Here are a few articles I've found interesting over the
last few weeks. Two trends: writers and activists are getting
increasingly disturbed by the increasingly bad scenarios from climate change
science, none of which makes its way into mainstream media coverage.
However, there are still many useful things that can be done to buffer
impacts, control damage and inspire hope.
David Holmgren, the
co-originator of permaculture, touched off a very vigorous discussion in the
climate change / peak oil blogsphere with a new article in which he said some
quite surprising things. "Crash on Demand: Welcome to the Brown Tech
Future."
In his reply, Albert Bates came up with a grid on which he placed
various writers and their viewpoints, with the vertical axis measuring optimism
and pessimism about the future, and the horizontal axis tracking peaceful or
non-peaceful transformation. The debate about which messages can be
effective, and whose predictions will be most accurate continue...but this
discussion is not one that will be relevant or useful for the vast majority of
New Yorkers, even those concerned about sustainability and resilience.
What to tell those folks is a whole 'nother question, which I'm grappling
with through the film screenings and facilitated discussion events I'm setting
up in various locations.
***
Some post-Christmas satire from John Michael Greer. Conservative
republicans are fond of citing the Bible, but there really isn't that much
Biblical support for cutting benefits to the poor, making as much money as you
can, etc. Greer suggests they may be more aligned with an obscure
religion that enthusiastically endorses sociopathic greed: Satanism.
Eight graphs on climate and energy issues from 2013: global temps
going way up, carbon dioxide levels passes 400 PPM for first time; record
number of climate deniers in Congress; arctic ice and the price of solar power
both decline; renewable power keeps growing...yada yada.
A review of recent climate science contains some increasingly dire near-term scenarios. One degree C is equal to
1.8 degrees F, and we're already .85 C above the average pre-industrial
planetary temperature. New reports project higher temperatures
sooner than those from just a few years ago - such as a 3.5 to 4C (6.3 - 7.2F) rise by
mid-century or sooner. IPCC reports are very conservative and don't
include feedback loops that could accelerate warming, such as a release of
methane as the floor of the Arctic Ocean warms up or the Siberian permafrost
melts.
[Thom Hartmann has an effective ten
minute video called Last Hours.
I used it in the January screening of climate change videos in Long
Island City, along with Climate Change
101 from Al Gore's Climate
Reality Project and "Do the Math," from 350.org.]
7 things everyone knows
about energy that just ain't so. Mark Twain once said,
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you
know for sure that just ain't so." And, there are many, many things that
the public and policymakers know for sure about energy that just ain't
so. Kurt Cobb goes through a long listof fossil fuel industry deceptions picked up by a gullible media.
But you know, we might get lucky, so keep struggling! "The Arc of Justice and the Long Run: Hope,
History and Unpredictability." This article from Rebecca Solnit makes the case for hope. "The past explodes from time to time, and
many events that once seemed to have achieved nothing turn out to do their work
slowly. Much of what has been most beautifully transformative in recent years
has also been branded a failure by people who want instant results."
There are ways to put the carbon back in the ground! A new book, Grass, Soil,Hope: a Journey through Carbon Country,
offers scientifically backed hope that greenhouse gases can be removed from the
atmosphere on a massive scale by increasing the carbon content of soil.
Practices include: no-till farming, climate-friendly livestock practices,
restoring degraded watersheds and rangelands, fixing creeks, growing grass, and
producing local food.
More
hope, if we figure out new ways to run the economy.Stopping
climate change requires that we make drastic reductions in our fossil fuel use,
and move from the illusion of unlimited growth to a steady state economy. The Prosperous
Way Down website offers guidelines for how we can
reorganize communities for energy descent, to fit with the natural processes of
land and water that sustain us. It's summarized here.
Okay, the entire corporate-commercial-industrial complex is
kind of opposed to this, so it's not like it will be easy. But most of
the writers and activists in this space believe it's just a question of time
before the economy - artificially levitating with galactic quantities of
made-up money through quantitative easing - is bound to crash. The more
that locally focused businesses and commercial systems can be set up in advance
of that, the better off we'll be.
Monthly
Green Film Screenings in LIC to Promote
Resilience and Neighborhood Action
A
unique series of monthly free film screening events is taking place this year
at eco-cafe Coffeed in LIC. Films
about our interwoven environmental, energy and economic challenges will be
followed by facilitated discussion among audience members. It follows a successful initial run of threefilms in September 2013.
The events are organized by Dan Miner, familiar to the Queens business
community as the former SVP of Long Island City Partnership - but also a
longtime environmental activist. Now working as District Manager at Manhattan Community Board 6, Miner's volunteer
projects are Resilience NYC Meetup, www.meetup.com/resiliencenyc/,
and www.beyondoilnyc.org.
Miner invites neighbors and western Queens civic leaders
to Coffeed on the second Mondays of the month from January to June at 7 PM. Coffeed, at 37-18
Northern Blvd., LIC, NY 11101, downstairs from the Brooklyn Grange rooftop
farm, is providing free coffee and home-baked pastries for the events. www.coffeednyc.com. Following the free video screenings, neighbors can explore sustainability
and resilience responses in a facilitated group discussion. A resource guide
with existing programs will be provided.
"NYC has to adapt to long-term climate change while
working to slow it down, and at the same time build resilience for increasingly
frequent extreme weather events. This is
not just a job for the de Blasio Administration. Many initiatives can build resilience, cut
carbon emissions, save money and create local jobs, all at the same time. Raising
public awareness about our environmental, energy and economic challenges can tap
into the creativity of all New Yorkers, and especially our business community
and civic groups," said Miner.
January
13 - Do The Math. Climate scientists have
measured the carbon in fossil fuel supplies still to be burned and the
consequences if it is all used. This
film features the movement to change the terrifying math of the climate
crisis, and promote a global power shift to clean energy. (42 minutes) www.350.org/math
February 10 - The Crash Course. Our economy, energy systems and
environment are interdependent and will face increasing challenges as we meet
limits of finite natural resources.
Presented in a clear and factual way. (45 minutes)
http://www.peakprosperity.com/page/crash-course-one-year-anniversary
April 14 - Crisis of Civilization. This dark comedy documentary connects the dots between global crises. It
combines archival film clips and animations with detailed analysis and specific
positive options to transform systems. Watch it free online. (80 minutes)
http://crisisofcivilization.com
May 12 - Passive House Revolution. Much
of our energy is used to heat and cool buildings. Those designed with the new Passive House
standard use 80% less energy than average, compared to 15-40% reductions with Energy
Star & LEED standards. We have 116
million existing homes to retrofit. (45 minutes) passivehouserevolution.org
June 9 - In Transition 2.0. Inspiring stories of Transition
initiatives around the world, responding to uncertain times with creativity,
solutions and engaged optimism. Projects include growing food, localizing
economies and setting up community power stations. (50 minutes) www.intransitionmovie.com
