, local sustainable livelihoods and their rainforest lands' biodiversity and climate values. TAKE ACTION!

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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


Should carbon markets pay for rainforest logging?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.

Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: Light REDD: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests" »

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