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Archive for the ‘climate change’ tag

Sep 21, 2019

Greta Thunberg: Most Important Message Ever

Posted by in categories: climatology, education, energy, environmental, existential risks, geopolitics, government, homo sapiens, lifeboat, policy, treaties

If you are a Lifeboat subscriber or have been reading these pages for awhile, you may know why it’s called “Lifeboat”. A fundamental goal of our founder, board, writers and supporters is to sustain the environment, life in all its diversity, and—if necessary—(i.e. if we destroy our environment beyond repair, or face a massive incoming asteroid), to prepare for relocating. That is, to build a lifeboat, figuratively and literally.

But most of us never believed that we would face an existential crisis, except perhaps a potential for a 3rd World War. Yet, here we are: Burning the forests, killing off unspeakable numbers of species (200 each day), cooking the planet, melting the ice caps, shooting a hole in the ozone, and losing more land to the sea each year.

Regading the urgent message of Greta Thunberg, below, I am at a loss for words. Seriously, there is not much I can add to the 1st video below.

Information about climate change is all around us. Everyone knows about it; Most people understand that it is real and it that poses an existential threat, quite possibly in our lifetimes. In our children’s lives, it will certainly lead to war, famine, cancer, and massive loss of land, structures and money. It is already raising sea level and killing off entire species at thousands of times the natural rate.

Continue reading “Greta Thunberg: Most Important Message Ever” »

Jul 14, 2018

NASA director reverses on climate change, after 1 month

Posted by in categories: astronomy, climatology, education, environmental, ethics, existential risks, governance, government, lifeboat, science, space, sustainability

For millennia, our planet has sustained a robust ecosystem; healing each deforestation, algae bloom, pollution or imbalance caused by natural events. Before the arrival of an industrialized, destructive and dominant global species, it could pretty much deal with anything short of a major meteor impact. In the big picture, even these cataclysmic events haven’t destroyed the environment—they just changed the course of evolution and rearranged the alpha animal.

But with industrialization, the race for personal wealth, nations fighting nations, and modern comforts, we have recognized that our planet is not invincible. This is why Lifeboat Foundation exists. We are all about recognizing the limits to growth and protecting our fragile environment.

Check out this April news article on the US president’s forthcoming appointment of Jim Bridenstine, a vocal climate denier, as head of NASA. NASA is one of the biggest agencies on earth. Despite a lack of training or experience—without literacy in science, technology or astrophysics—he was handed an enormous responsibility, a staff of 17,000 and a budget of $19 billion.

In 2013, Bridenstine criticized former president Obama for wasting taxpayer money on climate research, and claimed that global temperatures stopped rising 15 years ago.

Continue reading “NASA director reverses on climate change, after 1 month” »

Aug 23, 2017

Climate change to be a crisis for the 1%?

Posted by in category: futurism

Point discussed at 1:31 in the video: https://youtu.be/VJ_qtKf64Is?t=1m3s

From the conference text at: https://www.academia.edu/34323947/Mont_Order_July_2017_Conference_Text

  • “Climate change not likely to be stopped, likely to result in a crisis. No resources may be left for next generation.“
    • “Crises occurred in the past, and the 1% lost the most. The 99% are likely to survive climate change by struggling through anything (droughts, resource shortages, food shortages, economic crashes etc.) whereas the 1% could lose everything.”
    • “If the elite crack under pressure as Donald Trump does, this supports the above. The future of the 1% during a climate change crisis could be a larger scale version of the insanity that grips people who suffer a financial loss and become homeless after a relatively normal life.”
    • “As above, the Great Depression did not impact average person, but drove stockbrokers and other wealthy people to ruin or suicide.”

Apr 3, 2017

Climate of Hope — By Michael Bloomberg and Carl Pope

Posted by in categories: business, environmental, finance, governance, government

“Bloomberg, an entrepreneur and former mayor of New York City, and Pope, a lifelong environmental leader, approach climate change from different perspectives, yet they arrive at similar conclusions.”

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Sep 8, 2016

Obama on Climate Change: The Trends Are ‘Terrifying’ — By Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Mark Landler and Coral Davenport | The New York Times

Posted by in category: environmental

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“In an exclusive interview on his legacy, President Obama speaks to The Times’s Mark Landler and Coral Davenport on climate change while visiting Marine Corps Base Hawaii.”

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Apr 21, 2016

Post-Paris: Taking Forward the Global Climate Change Deal | Chatham House

Posted by in categories: environmental, geopolitics, governance, government, law, policy, science, sustainability, treaties

2016-04-21-post-paris

“Inevitably, the compromises of the Paris Agreement make it both a huge achievement and an imperfect solution to the problem of global climate change.”

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Apr 13, 2016

The Case for Optimism on Climate Change — Al Gore | TED

Posted by in category: environmental

Jan 1, 2016

Seeing daylight | The Economist

Posted by in categories: environmental, governance


Continue reading “Seeing daylight | The Economist” »

Aug 3, 2015

Time for technology in international policy processes? — By Adrian Ely | The Our Common Future under Climate Change conference

Posted by in categories: innovation, science

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As everyone is pointing out, 2015 is a crucial year for sustainable development, with three critical international meetings in the calendar starting this month. But what role do science, technology and innovation play in these processes?

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May 29, 2015

New York State Governor Cuomo Announces Living Breakwaters Project Launch via bfi.org

Posted by in categories: architecture, economics, education, energy, engineering, environmental, governance, government, policy, water

https://vimeo.com/91648619

“Living Breakwaters is a comprehensive design for coastal resiliency along the Northeastern Seaboard of the United States and beyond. This approach to climate change adaptation and flood mitigation includes the deployment of innovative, layered ecologically-engineered breakwaters, the strengthening of biodiversity and coastal habitats through “reef streets”, the nurturing and resuscitation of fisheries and historic livelihoods, and deep community engagement through diverse partnerships and innovative educational programs. The transformative educational dimension amplifies impact to the next generation of shoreline stewards while leveraging the expertise of the members of the SCAPE Architecture team, who are making groundbreaking inroads into state and federal agencies, setting new precedents for multi-layered and systemic approaches to infrastructure planning.”

LINK: Governor Cuomo Announces Living Breakwaters Project Launch

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