Climate Change Issues

Updated: 08/04/2010

This page presents the concerns and discussion of members of the Metro DC chapter
of the Committees of Correspondence, on approaching catastrophic climate changes
and what must be done if we are to successfully prevent the devastation we face.
  Pete Seeger singing Solar TopiaWe need a Green-Powered Solar Topia
 

While the last several years have seen the growth of a world wide environmental awareness and movement, the response is still inadequate and conflicted about both how much time we have and what can or should be done. Resistance to a comprehensive and committed approach to obtaining a sustainable environment comes from the economic and national conflicts and self-interest of global corporate powers.

The primary resistance to a successful environmental program will come from the nuclear military industrial fossil fuel complex ("MIC" for short) that President Dwight Eisenhower identified 60 years ago as the great burden on humanity. Therefore avoidance of C3 C3 requires the end of oil and fossil fuel addiction, giving up the nuclear option and a rapid conversion to a high efficiency solar energy infrastructure. Since the major obstacle to this path is MIC, especially its U.S. component, this complex and its imperial agenda must be confronted, isolated, and finally eliminated as the biggest threat to human survival. More precisely, its material infrastructure should be solarized, with containment of its huge legacy of chemical and nuclear waste. A solarized and demilitarized world, a formidable challenge to say the least! Achievable only with a socialized or socialist approach. (See Schwartzman, Ecosocialism or Ecocatastrophe)

The Climate Change arguments of this page can be describe as:

  1. The scientific community has concluded that climate change is real, is threatening our ecosystem and is significantly excellerated by human activity.
  2. Even the more conservative estimates of the rate and extent of climate change predict that if not significantly reduced in the next few years, we face catastrophic and irreparable threats when ecosystem tipping points are breached.
  3. Current efforts to organize a world wide response capable of slowing and preventing catastrophic climate change remain conflicted, insufficient and unlikely to succeed. A recent positive sign is the The People's Agreement of Cochabamba, Bolivia adopted by more than 10,000 people, from 135 countries of the developing world, meeting April 20-22, 2010.
  4. Given the global scope and difficulties of stopping, much less reversing the factors causing climate change, any plan that is compromised by national and economic interests is likely to be inadequate and fatally late.
  5. For a mass based movement to grow and succeed, the general public must be fully informed of the nature of the threat and the minimal steps needed to prevent catastrophic climate change.
  6. In essence, a socialist approach to climate change is necessary if we are to succeed. It would be based on three primary positions; (1) that any climate change prevention plan must be based on the best science available, (2) that all people's needs be considered, based on their vulnerability to climate change and not citizenship or economic status and (3) that no political, military or economic interference be allowed to sabotage the success of the plan.

The importance and substance of this argument for a socialist based plan are further argued in the following documents. Clarifications and additions welcomed.

CCDS - Documents, discussion and resources (chronologically arranged):

  1. Prevent Climate Change Catastrophe Earlier position paper from 12/06/2006 on CCDS web site. Additional sources and links.
  2. Marxism Ecology and Globalization Writings on Eco-Socialism by David Schwartzman.
  3. Why [is there] No Call to PREVENT coming Catastrophic Climate Change? Questions from 11/7/06 and updated 8/6/08 by W. Teague. Additional sources and links.
  4. Leadership in the face of Catastrophic Climate Change? A draft comparing the failure of leadership around Katrina and the challenge of preventing catastrophic climate change. PDF version
  5. Why Eco-socialism? This introduction to David Schwartzman's article Ecosocialism or Ecocatastrophe? was presented at the CCDS Southern Regional Conference in Charleston, SC on 3/21/09.
  6. “The Crisis of Climate Change” Workshop Panel at the CCDS National Convention July 24, 2009.
  7. Proposal on a call for leadership This proposal on the need for an Eco-socialist perspective and leadership to prevent Catastrophic Climate Change was adopted at the CCDS National Convention on 7/24/09.
  8. Rethinking our Strategy is Imperative - Comment on the UN Climate Change Science Compendium 2009
  9. Metro DC Presents Eco-Socialism on 10-12-09. The slide show for this presentation in PDF SALSA.pdf
  10. Why Eco-socialism? Update of leaflet used with David Schwartzman's presentations.
  11. RSA Report.Sydney Royal Arts Society in October, 2009, asked “is it too late to prevent Catastrophic Climate Change?” and detailed what must be done to give us the best chance to survive, an essentially eco-socialist approach.\
  12. Fight Climate Change, Not Wars Davis Schwartzman's 12/11/09 posting on this subject.
  13. CCDS Recruiting Brochure This is the two page brochure put out in February, 2010. MS Word version.
  14. The Belem Ecosocialist Declaration This declaration argues that a strong eco-socialist position is needed to effectively deal with climate change was prepared in 2007 and distributed at the World Social Forum in Belem, Brazil, Jan. 2009. It argues that capitalism can not reform sufficiently to prevent catastrophic climate change. A copy on the CCDS discussion page includes some disagreements on this issue. A printable PDF copy.
  15. Storms of My Children: The Truth About The Coming Climate Catastrophe And Our Last Chance To Save Humanity James Hansen, 2009. Excellent presentation of the latest science and analysis of what must be done to prevent catastrophic climate change.
  16. David Schwartzman's slides Ecosocialism or Ecocatastrophe (How far are we from catastrophe?
    What can be done to prevent it?)    ;     (updated version Feb. 12, 2010)
  17. At the Precipice of Catastrophic Climate Change? Some thoughts on what it will take for us to change our nature and try to prevent catastrophes instead of reacting too late with too little. Consider the 2008 remake of the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Klaatu’s last words, “At the precipice we change.” Walter Teague 3/4/2010.
  18. Climate Change - An Unprecedented Challenge. A 10 page examination of the dangers of climate change and need for a scientific and plitical plan to mobilize effective preventative responses to avoid Catastrophic Climate Change (C3). Written 3/19/2010 and expanded up to 6/22/2010.
  19. The Wrong Kind of Green: How Conservative Groups are Bargaining Away our Future. Johann Hari, The Nation, 3/22/2010
  20. A New Climate Movement in Bolivia. Naomi Klein, The Nation, 4/10/2010. A brief article on the very important World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth held in Cochabamba, Bolivia. See web for many reviews.
  21. An Open Letter to Bill McKibben: in The Nation May 3rd. Lorna Salzman asks why McKibben and his organization 350.org have proposed no serious political plans to realize the very important goal of their organization. 4/25/2010.
  22. World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, held in Cochabamba, Bolivia April 19-22, 2010. This update was posted 5/7/2010. There are many links and drafts posted by the conference. You can start at their home page. or do a Google search for comments and reviews.
  23. Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change Leaflet PDF, MS Doc version. 6/10/2010. CCDS 3 fold leaflet.
 

