We Are Not Prepared For Climate Change.
By Thom Hartmann A...
The next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is due at the end of March, and according to the Associated Press, we shouldn't expect good news. The AP summarized a draft version of the IPCC's “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” report, and they boiled it down to the fact that we are not prepared. The AP said that the report warned that “starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war, and disease [are] likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change.”
Chris Field, a co-chair of the working group drafting the IPCC report, said that we are simply not ready for the extreme weather we will experience. He said, “I think if you look around the world at the damages that have been sustained in a wide range of climate-related events, it's very clear [that] we're not prepared for the kinds of events we're already seeing.” In other words, we are not even ready for the extreme droughts, floods, and super storms that are already occurring, and we're not doing enough to prepare for the fact that these events will only get worse.
The last report from the IPCC warned that our window for impacting climate change is rapidly closing, but it has not shut yet. Our world must prepare for the extreme events of today and of the future. And, we have to act fast, and fight hard, to prevent our planet from getting even hotter.
Comments
#2
I think the tipping point has been passed and there is nothing we can do to prevent worldwide, ecological catastrophe. Methane released from its hydrate matrix is part of a positive feedback loop. (Look up the characteristics of such a structure.) No one has suggested an intervention which would be both financially feasible and likely to be effective. Say goodbye to the human race. We had fun while it lasted. Looking back we will have learned that we cannot rape Mother Earth without limit. Unfortunately, no one will be left to remember that lesson.
#3
"The AP said that the report warned that "starvation, poverty, flooding, heat waves, droughts, war, and disease [are] likely to worsen as the world warms from man-made climate change."
With or without climate change, the following edit still holds true:
"starvation, poverty, .... war, and disease [are] likely to worsen... from man-made...change."
Speaking of change, has anyone a square to spare?
#4
It might be a good thing that we are not prepared for climate change. If we were, it wouldn't be the same disaster that it will be, would it? If we were prepared, it might not even happen. Only through a disaster of Biblical proportions will mankind be motivated to doing anything about preventing this scenario in the future. I believe we--as a race--will survive. Maybe, not all of us; but, enough--hopefully stronger, smarter, and wiser. Maybe tribulation like this is what is supposed to trigger evolution?
It's always darkest before the dawn...
#5
There is nothing in human history that indicates that our actions have ever shown concern about the environment. Today, only a small number of us do and not enough to make an impact. Even in the face of Kyoto, Copenhagen and the rest of the promises to reign in carbon emissions, globally, they have steadily increased year after year. Years ago someone wrote - 'After all is said and done, much is said and little done.' How true this is concerning our environment. Taken as a whole, humanity is not mature enough to put the environment ahead of self interest. We will continue down this road until natural disasters, probably through pandemics, reduce our numbers or, worst case, wipe us out. This is not a prediction. It is a certainty.
#6
Quote leighmf:Speaking of change, has anyone a square to spare?
#7
Quote Bob Hearns:There is nothing in human history that indicates that our actions have ever shown concern about the environment.
Bob Hearns ~ Actually there is quite a lot of human history about our concern with the environment. Starting with cave men, explorers, all agricultural societies, all hunters and gatherers, Nomads, Vikings, American Indians, and Eskimos were all tremendously concerned about their environment to name but a few. Even if you look at today, you have people chaining themselves to trees, risking their lives with Greenpeace, being called "environmental terrorists," and commenting on blogs like this. Actually, what we have before us is a small group of industrialists in a Capitalistic society that have no choice because of the economic structure but to abandon common sense for profit because they must compete with other producers in order to survive. We must be careful about whom we connect this problem too. I feel that most of us would prefer to live in balance with nature. It is easiest, safest, cheapest, and the most secure way of life for us all.
#8
Actually, it's always darkest before it gets completely black. Disappearance of species has no exception for humankind.
#9
I wish you had posted what that person was talking about TODAY on your show about the pipeline and that great guest—so clear and lucid— she had on and that website where we can learn more and that I forget now because I was in the car when I heard it!!
