Climate change: UN emissions gap report a ‘thundering wake-up call’

Spread the love

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59049770

National plans to cut carbon fall far short of what’s needed to avert dangerous climate change, according to the UN Environment Programme.

Their Emissions Gap report says country pledges will fail to keep the global temperature under 1.5C this century.

The Unep analysis suggests the world is on course to warm around 2.7C with hugely destructive impacts.

...

Just a few days before COP26 opens in Glasgow and another scientific report on climate change is “another thundering wake-up call”, according to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

Continue ReadingClimate change: UN emissions gap report a ‘thundering wake-up call’

GM and Ford Knew, Too: Reporting Reveals Auto Giants Recognized

Spread the love

“Like the major oil and gas companies, leading car companies took a calculated risk that they—and the world—could delay action to address the drivers of climate change. We are all paying for that

Source: GM and Ford Knew, Too: Reporting Reveals Auto Giants Recognized

Continue ReadingGM and Ford Knew, Too: Reporting Reveals Auto Giants Recognized

THE STATE WE’RE IN :: Statement 1

Spread the love

A short series of statements that recognises the current urgency and absolute primacy of the climate crisis. May be revised or corrected. Undecided how this series will go. Away njoio over the weekend (no not Glastonbury).

Let’s get this clear from the outset: I represent nobody except myself. Despite supporting Jeremy Corbyn’s UK Labour party I have never been a member of the Labour party. I may have briefly been a member of SERA (Socialist, Environment and Resources Association) approximately 40 years ago while I was an active anti-nuclear activist. SERA was and continues to be closely associated with the Labour party.

I have been publishing inconsistently on the internet since 1998 or 1999 and I am certainly amoung the earliest bloggers. I have a portfolio of posts and articles that establishes me a competent and accomplished blogger, journalist or political activist – whatever I am. I warned of climate crisis online – from memory – in 1999.

Politicians encounter problems addressing the climate crisis because of 1. the short-termism inherent in contemporary politics and 2. the huge influence of climate crisis deniers on them.

  1. Politicians are typically elected for terms of four or five years. They are concerned with one or at most two terms only by which time they will have lost power to the opposition.
  2. Climate crisis deniers exert huge influence over politicians. For example, the Murdoch media empire promotes climate change denial. Rupert Murdoch has historically exerted huge influence on successive UK prime ministers, certainly since Blair. “When I go into Downing Street they do what I say; when I go to Brussels they take no notice.” Dodgy Brexit financer Aaron Banks said “Global climate change represents the biggest transfer of wealth from poor to rich ever via inflated energy costs“. The UK’s next prime minister will probably be a no-dealer tied to transatlantic climate science denial network.

I have difficulties comprehending climate change deniers. Perhaps I understand it in the ignoramus US resident Donald Trump.

Climate crisis activist protocol says stay positive, promote the notion that climate crisis can be averted. I am breaking with that protocol. I believe that the tipping point has been passed, that climate change has now acquired it’s own frightening dynamic. Apologies for saying this to those of you who have children.

10/7/19 There’s an issue with normally intelligent people having minds closed to the state we’re in. I’m talking in terms of the world having been destroyed, having passed tipping points that develop their own frightening dynamic. Their minds are closed and they cannot contemplate the state we’re in.

Continue ReadingTHE STATE WE’RE IN :: Statement 1

Climate Emergency: The rich have destroyed the planet

Spread the love

The long-awaited climate-emergency post. I have taken some time to decide what’s necessary to say. This post may be revised and expanded but the main points will remain.

Climate change, the climate emergency or crisis is a fact. The poles are melting, sea levels are rising, seas are turning to acid, polar bears and penguins have nowhere to live. It’s taken repeated record temperatures and a little girl for it to be accepted such was the power of climate denial.

The rich are responsible for having destroyed the planet. They were fully aware of the consequences of their actions but continued regardless. They destroyed the planet for profit, to enrich themselves and funded climate denial. Big oil was aware of climate change and global warming in the sixties and certainly fully aware by the early eighties.

Political parties that deny climate change – right-wing parties like UKIP and Nigel Farage’s Brexit party “In terms of policy, there’s no difference (to UKIP)…” are sucking up to the ultra-rich showing that they present no threat to their interests. ed: many prominent Brexiteers are climate change enthusiasts.

It is safe to assume that the World’s plants and animals do not have a concept of ownership. They do however have as much right to live, to exist. The rich do not own the planet and do not have the right to destroy it.

Unless you’re filthy rich, it’s unlikely whatever you do is going to make any noticeable difference. It is the rich who have superyachts and private jets. It is the rich who fly abroad for meals. It is the rich who travel with entourages. It is the rich that own private islands.

There is an exception – a secondary lesser class of human that is climate-dirty: those who travel a great deal especially those that commute by airplane. People who fly regularly are climate-dirty.

A wider issue: the rich are in charge. Wars are conducted at their behest and for their benefit. The whole bullshit narrative of terrorism and consequent anti-Muslim racism is for them. It is their bullshit narrative to divide and control, to weild their influence. There is one main nation-state behind terrorist attacks, often aided by another one or two nation-states with police and intelligence agencies playing along with it, turning a blind eye. Terrorist attacks are often timed for political objectives of no advantage to Islamists. You have to be really stupid to believe that a disabled old man could achieve so much from a cave in Afghanistan and that it didn’t provide the excuse for yet another war for the dirty black stuff.

edit: I am aware that I have power and influence which I tend to regard as transitory and temporary. The climate emergency is a big deal and I am laying the blame exactly where it belongs.

later: I need to write about corporate climate destruction while this post is about lifestyle climate destruction. Corporate solar exploration appears particularly futile and climate destructive. Trips to outer space for the rich? ed: It’s space tourism for the rich to further destroy the planet.

Continue ReadingClimate Emergency: The rich have destroyed the planet

Climate Change: It’s not business as usual, there’s no neglecting climate change any longer

Spread the love

This blog will be featuring the Climate Emergency, the catastrophy of Climate Change far more in future. While I have to get upto speed with the arguments, I find the arguments of the climate change deniers very weak. You can hardly deny the established fact of catastrophic climate change when big oil was aware of it and had modelled it as early as the early eighties.

It’s not business as usual on Climate Change any more. Politicians will have to address climate change or they will simply not be elected. There is a very strong association between conservatives and insane climate change denial which is even more marked with the rabid Brexiteers.

Continue ReadingClimate Change: It’s not business as usual, there’s no neglecting climate change any longer