 

References and citations used in the disscussion on the "Katrina Model" (Will be combined and categorized further.)
 

A.    Left Proposals to deal with Climate Change (all left, except explicitly socialist perspectives):

  1. Manifesto On Global Economic Transitions, A Project of The International Forum on Globalization, The Institute For Policy Studies, Global Project on Economic Transitions, Sept. 2007. http://www.ifg.org/pdf/manifesto.pdf from International Forum on Globalization http://www.ifg.org.

B.    Socialist Perspectives on Climate Change (those that use a socialist analysis on both cause and cure):

  1. The Debate Heats up, Transforming food into fuels [corn ethanol] is a monstrosity. Fidel Castro, May 10, 2007. http://www.rhc.cu/ingles/noticias/mayo07/10mayo/cubanoti1.htm
  2. The Tragedy Threatening our Species. Fidel Castro, May 8, 2007. http://www.rhc.cu/ingles/noticias/mayo07/8mayo/cubanoti1.htm
  3. It is Imperative to Immediately Carry out an Energy Revolution. Fidel Castro, May 1, 2007. http://www.rhc.cu/ingles/noticias/mayo07/mayo1/cubanoti2.htm
  4. An Ecosocialist Manifesto, By Joel Kovel and Michael Lowy (Sept 2001) http://www.ecosocialistnetwork.org/Docs/EcoManifesto.htm
    The Second Ecosocialist Manifesto (In preparation) Proposed at the founding convention of the Ecosocialist International Network, Paris October 7-8, 2007.
    http://www.ecosocialistnetwork.org/index.htm
  5. Social Change to Stop Climate Change, statement from Climate Change/Social Change conference, Sydney, Australia, April 24, 2008. Posted at Greenleft.org.au & a better formatted version.

C.    Neo-liberal Responses to Climate Change (differentiated from left, system challengers proposals):

  1. Al Gore.
  2. Tony Blair warned “that the world will reach ‘catastrophic tipping points’ on climate change within 15 years, unless serious action is taken to tackle global warming ”at the EU summit in Lahti, Finland 10/20/2006. Blair’s letter: http://www.pm.gov.uk/files/pdf/Vanhanen.pdf
  3. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Next President's First Task [A Manifesto], Vanity Fair, May 2008. http://tinyurl.com/57rto4
  4. U.S. Climate Change Science Program, "U.S. Already Affected by Warming" in "Report Details Effects of Climate Change Across U.S." by Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post, May 28, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/5qcx9g The research by the Agriculture Dept. was carried out by 38 scientists, researching thousands of papers.
  5. Tony Blair, Leading On Climate Change: How Action in Congress Can Move the World, The Washington Post, May 29, 2008. http://tinyurl.com/5arznh

D.   Global Corporate Responses to Climate Change (include government and military components of capitalism):

  1. UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Feb 3, 2007 http://www.ipcc.ch/
  2. Center for Naval Analysis http://securityandclimate.cna.org/ Comprehensive assessment of the national security implications of global climate change for U.S. policymakers concerned about threats to national security. Report http://securityandclimate.cna.org/report/ Briefing on the report http://securityandclimate.cna.org/report/CNA_NatlSecurityAndTheThreatOfClimateChange.pdf

E.    Climate Change Deniers (include primary institutions and trends):

Vaclav Klaus, President Czech Republic, Blue Planet in Green Shackles: What Is Endangered: Climate of Freedom, 2008. "The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy, and prosperity at the end of the 20th and at the beginning of the 21st century is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism."

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Web: redandgreen.org/Climate_Change
   Updated: 08/04/2010