#10
Oh that's that thing for your backside, eh what? This is an item of luxury. But if you can't afford actual TP, you have a point- one can always back up to the bathtub faucet, or if still in the Middle Class, utilize the shower massage...
#11
Some radio talk show hosts poked fun at global warming just because a research vessel got stuck in some ice. Such is the mentality you're dealing with.
#12
Please add sustainability to my statement. I made an omission. None of whom you mention ever had to be concerned with sustainability. In 1950 there were only 2 billion people and now 7 billion with technological advancements that allow us to act as if we are, just a guess, 20 billion people. Certainly some multiple of 7 billion. Those that you mention who are acting today are the small number that I mentioned who are not making a big enough impact to reverse the rape of the planet. Agriculture destroying the soil. Fisheries fishing out the oceans. Forestry harvesting ever smaller diameter trees. Ever increasing water, soil and air pollution. Is there any sector of consequence that is not in decline? Even though solar and wind power is increasing, we will gobble up that energy and STILL consume oil & gas as long as a profit can be made. And if most of us would like to live in balance with nature, we would. But we aren't because the vast majority do not care beyond themselves. It would be great if we did care but that's just wishful thinking. And you know what that is worth.
#13
Very cold this winter ,climate changed cold again lol
Zero emmisions water h2o into hydrogen and o2. Rocket fuel...Energy Independence Take the Banksters to the cleaners sue for starting falsewar. Take back the Trillions$invest into Green! Solar pannel the deserts link them all with super conductive cable around the world.or for starters North America .if your going to lay a pipe make it green!instead of inside job 911 trillion$ rip off World Bankster cartel the FED Families way for Oil.. Now We Know.the motive, and they sold the war behind the scenes National Energy Security.
450 billion in interest per annum on17 trillion America could be building a City a year or in military terms USA loses 100 Air Craftcarriers a YEAR. Complete energy independence.scream that from the roof top lol
Start arresting the Banksters.
911 2 jets 3 buildings lest we forget
#14
ps HEMP for so many reasons!! such as a lumber replacement keeping forests stable positive constructive change!!
NOW we motivate the Military for a take over Jackson style "your a den of snakes" their outed arrest them!! Thanks
Thomas Jefferson said banksters are "worst than standing armies" 100Air Craftcarriers a Year GONE !!proof Take back time lol
#15
Fractionally Unnerved- When it comes to endorsing hemp as a viable alternative, you're in good company here. Both DAnneMarc and I have posted on this subject more than once. Hemp is the most useful plant on the planet, with a breathtakingly diverse list of products it can be made into. Our ancestors got it right; we just have to ditch these bogus laws, invented by oligarchs of yesteryear with their own self-interests at heart. (Surprise!) And while this might sound off-topic, it really isn't when you think about it. - Aliceinwonderland
#16
Yes hemp, yes reforestation, yes get those banksters, yes stop the geoengineering , and it is INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY ON Sat 8th of March, so yes to EQUAL GENDER GOVERNMENTS!
#17
Here Here now lets motivate the change.. shock ripple effect ,some how get viral on the net as to these Big Picture Issues
Marketing scheme any one? say a group declares it's intrests, Occupy for that mater a BOLD carved in stone DECLARATION like the declaration of Human rights. Meglithic size and suddenly you find them all over the world people just start making them lol a demand from the Good say,? with descriptions. Robin Hood style post the merry men would leave, but on industry scale Ralf Naders billionairs could pay LOL
web links to the environment catastrophies on an app google earth alarms
Celebrities host an Environmental roast like the oscars, and other Big Issues Tv show comedy style for RT Larry KING's friends lol
or sad to say get people to emulsify them selves like back in vietnam days. never really do this.Dark humour warning!
