Climate Change Warning

I just started reading a book about the dire consequences of climate change called, The Last Generation: How Nature Will Take Her Revenge for Climate Change by Fred Pearce.

Here's an excerpt from the book that I found appropos to what we've been doing to the earth:

"As Wally Broecker, one of the high priests of abrupt planetary processes, says, 'Climate is an angry beast, and we are poking it with sticks.'"

Coal and Mining Industries

This is an article from Alternet: Headlines Newsletter, December 1, 2007, http://www.alternet.org/environment/69358/, about the coal industry.

How Much Money Do You Give to the Coal Industry?

By Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., HuffingtonPost.com. Posted November 30, 2007

Where does your energy come from and how dirty is it? A new website allows you to see your link to coal.


The GOP CNN/YouTube debate this week and the Democratic presidential debate on November 15 were jointly sponsored by a coal industry coalition comprised of mining, railroad and utility interests.

Their high profile civic involvement is designed to further confuse American voters about coal's true cost to our society. Many of the Republican candidates have endorsed massive new subsidies for King Coal and dutifully parrot industry talking points including earnest promises of cheap "clean coal." Given that climate change is the most urgent threat to our collective survival, it is shocking that no debate moderator has pressed the candidates to clearly state their positions on "clean coal."

In fact, there is no such thing as "clean coal." And coal is only "cheap" if one ignores its calamitous externalized costs. In addition to global warming, these include dead forests and sterilized lakes from acid rain, poisoned fisheries in 49 states and children with damaged brains and crippled health from mercury emissions, millions of asthma attacks and lost work days and thousands dead annually from ozone and particulates.

Coal's most catastrophic and permanent impacts are from mountaintop removal mining. If the American people could see what I have seen from the air and ground during my many trips to the coalfields of Kentucky and West Virginia: leveled mountains, devastated communities, wrecked economies and ruined lives, there would be a revolution in this country.

Well now you can visit coal country without ever having to leave your home. Every presidential candidate and every American ought to take a few seconds to visit an ingenious new website created by Appalachian Voices, that allows one to tour the obliterated landscapes of Appalachia.

And it's not just Arch Coal, Massey Coal and their corporate toadies in electoral politics who are culpable for the disaster. The amazing new website allows you to enter your zip code to learn how you're personally connected to the great crime of mountaintop removal. Using this website Americans from Maine to California can see these mountains and the communities that were sacrificed to power their home. The tool uses Google Maps and Google Earth as interfaces to a large database of power plants and mountaintop removal coal mines.

A November 15, 2007 article in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the site as one of the most innovative, cutting-edge uses of these powerful tools. The site puts a human face on the issue by highlighting the stories of families living in the shadows of these mines.

Each day the coal barons from companies like Massey and Arch detonate 2500 tons of explosives -- the power of a Hiroshima bomb every week -- to blow away Appalachian mountain tops to reach the coal seams beneath. Colossal machines then plow the rock and debris into the adjacent river valleys and hollows, destroying forests and burying free-flowing mountain streams, flattening North America's most ancient mountain range.

According to the EPA, 1,200 miles of American rivers and streams have already been permanently interred and 470 of Appalachia's largest mountains have simply disappeared, leaving behind giant pits and barren moonscapes, some as large as Manhattan Island. I recently flew over one 18 square-mile pit -- Hobet 21 -- which you can now tour on Google Earth!

We are literally cutting down the historic landscapes where Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett roamed and that are so much the source of American's values, character and culture.

Mountaintop mining poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys hundreds of miles of North America's most ancient and biologically diverse hardwood forests and permanently impoverishes local communities. Millions of dollars earned from this criminal enterprise land in the coffers of the politicians now jockeying to lead our country to a "new energy future." Mountaintop removal is one of the biggest environmental holocausts in human history. Wherever you live, you have a connection -- and a responsibility.

