Why No Call to PREVENT coming

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Walter Teague, 11/07/2006

? Does it make sense to work on reducing “global warming,” but ignore the rapidly approaching climate catastrophes? And how much time do we really have? What it will take to avoid the many irreversible“tipping points”? And most important, can we mobilize to do what it will take before these deadlines? And if we fail, won’t an irreversible climate catastrophe make our current, best environmental efforts relatively worthless?

? Don’t you agree that without serious leadership calling for prevention - clarifying what must be done and by when - our anti global warming efforts will probably turn out to be too little, too late!

? So why is it, as growing scientific evidence predicts drastic and irreparable consequences from climate catastrophes, our leaders talk about everything but prevention? Are we all in a suicidal collective State of Denial?

Instead of using the cloudy term "Global Warming," we need a worldwide focus on preventing coming Catastrophic Climate Changes (C3).

  • We need a growing worldwide call to prevent catastrophic climate change.
  • We need to know the deadlines and what is needed to meet them.
  • Based on the best science available, a worldwide plan must be developed.
  • Leaders must speak up, give direction and take all necessary actions.
  • And we the people, will need to know if we are succeeding!

Finally, mainstream media has admitted we face a climate “crisis” and that it will take great will and sacrifice to even reduce the extinction of species from 60% to just 30%!1 On 10/20/06 at the EU summit in Lahti, Finland, 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.”2 The growing scientific evidence shows we face not some Teddy Bear like “global warming” which we could adjust to, but such vast and prolonged damage to our seas, food supply, world economies and the death of millions, that it will make irrelevant all our current efforts to maintain and improve life. If we ignore the evidence and delay our collective response, we face a global climate change with unimaginable consequences!

And yet, most world leaders are not making a clear, concerted call for prevention of these increasingly predicted catastrophes. Few people heard President Fidel Castro's warning on 10/30/06, referring to the climate crisis, "I feel the obligation - as we all should - to make a special effort to avert a fatal 'catástrofe' for humanity."8 Even now, no leader or group is making it clear to the world’s people what we must do and by what deadline if we are to successfully prevent this Catastrophic Climate Change!

Some scientists say it is already too late, but considering even the most minimal consequences of failure, to continue to ignore prevention is not a rational option. So then why isn't prevention the main agenda?

Mother Jones magazine compared the danger to 12 asteroids on collision course, any one of which could devastate earth. How would we react if even one of these was going to hit us in 10 years, destroying cities, killing millions and threatening our very survival, wouldn't we mobilize the world to divert it? We need to such a clear targeted threat and deadline to force us to act in time.10

So can we afford this collective avoidance and denial? Are we, lemming like, accepting catastrophe as inevitable and because we don’t want to think about how bad it will be, avoiding even trying to prevent it from happening?

The optimists Al Gore, Clinton, and many citizen’s movements, are now joined by economists,3-6,9 who focus on the costs and need for reducing “global warming,” but are still all fuzzy on deadlines or what we must do to really meet them. And again, they almost never speak of prevention. And because Gore, Clinton and most other leaders are still not calling for a commitment to prevention, nor clarifying what it would take, most of the world trails passively behind.

So...

  • So while we may still have a chance, we must all demand that the scientists, politicians, rational folk and anyone who wants humanity to have a viable future, commit to and work for prevention of these catastrophes. Anything less may turn out to be futile.7
  • Imagine how we will be judged if we could have, but didn't prevent these catastrophes; because no one pointed out in time, what had to be done – and by when. And by our ignoring both hindsight and foresight, we were too late with too little! Who would be most guilty if we fail to meet this challenge?11
  • We must stop using the cloudy term “Global Warming” and instead make the clear call for prevention of the coming Catastrophic Climate Changes !

Therefore..

  • We need a growing worldwide call to prevent the catastrophes.
  • We need to know the deadlines and what is needed to meet them.
  • Based on the best science available, a worldwide plan must be developed.
  • Leaders must speak up, give direction and take all necessary actions.
  • And we the people, need to know if we are succeeding.