Green licence plates for the world or just a bummper sticker Wish i had an E car
911 2 jets 3 buildings lest we forget
#18
"Our window for impacting climate change is rapidly closing." Yet there are still those amongst us who debate and consider the possibility of running the Canadian's Kochstone pipeline directly across our "this land is your land this land is my land." We have the technology to turn things around. How about a massive non profit renewable energy program similar to Germany's solar energy program? But that would require a representative government and it would exclude a few from making billions for themselves.......so lets just destroy the whole god damn planet instead.
#19
Pussy riot don't they want the Pope to sell condums ?lol give them to the world to stop population growth is that their issue? dancing with condums on thier heads? if so may they succeed. Global Education on the issue of population control seams to be the best answer.just get the population to simply replace it self 2 kids per if you have no kid you can sell the right for other to have 3 or 4 lol think gun control in your bed room.lol ofcourse this would have to become a moral standard. on a voluntary basis if only the world could balance out. no more than 10 billion people should work.
#20
Do to the hard work of so many I am legally Stoned in one multiverse or the other.. states of consciousness.lol thank you to the advocates of the World hemp like Normal (bought the Tshirt.). keep up the "mild state of euphoria"to quote Ben Franklin 420 rules
#21
Here Here now how do we destroy the globe?.lol Find out who destroys the world better and beat them at their own game.Rockefeller and the FED Families.monsanto bee hive any one? only bee left that can stand the pollution, then they'll sell air too.like water is sold now.
#22
Let the climate-change-deniers keep their heads buried in the sand - that will make it so much easier for reality to bite them in thier asses!
Of late, I've been thinking there's a little more to global warming than just the greenhouse gases we're dumping into the atmosphere. Combustion of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases but also produces...HEAT! More than a billion internal combustion engines, billions of furnaces and heaters, electric motors (yes, they produce heat), and air conditioners and refrigerators that don't just move heat but also add to the heat they move. Globally, we must be dumping trillions of BTU's of heat in to the atmosphere every hour; and probably faster than it can disipate into space. So, I think we're heating the atmosphere directly.
And let's not forget all the microwave radiation energy from weather and navigation radar systems. I noticed a change in the weather pattern around Indianapolis shortly after two 6,000 watt Doppler radar systems went on line. We cook our food with microwave radiation, maybe we're also cooking our atmosphere.
JMHO.
#23
Bob Hearns ~ Everyone is always concerned with sustainability. Where is your next meal coming from, right? It is only since industrialization in a Capitalistic "free market" that environmental sustainability has taken a back seat to market sustainability. Yet even our Corporate Pirates would take great concern over sustainability--at least in their lifetimes. What is lacking is long term sustainability. What is lacking is responsibility for the greater good. We used to know what that is. It was called common sense. Today, it is a liability. Nothing you've said is untrue. I simply disagree that it is human nature alone that is responsible. We all have the need to survive. The economic system we are born into corrupts that basic need. We need to focus on the real problem that is slightly beyond the control of the average person--the competitive marketplace and the industrial revolution. We are being forced by history to adapt to our own creative evolution. Our success is necessary for our survival. I don't think our current problems are an inherent flaw as much as a evolutionary phase that we must adapt to. Unless we succeed at this phase in our evolution, there is no future for mankind; or, quite probably, any other so called intelligent life in the universe. Any form of intelligent life must overcome this same obstacle at some point. Failure is not an option!
#24
Aliceinwonderland ~ Did somebody say Hemp? I've said it before, I'll say it again...
http://thehempsolution.blogspot.com/
Talk about sustainability... When the planet makes it possible for us, we really don't have an excuse, do we?
#25
It's beginning to look a lot like the 2004 movie "The Day After Tomorrow"...subzero polar vortexes are just the start! Super twisters and super hurricanes will get even worse. Then there will be the flooding of coastal lands. We are in for a hell of a lot of fun, aren't we?
By the way...the Arabs have a couple of solutions to expensive BR fixtures....either sand, if they don't have any water, or short rubber hoses, if they do. And the later is actually way more sanitary than either sand or TP.
#26
"...our window for impacting climate change is rapidly closing."