The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to ban the practice has 118 co-sponsors-dozens more than last year, with over a year to go in the 110th Congress.

From Appalachia to the Western states of Wyoming and Utah, the strip miners have permanently destroyed some of the most beautiful country on Earth, leaving behind a legacy of misery and poverty. For too long Arch, Massey and their tame politicians have hidden their crimes in the remote poverty-stricken communities of Appalachia.

This new website finally exposes this national disgrace for every American to witness. Our aspiring presidential leaders at the very least should be asked to explain their position on this shameful and corrupt enterprise.


Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and author of "Crimes Against Nature."

End Mountain Top Removal: http://www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection/#map%3E

Eco Holiday Decorating

From Gaia.com, http://www.gaia.com/article/7188?from=conscious-consumer, here are five holiday eco decorating tips:


5 Holiday Eco Decorating Tips

by Jodi Helmer

Step away from that festive-looking flocked plastic wreath — and start opting for holiday decorations that really are green. You’ll feel even better giving green gifts this year if your present-opening happens amid halls decked in eco-friendly style.

Interior designer Cheryl Terrace says you’re in good company if you’re checking your list twice before buying that petroleum-based fake tree, mass-produced ornaments or energy-draining string of standard holiday lights.

“There’s a huge movement toward respecting the planet during the holidays,” says Terrace, founder of eco-friendly design firm Vital Design. “The focus is shifting from mass consumerism to creating a holiday that’s about gratitude, especially for the environment.”

That think-green buzz is making it easier than ever to choose eco-friendly holiday decorations. Here are a few tips to help you surround yourself with green this holiday.

1. Gotta get a tree? Keep it green …
Love that fresh pine scent making your house feel all wintry? Go ahead — a live tree is actually a relatively eco-friendly choice, so long as you’re conscious about where it goes once the holidays are over.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly all cut holiday trees are grown on tree farms — meaning their stock is replenished yearly and forests aren’t hurt by choosing a cut tree. And spent trees can be ground into woodchips and used to mulch your garden or prevent erosion at a local watershed. Check with your city government or go to earth911.org and enter your ZIP code to find out where to have your tree recycled.

Fake trees are a different story, requiring a significant amount of energy and petroleum-based materials to manufacture. Plus, artificial trees are often manufactured overseas and shipped thousands of miles before they reach our living rooms.

“Living trees are another option,” Terrace points out. “They can be kept in a pot during the holidays and planted in the garden afterward.” Local nurseries stock numerous varieties of evergreens. In the Northwest, the Original Living Christmas Tree Company rents live Christmas trees that are returned and replanted after the holidays.

Also check out green alternatives to eco-uncouth tree ornaments. Gaiam has a great selection of ornaments, garlands and other décor made with earth-friendly fabrics and fair trade materials.

2. String a smarter light string

Instead of buying more standard holiday lights to replace bad strings (or to try and keep outdoing your neighbor’s massive display), opt for energy-efficient light strings. When they’re made using light-emitting diode bulbs, or LEDs, they’re 90 percent more efficient than traditional holiday lights. LEDs also last longer – up to 10,000 hours compared with 5,000 hours for incandescent bulbs.

Look for LED holidays lights where regular lights are sold, or order from Gaiam.com and others including www.environmentallights.com and www.christmas-treasures.com.

Or save even more energy with solar-powered holiday lights, and set up a light display wherever you please without a tangle of extension cords all over your lawn. Gaiam.com offers strands of LED lights with solar panels — no outlet required. You can even get icicle lights and lighted wreaths powered by totally cute little solar panels. You’ll pay a little more up front for solar versions of holiday lights, but the savings on your power bill over the holiday season make up for that pretty quickly.

3. Keep practicing your R’s

You’ve heard it a million times, but Terrace says, “Those three little words ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ can have a huge impact during the holidays.”