Also see proposals to CCDS:
Prevent CCC, adopted 12/06/2006.
Need Leadership to prevent Catastrophic Climate Change, adopted 07/24/2009.

 

Prepared by:
Walter Teague
wteague@verizon.net
Redandgreen.org
11/07/2006, 3/16/08

Some major websites:

http://www.climatecrisiscoalition.org
http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org
http://www.globalwarmingsolution.org

Some Sources:

  1. Earth warned on 'tipping points', By Alex Kirby, BBC News Online environment correspondent reporting on Professor John Schellnhuber, speaking at the EuroScience Forum in Stockholm, Thursday, 26 August, 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3597584.stm
  2. Renewable energy technology exists now that will prevent CCC: http://environment.guardian.co.uk/energy/story/0,,1957908,00.html And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mediterranean_Renewable_Energy_Cooperation
  3. It's Hard to Explain Why We Did So Little to Stop Global Warming; Looking Back From the Year 2046. Commentary by Madeleine Bunting, The London Guardian, November 6, 2006. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1106-22.htm
  4. Mother Jones, Nov/Dec 2006 “The Thirteenth Tipping Point, 12 global disasters and 1 powerful antidote,” By Julia Whitty” http://motherjones.com/environment/2006/11/thirteenth-tipping-point?page=1 or a Print Version (She writes that leadership has inspired great change and says we know the timeline. Unfortunately, we have neither as yet and can’t wait very long!)
  5. Climate change fight 'can't wait, analysis of Stern Review on BBC News. "The world cannot afford to wait before tackling climate change, the UK prime minister has warned" BBC News 10/31/2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6096084.stm
  6. President Fidel Castro calls for prevention of a "catástrofe for humanity” on 10/30/2006. President Fidel Castro, speaking from his hospital room and clearly aware of the climate crisis, warned "I feel the obligation - as we all should - to make a special effort to avert a fatal 'catástrofe' for humanity." Reported worldwide in Spanish.
    1. Spanish: http://www.granma.cu/espanol/2006/octubre/lun30/45fidel.html
    2. English: http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2006/octubre/lun30/45fidel.html
    3. Photos & Spanish: http://www.ain.cubaweb.cu/2006/octubre/28egfidel.htm
  7. Markets, Myths and the Climate Change Muddle, Alan Simpson, Parliament. Pessimistic assessment of Stern
    Report.10/26/06 http://www.alansimpsonmp.co.uk/pdf/Climate_change/change_muddle.pdf
  8. The End of the World As We Know It? By Jane Smiley, HuffingtonPost.com.10/28/2006 http://www.alternet.org/story/43544/
  9. Rising Tide: UK Stern Report Sells Climate Short, Paves Way to Global Warming Catastrophe. http://RisingTideNorthAmerica.org/sternreport.html
  10. Stern Review on the economics of climate change. Reported on HM Treasury Cabinet web site. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Independent_Reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/sternreview_index.cfm
  11. Google on Blair and catastrophic tipping points. http://makeashorterlink.com/?S49A2650E
  12. The full Stern Report detailed. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm
  13. 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
  14. Global Warming People of Color are at Risk, Carl Bloice, The Black Commentator. http://masl.to/?L27A14C4E
  15. Washington Post, editorial 9/28/2006 and since. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701745.html
  16. UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Feb 3, 2007 http://www.ipcc.ch/
  17. 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.
  18. Fidel Castro on Food and Ethanol - March 28, 2007 http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2007-08-10/more-than-three-billion-people-in-the-world-are-being-condemend-to-a-premature-death-from-hunger-and-thirst/ In "More than three billion people in the world are being condemned to a premature death from hunger and thirst" Fidel analyzes the dangers of ethanol and other policies that endanger the people of the world.
  19. Fidel Castro expanded his analysis and warnings - April 4, 2007 http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2007-08-10/the-internationalization-of-genocide/ In "The Internationalization of Genocide" Fidel continues his analysis of the dangers of transforming food into fuel to the people of the world and the environment.

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Walter Teague wteague@verizon.net
Page Updated: 04/10/2010

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