This from Thom's piece above is what I want to address.
The use of "our" implies a "we". And who is the "we"?
Who's in control and in a position to affect a change?
Those who can address this 'problem' are the Elites and Power Establishment. Are they even interested? (If they are involved, it is my guess they are already altering Earth weather patterns via experiments using high technology weather modification, etc.) And we already know that all the Elites seem to want to do is figure out how to make more money, as they have already done with externalizing pollution costs to the public. Now I think the Elites want to make even more money with more pollution with claims that More Pollution Is a Solution to 'climate change' via Geoengineering (like geoengineered weather modification and aerosols in the atmosphere and depositing materials in the oceans). It looks to me that the weather is being manipulated by the Elites and Their Friends, as a means to bring people to a sense of desperate quietude.
I think they are confident Disaster Capitalism works, and they are thrilled by this weather beaten gravy train they're on.
One 'for instance ' question in closing--
Could the Elite (corporate, financial, economic) mine the Canadian tar sands if weather/climate were 'normal'?
o
#27
Make concrete from carbon dioxide. Use it for housing, infrastructure, utilities...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cement-from-carbon-dioxide/
Bring the warmongers to justice. Before they can escape.
#28
There is a lot we can do to mitigate the effects of climate change, and a positive side effect is that we'll strengthen our economy and weaken our political opponents.
Over the past three years, many car makers have begun making plug-in cars. Some, like Nissan's LEAF, are pure electric, and others, like the Chevy Volt, are plug-in hybrids. These cars allow people to drive without using much, or any, oil.
The price of wind energy has fallen a lot the past decade, so much so that it is now less expensive than a new coal plant. Solar PV has also fallen dramatically and continues at such a rate that it should reach parity with new coal inside of 5 years. While these are intermittent sources of energy, the use of various energy storage technologies renders tham capable of replacing baseload energy.
So, as individuals, you now have the choice of switching your home's energy to renewable (RE) by either installing solar on your home, or by signing up for your utility's RE program. And if you need to drive a car, you can now buy or lease one that will allow you to drive on RE. Doing these two things will reduce your pollution footprint by over 90%.
An added benefit is that you no longer give money to the oil, coal or natural gas companies. The economic and political effects of this are substantial. Here in CA, we spend some $55 billion for gasoline and diesel every year. Over 90% of that money leaves CA for good. That's a hit to our economy of about $50 billion every year. If you switch to an EV, you spend about 20% for electricity what you used to spend for oil. The 80% savings, which is over $1,000 per person per year, can be spent on local goods and services instead of accruing in the off-shore coffers of the oil industry. Over time, this will result in hundreds of thousands of new jobs in CA.
Further, when you stop giving money to these industries, they can no longer use your money to buy political influence. Even better, you can use a small portion of your savings to donate to political orgs that represent your philosophical point of view.
There is a similar effect with the savings by using solar or wind, but instead of impacting the oil industry, you are impacting the coal and NG industries.
As an example, I installed solar in 2002 on my house in Santa Monica, CA. I then bought my first EV, a 2002 Toyota RAV4. For over 12 years, I've been running my home and car on sunlight-generated energy and none of my money has gone to the oil, coal or NG companies. I've saved close to $20,000 in the past dozen years. We now have about 170,000 Americans driving plug-in cars. That represents about a quarter of a billion dollars not going to the oil companies. We expect to almost double that number this year.
So, rather than worrying about what will happen, please take action and eliminate your purchases of dirty energy. You'll have an effect, I promise you.
#29
DAnneMarc - well said. Actually, I, too, think it is far more human nurture than human nature that is the issue that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, failure is an option and it is in play right now.
On another issue. Yes, let's hear it for hemp. A wonder plant indeed.
#30
Quote Palindromedary:By the way...the Arabs have a couple of solutions to expensive BR fixtures....either sand, if they don't have any water, or short rubber hoses, if they do. And the later is actually way more sanitary than either sand or TP.