Keep it simple: Choose décor items that come with minimal packaging to reduce waste. Wrap gifts in recycled paper or other eco-friendly gift wrap alternatives. And of course, reuse your decorations year after year. Tired of that same old garland? Throw a holiday-décor-swapping party with neighbors, family and friends.

Need a few ornaments to update your tree or to replace broken ornaments? Longing for cheery holiday dinnerware to entertain guests? Check out secondhand shops like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, where you’ll find aisles of gently used holiday décor. Buying secondhand saves cast-offs from the landfill, and you can use the savings to make a donation to a good cause.

Fair trade holiday décor is another way to give back to the world around you. Check out Gaiam’s collection, including beaded ornaments from India and knit stockings from Bosnia. Fair trade programs are designed to ensure that artisans receive a fair wage and to help create sustainable livelihoods.

“Every dollar you spend has power,” Terrace says. “You get to decide how to use that power. Choosing green and fair trade products speaks volumes.”

4. Send a tree-friendly card

Card trees weighed down with dozens of cards might be a yearly fixture in your holiday decorating scheme. But let’s face it, they’re not very green. Around 2.5 billion holiday cards are sold in the United States every year — enough to circle the planet 10 times! Sending digital holiday cards is a simple way to reduce your volume of holiday waste. Web sites like www.hallmark.com and www.photobucket.com offer holiday e-cards that can be personalized and sent to family and friends.

If you prefer the traditional snailmail holiday card route, choose cards made from recycled or sustainably produced paper, and soy-based ink. Try GirlyWhirly, Gaiam.com and Peaceful Valley Greetings, which offers several grow-a-note cards – cards that are embedded with wildflower seeds and can be planted after the holidays.

5. Borrow from nature

Think of how your great-grandma (or great-great grandma) decorated during the holidays — with natural evergreen boughs cut from the tree, handmade ornaments, and bowls of fruit, nuts or pine cones. With a backdrop of seasonal plants like poinsettias and cyclamen, they create a warm, welcoming feel — and they aren’t made of petroleum and chemicals.

Or opt for holiday decorations inspired by nature and made by hand, like fair trade and artisan-crafted ornaments and decorations from Gaiam’s One World fair trade and artisan-crafted collection — made by cooperatives in Nicaragua, Indonesia and other places around the world.

Check your decorating list twice this year, and put the planet front and center during the holidays.

Article Sourced from http://community.gaiam.com.

Communities in the Arctic Threatened by Rising Waters

Some communities are being threatened by the rising waters, because ice that has melted is no longer there to protect the land from the Arctic waves. From the Saturday, November 24, 2007, Ideas section of the Toronto Star, page ID5:

THREATENED

Five Arctic communities threatened by rising waters:

* Tuktoyaktuk
An Inuvialuit town of about 1,000 on the western Arctic coast of the Northwest Territories, it will be a future hub of oil and gas activity.

* Aklavik
A Gwich'in community of 740 located on the Peel channel of the Mackenzie Rover Delta that has no summer road access. Traditionally, the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit gathered here to trade with the Hudson's Bay Company post established in 1912.

* Shingle Point
Also known as Tapaq, the community sits on a sand split east of Tuktoyaktuk on the Yukon coast. It was once a thriving community before a series of epidemics forced the people to move elsewhere. It is now used as a seasonabl hunting camp.

* Kittigaaryuit
Situated at the mouth of the East Channel of the Mackenzie River, Kitigaaryuit (also spelled Kittigazuit) was the largest permanent Inuvialuit settlement before contact with Europeans. It is now a national historic site.

* Herschel Island
Also called Qukiqtaryuk, meaning "It is island," the island's Pauline Cove was a historic whaling port from 190 to 1910. It is in the Yukon just off the north coast in the Beaufort Sea near the mouth of the Firth River.

