The future is no sweat: Leaders
Sunday/15 November 2009
The Copenhagen
Summit on Climate Change is three weeks away. In preparation for
Copenhagen, leaders of the developed nations are torpedoing the
hopes of a planet. Most notably Canada and the USA are dragging
their feet, hanging back, blathering profoundly to each other in
the shadows. Harper and Obama appear now and then to get us ready
for the big news which is this: "We are going to do SFA for now,
but we will do more down the road a bit, we promise, sort of.
Maybe."
Of course there are technicalities and practical considerations that are confounding and difficult. Even so, the consequences of delaying action trump the reasons for delay. There's no competition really. The cold war had the constant risk of obliteration. CO2 buildup guarantees it -- and not for some far off century in the future.
I suppose I could accept Copenhagen falling short of its goals if Harper and Obama were also making a big show of stating the scientific rationale for curtailing CO2 emissions, if they were publicly demanding of industry to do more, much more, and if they were vowing on the lives of the next generation to unceasingly devote themselves to the saving of the human race.
Ah but ...
Listen. There is no safe place to escape to when things get ugly. You cannot escape to some mythical Fraggle Rock in the middle of some equally mythical ocean, with your family in tow, and live out your days in balm and plenty while the world goes to hell in a shopping cart. It doesn't really matter if you "believe in climate change" or not. Ocean acidification caused by increasing CO2 absorbtion by ocean water is eating away at that dream as you read these words. The level of atmospheric CO2 has risen 2 parts per million in the last 12 months. That's the new normal. All that new CO2 enters into a closed system. You tell me what science is missing. You tell me where the tipping point is. Tipping point: The point at which we will be unable to stop, ameliorate or slow down the rambuncious, devastating, life-destroying effects of a planet shifting into extreme imbalance. On the other side of the tipping point, humanity kisses earth bye-bye. The last one out of their body has to say, "Sorry about the mess."
This planet does not belong to human industry or human politicians, elected or otherwise. I cannot believe that Harper and Obama truly realize that they are playing risky games with their own children and grandchildren. It must be that they are so full of the minutae of day to day governmental and industrial intrigue, so focussed on the goal of re-election, so side-tracked by war & justification, and so utterly transfixed by the dance of world markets that they cannot grasp the fact that the luminaries of science are spelling out the worst kind of news for those young ones they tuck into bed at night.
We must therefore make Ye Mighty Noise Unto Them. By phone? Why not?
Among the stupidest things PM Harper says is this, "I cannot act until they act," they being most other countries, especially the USA and any so-called developing nation. The notion of leadership seems to have melted away.
Call the Prime Minister of Canada. Call him again. Tell him what you see happening and what you want him to do about it. David Suzuki wants you to call the PM too. Call more than once. You won't get in trouble for calling twice. The Man won't show up at your door because you phoned the PM twice. Well, probably not.
Here is his number: 613-992-4211 (Canada).
If you are in Victoria BC on Tuesday (November 17) drop into the Victoria Convention Centre at 7:30 PM for a rally: Countdown To Copenhagen. Andrew Weaver, renowned Canadian climate scientist and Elizabeth May, equally renowned environmental activist and leader of the Green Party of Canada, will be on hand to speak. We'll all look at each other and say, wow, not alone after all.
Here's a recent article by Naomi Klein, Climate Rage.
I thank you for reading.
Peace out,
bill
Of course there are technicalities and practical considerations that are confounding and difficult. Even so, the consequences of delaying action trump the reasons for delay. There's no competition really. The cold war had the constant risk of obliteration. CO2 buildup guarantees it -- and not for some far off century in the future.
I suppose I could accept Copenhagen falling short of its goals if Harper and Obama were also making a big show of stating the scientific rationale for curtailing CO2 emissions, if they were publicly demanding of industry to do more, much more, and if they were vowing on the lives of the next generation to unceasingly devote themselves to the saving of the human race.
Ah but ...
Listen. There is no safe place to escape to when things get ugly. You cannot escape to some mythical Fraggle Rock in the middle of some equally mythical ocean, with your family in tow, and live out your days in balm and plenty while the world goes to hell in a shopping cart. It doesn't really matter if you "believe in climate change" or not. Ocean acidification caused by increasing CO2 absorbtion by ocean water is eating away at that dream as you read these words. The level of atmospheric CO2 has risen 2 parts per million in the last 12 months. That's the new normal. All that new CO2 enters into a closed system. You tell me what science is missing. You tell me where the tipping point is. Tipping point: The point at which we will be unable to stop, ameliorate or slow down the rambuncious, devastating, life-destroying effects of a planet shifting into extreme imbalance. On the other side of the tipping point, humanity kisses earth bye-bye. The last one out of their body has to say, "Sorry about the mess."
This planet does not belong to human industry or human politicians, elected or otherwise. I cannot believe that Harper and Obama truly realize that they are playing risky games with their own children and grandchildren. It must be that they are so full of the minutae of day to day governmental and industrial intrigue, so focussed on the goal of re-election, so side-tracked by war & justification, and so utterly transfixed by the dance of world markets that they cannot grasp the fact that the luminaries of science are spelling out the worst kind of news for those young ones they tuck into bed at night.
We must therefore make Ye Mighty Noise Unto Them. By phone? Why not?
Among the stupidest things PM Harper says is this, "I cannot act until they act," they being most other countries, especially the USA and any so-called developing nation. The notion of leadership seems to have melted away.
Call the Prime Minister of Canada. Call him again. Tell him what you see happening and what you want him to do about it. David Suzuki wants you to call the PM too. Call more than once. You won't get in trouble for calling twice. The Man won't show up at your door because you phoned the PM twice. Well, probably not.
Here is his number: 613-992-4211 (Canada).
If you are in Victoria BC on Tuesday (November 17) drop into the Victoria Convention Centre at 7:30 PM for a rally: Countdown To Copenhagen. Andrew Weaver, renowned Canadian climate scientist and Elizabeth May, equally renowned environmental activist and leader of the Green Party of Canada, will be on hand to speak. We'll all look at each other and say, wow, not alone after all.
Here's a recent article by Naomi Klein, Climate Rage.
I thank you for reading.
Peace out,
bill