Palindromedary ~ Are you serious... SAND? All sand needs is paper--as in TP--and you have sandpaper. With all due respect the Arabs have a lot of SWELL ideas--like riding camels, eating bugs, living in the desert, and killing infidels--but sand blasting your behind? I'm sorry my friend but my nether regions are very sensitive. Nothing but two-ply Softie TP for me. A preheated gentle stream of water might work too; but, anything that can strip paint off metal doesn't have a chance of doing the job for me. Talk about overkill. I don't want to have to stand up when I type. What happens in Saudi Arabia should stay in Saudi Arabia. The world's litter box. Don't eat the yellow sand.
#31
The informative link! someone thanks you. ecological peace to the World straight to the point
A City a year gone 450 bilion in interest on debt thats a lot of hemp farm lost every year. Green Peace how would they use the money?
911 2 jets 3 buildings lest we forget
#32
Paul Scott- my husband & I can't afford to get a solar system installed on our house, nor can we afford an electric vehicle or hybrid. But we have participated in Pacific Power's RE program for several years already. I hate paying the higher rates but it makes me feel better to make that small sacrifice for a saner, more sustainable world. And I implore anyone who can afford a new car, or is planning to get one, to please consider a hybrid or plug-in. This is becoming a matter of life or death; we've got to make some serious changes in our mind-set as well as our way of life. - AIW
#33
DAnne- "sand blasting your behind..." That's the best laugh I've had all day! Thanks, I needed that. - AIW
#34
Do the warmer temperatures in the Arctic/Northern Hemisphere regions MAKE POSSIBLE the corporate mining companies exploitation of the TAR SANDS? DO THOSE MINING COMPANIES REQUIRE Climate Change to continue exploiting TAR SANDS?
#35
Wow Nora, that's a loaded question.
#36
I wonder, though, just how "green" is a vehicle that has to have lots of batteries that will have to be disposed of and replaced periodically. And then charging the vehicle has to come from somewhere...the local electric utility? Coal? Fuel? Nuclear powered? Of course if you want to eliminate those sources of electricity you can fill the roof of your house and even your back yard and front yard with very expensive solar panels..because that is probably what it would take to power both your house and an electric car...even a hybrid (I don't know...do you have to charge hybrids?). I guess if we really wanted to make a big dent in the carbon fingerprint we could all ride bikes..provided, of course, that it is not one of those fancy lightweight (and very expensive) carbon composite ones.;-}
Do you know how much more they are charging for a hybrid or all electric version of the cars? A lot more than gasoline powered cars.
Your gasoline bills may go down but your utilities bills will go way up. You go from being hooked "directly" on using fossil fuels to being hooked "indirectly" on the utility company's electricity charges...whose electricity comes from one of those nasty, undesirable sources. And just wait till you have to start replacing all those expensive batteries in a few years...
And that really goes double for solar panels...the initial investment will hopefully have long warranties...but those will eventually give out and so will the solar panels and the banks of batteries they charge. And they will likely be lead-acid. What will the impact be if everyone were using, and eventually wearing out, all those lead-acid batteries?
#37
DAnneMarc: I never really got that close to anyone over there enough to know that the sand part was factual. You hear a lot of things over there that may not be factual. Although, I have seen them, pull off the side of the road and hike up their skirts (males I'm talking about here) and squat down to do their thing..nothing but sand everywhere...and TP is not normally used. I've seen plenty of Eastern hammams (their word for BR) and all they have is a hose...no TP. The western hammams have TP and regular western fixtures instead of just a hole in the floor. Although I have seen plenty of footprints planted on top of the seats of western hammams. We sit...they squat. So, it is not very likely that they carry TP with them on trips.
By the way, I'd bet the "yellow sand" is a lot healthier for us than what Monsanto puts in our foods! ;-P
#38
Palindromedary, I share your concerns.
Cheap solar panels wear out quickly, expensive ones last longer. But even these require resources we are now recolonizing Africa to attain, at least that's what I'm gathering so far.