Save the Earth - Reduce Fossil Fuel Usage

From the Saturday, November 24, 2007, Ideas section of the Toronto Star, here is an article about global warming, the warning the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued and thoughts about what that would mean and what we need to do:

Global Warming
If you really love the planet, hate the oil

Cameron Smith

The latest report of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is explicit: If temperatures rise to the range of 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius above what they were in 1999, up to nearly a third of all species on Earth will likely face in increased risk of extinction.

Think of it. One-third of all the different kinds of birds - likely gone. A third of all the various butterflies and wildflowers - gone. Red oak trees might survive, but maybe not the beach; birch trees but not ash; sugar maples but not the black spruce of the Boreal Forest - which would devastate the Boreal.

To prevent his happening, the IPCC says it will be necessary to stabilize carbon dioxide emissions witihin the next seven years, and then drive them down 59 to 85 per cent by 2050.

These are staggeringly ambitious targets, but as Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC says, "What we do in the next two or three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment."

Despite setting its sight high, the report stresses repeatedly that the targets can be met. And they can be met at minuscule cost.

By 2050, global domestic product would be altered in the range of a 1 per cent gain to a 5.5 per cent decrease. "This corresponds to slowing average ... global GDP growth by less than 0.12 per cent (a year)," the report says.

It notes that the increase in atmospheric CO2 is "primarily due to fossil fuel use, with land-use changes providing another significant but smaller contribution."

And it highlights the scope of the problem the world faces. By 2030, it says, more than $20 trillion will be invested in energy plants that will have long lifetimes.

To ensure that these plants use low-carbon technologies - which means finding alternatives to coal and oil-fired stations - will require a large shift in investment patterns if energy-related CO2 emisisons are to return to 2005 levels by 2030.

However, on a calming note, the report adds, "The net additional investment required ranges from negligible to 5 to 10 per cent."

But it warns that part of the shift in investment will accompany "reduction of fossil fuel subsidies (and imposition of) taxes or carbon charges on fossil fuels." And "resistance by vested interests may make (this) difficult to implement."

The issue, then, is not whether global warming can be controlled. It is whether politicians will stand up to the oil and coal industries - the vested interests.

In the event politicians don't stand up to them, the report issues a stark warning:

If CO3 emissions are not cut back, it's unlikely that nature or civilization as we know it will have the ability to adapt. Against this background, there are a couple things I want to focus on in columns to come, because they bear on the IPCC report.

One is a new area of science that suggests plants have the ability to store knowledge and interpret information - and this is quite different from simply reacting in a blind, mechanistic way, according to what has been encoded in their DNA.

The concern is that global warming is adding to a number of other stresses, and together they may overwhelm this interpretative capacity, leading plants to act in ways injurious to themselves and to the insects that depend on them.

The second is a remarkable pilot project near Tillsonburg in south-western Ontario, where a farmer is being paid not to farm sections of his land that are key to improving local habitat.

It's an example of better land management, which the IPCC says will be invaluable in reducing global warming and it should be adopted by governments in Canada.

Cameron Smith can be reached at camsmith@kingston.net

Green Cars at L.A. Auto Show

From the Saturday, November 17, 2007, page W41, Wheels section of the Toronto Star, an article about the L.A. Auto show and some of the green cars:

L.A. AUTO SHOW'S GREEN REVOLUTION
California embraces its enviro standards with slew of hybrids, fuel cell making debuts

John Leblanc
Special to the Star

Los Angeles - In the hierarchy of environmentally friendly motorized transportation, the fuel cell-powered vehicle, complete with a near-silent driving experience and the promise of zero emissions, is the panacea for the world's polluting cars, says experts.

Unfortunately, the high cost of production, poor hardwire packaging, and the lack of fuelling infrastructure means hydrogen fuel cell vehicles we've seen so far are of the experimental variety.

But those production excuses end next summer. That's when Honda's FCX Clarify hydrogen fuel cell sedan will be available to 1,000 California residents for a three-year lease at $600 a month.

