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https://www.newsweek.com/sadly-its-not-just-another-summer-we-must-end-fossil-fuel-industry-opinion-1832188>
'My fellow human beings, we're in the process of losing basically everything,
as the latest data demonstrates. September was more like your average July,
The Washington Post wrote on Tuesday. All that we've been experiencing
recently—the worsening fires, smoke, heat, floods, and collapsing ecosystems—is
just the beginning. This is what experiencing the early stages of Earth's
unraveling feels like. The immediate cause is the fossil fuel industry, and the
overarching cause is extractive-colonial capitalism.
I write this for everyone, but it's helpful to think in terms of three general
groups. The first group: those of you who are already screaming, inside your
heads, that saving what's left of our habitable Earth must become our top
collective priority. Thank you for your urgency! Once enough people share your
urgency, meaningful change will come quickly. For now, I hope to give you some
ideas about what you can do to accelerate that shift into climate emergency
mode.
I also write this for those of you who "believe science" but think that the
people and centers of power—such as the White House, individual world and
corporate leaders, the United Nations—will handle it. You likely feel that
there is some higher priority issue to address, and this isn't unreasonable
given the huge gap between what climate scientists know and what gets
transmitted to the public. You may think that some technology like nuclear
fusion or carbon capture or electric vehicles or putting some iron in the ocean
will "solve" climate change. Or you may not think of climate much at all. I
hope to convince you that greater urgency is called for. President Biden
appears to be a member of this group. It would be helpful to life on Earth if
he would declare a climate emergency and take urgent executive action.
For those of you who still think it's a hoax or are otherwise skeptical – the
third group - I urge you to consider any changes in seasons and weather that
have occurred over time where you live. Do the ponds still freeze as they did
when you were a child? Have you had to adjust any gardening routines? Have you
noticed that heat waves or rainstorms are now generally more intense? Talk to
farmers in your area. Ask them if they've noticed any changes.
Why do I claim that we're "in the process of losing basically everything?"
Isn't that an exaggeration?
I don't think it's likely that humanity will go extinct, which is why I've used
the modifier "basically." But I do think we are on a sociopolitical
pathway—fossil fuel expansion—that will eventually end civilization as we know
it, cause billions of human deaths, and further worsen widespread ecological
collapse and mass extinction—damage that will take millions of years for Earth
to recover from. We must get off this path, but instead, we continue to
procrastinate.'
Via Diane A, who wrote "Strong words from climate scientist Peter Kalmus"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