When the "green" solutions are made to mimick the non-green problems, I just can't be impressed.
Isn't it sort of like freeing the enslaved, but treating them the same way when they're 'free'? The moral rectitude is still missing somehow.
We've got to change the core motivations of the people and make them want a new way of living. These 'green' versions of the same resource-eating toys and lifestyle just can't hack it. People have got to be willing to change their lifestyle instead of just recasting it in what is SOLD as 'green'.
#39
Quote nora:Isn't it sort of like freeing the enslaved, but treating them the same way when they're 'free'? The moral rectitude is still missing somehow.
Yes, I agree! And one might believe that slavery no longer is an institutional thing....but what was it about slavery that is foremost in most people's minds when they think about slavery? No independence. No freedom to travel anywhere one would like. Immobilization. Threats of starvation if one did not adhere to the slaver's designs. Beatings. And, I'm sure some people could think of others.
And so now that old southern-style historic slavery is largely believed to be ended...what of the new style of institutional slavery that has morphed from the old?
The extent of the modern-day institutionalized slavery depends upon how wealthy you are. If you are a wage-slave that has seen his/her wages decrease (or at least not keep up with the cost of living) and benefits squeezed out of existence then you are likely not able to afford to travel anywhere or whenever you would like. All of the above things I mentioned about the old slavery could easily strongly resemble our condition in the new slavery. Dare to rebel and demonstrate your complaints and you will likely be beaten (cops will use violence against you).
And the similarities are increasing as the capitalist pigs put the squeeze on us. Maybe one has spent his/her working lifetime saving in slaver-created schemes like 401k plans, housing scams, or other Wall Street Casino capitalist "investment" schemes and you might believe that you had solidified your nest egg for retirement. You had spent your life time limiting your ability to buy things like nice trips abroad...or, perhaps you had taken those trips but financed them by using the other trap...credit. Then, when it's time for retirement, you find that not only are you deeply in debt but the capitalist pigs have stolen back a large portion of those "investments". Many people have actually found it so unbearable that they have committed suicide. The slavers don't even need to hang us anymore...they get us to do it for them. Culpable deniability!
They preached that it was wise to invest for the long term while they stole our investments in the short term using high speed computerized trades capable of thousands of trades per second...and various Wall Street schemes that depleted our "investments".
So, what they did was: used our labor all our lives to make themselves wealthy and made the big-lie-promises that all will be well in retirement heaven in the end. And we now realize that we got a retirement hell...of poverty. What little money we managed to save will not last in the contrived price increases. So, in effect, we were all used and abused as slaves all our working lives. We were duped into being slaves...thinking we were "free". We were all tricked into working virtually as a slave.
And now that "they" have us under constant surveillance we cannot exist anywhere without privacy. The only last vestige of freedom is being able to espouse our views publicly...on the internet...and "they" are trying desperately to squelch that "freedom" as well. But, even that is illusive...because what we are all doing is enslaving ourselves even more....unless something useful comes out of it...like full-scale violent overthrow of the criminal slavers.
Knowledge is power, and those who have every bit of detail about us is all powerful. They control us! The only way to change things is to do what, historically, has been done successfully...and playing the slaver's illusive games of voting in a rigged game is not one of them.
#40
I so agree with you.
As an aside, it IS cultural. It is pure European Culture dating back, back to Rome, at least (I'm not sure about how bad slavery in Greece was). European Culture devised the Slaver Economy from at least the time the Romans destroyed their North African rivals and enslaved them en masse; they did the same to the tribes Caesar defeated in Gaul, etc. AND IT DIDN'T STOP with the Romans. It went on and on. Using West Africans was just a European Slavers' adaptation of their Slaver Economy.
For clarification of this check out Nell Irvin Painter's book "The History of White People". It clarifies that Europeans enslaved each other when they could. It clarifies that the ugly underbelly of The Enlightenment was about new freedoms for some, simultaneous with enslavement for others.
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