Based on Honda's 2005 FCX concept, the mid-size sedan will return an EPA-certified 68 m.p.g., pass U.S. federal safety standards, start in -30C, have a 432 kilometre driving range between fill-ups, and can top out at 160 km/h, the Japanese automaker says. The FCX Clarity will also feature the first production application of lithium-ion battery technology.

In the long term, Honda also announced plans for its (still experimental) home filling station that converts natural gas into hydrogen and creates heat and electricity for your home.

Volkswagen showed up in the Golden State with its Space Up! Blue Plug-in Hybrid, with design elements reminiscent of the 1960s Microbus, though you won't be able to run down to your local dealer and get one next summer.

The third in a series of recent micro-car concepts, this version debuts VW's high-temperature fuel cell technology which claims to be lighter, more compact, and cheaper than lower-temperature systems, such as Honda's.

Contrary to Honda's progress, VW is pegging 2020 as a potential production date.

In the shorter term, some manufacturers realize that car buyers want greener solutions for large vehicles. General Motors, Chrysler and Porsche are all debuting guilt-free gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles not usually associated with being environmentally friendly.

GM claims its Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, on sale next fall, will be the industry's most fuel-efficient full-size pickup truck with a 40 per cent increase in city fuel economy and an overall 25 per cent increase when compared with a gas-only model. The world's first hybrid pickup can also tow up to 2,767 kg.

With "Hybrid" boldly emblazoned on its flanks, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid also makes its debut. It uses the same two-mode hybrid system as the Silverado (and the previously announced Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids), consisting of a 300-volt battery pack with two motors matched to the standard 6.0 L V8 and electrically variable transmission. It's an impressive system - the Tahoe was recognized here for it by being named Green Car of the Year.

Porsche claims its pre-production Cayenne Hybrid can go where no other hybrid SUV can: deep into the off-road and fording rivers up to 50 cm deep.

With a reported 20 per cent fuel consumption reduction, the Cayenne's V6-based system will also show up in future Volkswagen and Audi products, including Porsche's forthcoming four-door Panamera sports sedan.

To back up claims of a 2,721 kg towing capacity, Chrysler hitched a water ski boat and a horse trailer respectively, to its Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango Hybrids that rolled out here and arrive in showrooms mid-2008.

The Aspen and Durango hybrids share the same two-mode system (developed jointly by Mercedes-Benz and BMW) with the GM vehicles, though Chrysler has added its multi-displacement system to its 5.7 L V8 to further increase fuel efficiency by shutting down four of the eight cylinders under light loads. Chrysler claims its hybrids reduce fuel consumption by 25 per cent in the city and 40 per cent overall.

Amidst these arguable oxymornic "green SUVs," Toyota, the company that brought the hybrid to the masses, rolled out a full-size SUV with no pretensions of helping the planet.

Toyota's eight passenger Sequoia SUV, heavily based on its full-size Tundra pickup, has a ride and handling that benefit from a new independent rear suspension. The standard engine is a 5.7 L V8 that makes 381 hp mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

For those who don't need to carry eight passengers or to tow a cigarette boat daily, the L.A. Auto Show does have other new offerings.

Looking like a Korean Mustang, Hyundai is displacing a prototype of its rear-drive Genesis Coupe, on sale in production form in spring 2009.

Based on the impending Genesis mid-size sedan, preliminary specs indicate a 300 hp 3.8L V6 in the 2+2 coupe. To be sold as "the least expensive" 300 hp 3.8L V6 in the market, the sporty Hyundai will have to be cheaper than the current $33,999 Ford Mustang GT V8.

Claiming a "super evolution" of its avant-garde 2004 original, Nissan Murano five-passenger crossover.

The interior has been bumped up to near Infiniti levels of refinement, including push-button start, wood and aluminum trim, optional intelligent key, Bose Audio, DVD navigation 9.3-gig hard drive and iPod connectivity, Nissan's 265-hp 3.5L V6, mated to a CVT, is the sole drivetrain.

Despite the rumours, Audi did not show up with a production version of its Q5 luxury compact crossover. Instead, it continues to tease with a two-door, four-seat Cabriolet version of the previously seen Cross Coupe concept, a thinly disguised Q8.

More importantly, the Audi concept's 240 hp 3.0 L turbo diesel engine (with a reported 7.3 L/100 km fuel consumption) is a bellwether for a production powerplant.

With Cadillac's new CTS sedan squarely in its sights, Lincoln introduced its MKS mid-size sedan.

Based on the Volvo S80, the Lincoln's self-proclaimed "new flagship" initially will come with 370 hp 3.7 L V6 and either front- or all-wheel drive. A year later, a higher performance six will be available, which the company says will make the MKS "the most powerful and fuel-efficient all-wheel drive luxury sedan in the market."

Although Canadian pricing will be set closer to its launch next summer, U.S. pricing is aggressive at $37,985, about $4,0000 less than a comparable Cadillac.

UN: Global Warming Impacts Have Started; Act Now

From the Sunday, November 18, 2007, Climate Change, News, Climate section, page A7:

ACT NOW OR SEE 'UNRECOGNIZABLE' EARTH: UN
Top climate scientists say warming impacts have started;
U.S., China urged to take action

Peter Gorrie
Environment Reporter

Without urgent, aggressive steps to stop greenhouse gas emissions, climate change will cause devastating heat waves, floods, starvation and disease, says a report written by the world's top climate scientists and endorsed by 140 nations yesterday.

Environment Minister John Baird immediately welcomed the document, from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "Canada, like the rest of the world, needs to take immediate action," he said in a written statement.

But critics said the minister and the rest of the Conservative government still pay lip service to the problem while promoting a plan that would make it worse.

"The government is acting to protect industry and its shareholders instead of the planet and future generations," said John Bennett, of Ottawa-based ClimateforChange.

Impacts have already begun, declares a 23-page summary of thousands of pages of scientific evidence.

Without action, human activity could lead to "abrupt and irreversible changes" that make Earth unrecognizable.

As early as 2020, 75 million to 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages, while residents of Asia's megacities will be at great risk of river and coastal flooding.

The new report is the fourth and final statement this year from the panel - the roughly 2,000 scientists who assess research on the rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere.

It draws conclusions from the previous three documents and sets the stage for next month's UN conference in Bali, Indonesia, where governments are supposed to resolve how to set targets for emission cuts after 2012, when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends.

Climate change imperils "the ost precious treasures of our planet," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said in Valencia, Spain, where in five days of often-tense negotiations, governments haggled over the summary's wording.

Ban urged the Unied States and China - the two biggest greenhouse gas sources - to do more.

Panel reports, issued every five years for the past two decades, tend to be conservative.

This one, though, is stark and urgent.

"If there's no action before 2012, that's too late," said Rajendra Pachauri, a scientists and economist who heads the IPCC.

"What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment."

Yvo de Boer, the UN's top climate change official, said what's new is the clarify of the scientific message, adding that, while the report isn't binding, "The politicians have no excuse not to act."

"The timing of this report couldn't be better," Baird said in his statement.

"Canada has been a leader in bringing the world together ... and we will continue that work in Bali."

But critics said his plan - which rejects absolute emission caps - would let Canada's greenhouse emissions grow with the economy.

The panel says emissions must fall at least 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent catastrophic impacts, Canada's target is a 20 per cent cut below 2006 levels by 2020 - which if achieved would still leave us slightly above our 1990 total.

But many say the Conservatives' proposals aren't capable of hitting even that weak target.

"The government is not acting on the science," said Matthew Bramley, of the Pembina Institute.

"They're trumpeting bogus targets as if they're meaningful," said gets as if they're meaningful," said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

"I'd believe John Baird if he came out with a plan that includes things like a carbon tax and a moratorium on growth in (Alberta's) tar sands."

With files from wire services