DK GreenRoots

There are far too many reports of environmental injustice suffered here and around the world. Governments can be the problem and even when it can be the solution, lawmakers tied up with corporate interests deny real remedies for years. As Martin Luther King, Jr. stated so eloquently, we don't have to remain in neutral waiting for governments to take action. All it takes is one person who believes we are joined in "an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny" to reach out to others. It is just one person who stood up to provide access to potable water to tens of thousands, two people who succeeded in protecting indigenous lands from corporate eco rapists, one person who introduced functional bamboo bikes to villages and just one person who decided the people needed a simple device to monitor corporate polluters.

Disturbing reports describe how precious water supplies are reacting to continued human abuse and climate change. Water resources are Drying, Drying, Disappearing…. "Lake Chad was bigger than Israel less than 50 years ago. Today its surface area is less than a tenth of its earlier size, amid forecasts the lake could disappear altogether within 20 years." The disappearance of this lake will impact the livelihoods of 30 million people, cause more hunger and pose a "massive threat to peace and stability."

From just the past few days, common themes in climate change news include how deniers continue to lie while politicians bicker or offer counterproductive proposals as a new study shows literally the speed of climate change spreading globally. Meanwhile, a power company thinks it is rational to strip mine a river to obtain coal.

Obama, States Take Lead On Climate Change

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While there has been disappointing news from Copenhagen, and Congress drags out climate change legislation, President Obama has been working to address climate change reform in federal regulatory programs:

The Obama administration is quietly and methodically inserting ambitious climate-change and renewable-energy requirements into a vast array of federal regulatory programs. At the White House's direction, federal regulators are grappling with such diverse problems as how to respond to drought-induced water shortages, whether to require publicly traded corporations to disclose financial risks linked to global warming, and how to anticipate the national security problems that may well be triggered if rising sea levels devastate densely populated developing countries.

Meteor Blades and I are pleased to announce a very special blogathon of Climate Change Reality this weekend that will focus on making the case to the public that global warming is real and climate science is valid. An excellent group of Daily Kos environmental diarists will be participating. And, we are fortunate to have an outstanding selection of lawmakers, environmental advocates and climate scientists joining this blogathon, some will be blogging from Copenhagen. Some have posted before at DK, some have not. We hope you will enjoy this very special forum.

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The GOP climate deniers actually think that their "climategate" BS is a smoking gun that will derail climate change legislation in the U.S. and a global treaty in Copenhagen by decreasing public support in the belief in global warming. The deniers believe that their lies, disinformation and fallacious claims will cause public opinion polls to "drop through the floor" by early next year.

Heh, the deniers did not get the message sent by Senator Boxer when she proceeded with climate change legislation despite Inhofe's flaccid boycott. Well, tonight's top story is about how President Obama is moving past the lying deniers and the world is following his lead. Do the deniers really think the world will blink when they whine given the solid scientific evidence of global warming impacts happening now and the gravity of impacts that lie in our future if we don't take action now?

This was posted today.

Professor Phil Jones has today announced that he will stand aside as Director of the Climatic Research Unit until the completion of an independent Review resulting from allegations following the hacking and publication of emails from the Unit.

Professor Jones said: "What is most important is that CRU continues its world leading research with as little interruption and diversion as possible.  After a good deal of consideration I have decided that the best way to achieve this is by stepping aside from the Director's role during the course of the independent review and am grateful to the University for agreeing to this.  The Review process will have my full  support."  

Vice-Chancellor Professor Edward Acton said: "I have accepted Professor Jones's offer to stand aside during this period. It is an important step to ensure that CRU can continue to operate normally and the independent review can conduct its work into the allegations.

In related news, scientific consensus remains unchanged in regards to anthropogenic climate change, evolution and the shape of planet earth.

Inhofe views global warming as the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people" because anthropogenic global warming is not threatening. Now, Inhofe wants an investigation of climate science after the hacking and posting online of some email correspondence among a few climate scientists.

If global warming is a hoax, then just from the news this weekend, there must be 5 countries, our military and polar bears involved in a conspiracy to perpetuate this fraud on the world.

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Limbaugh announced the GOP game plan: Make sure Obama's policies fail by any means necessary, such as lying to confuse and mislead the public into believing that global warming is a myth. Take every opportunity to question climate change science. After all, if the science does not prove the existence and gravity of climate change, then legislation is not needed. And, if the public does not support climate change legislation, then lawmakers may run from the bill either literally or figuratively with provisions that will dilute the success of substantive measures.

Nevermind that climate change sceptics and lobbyists put our world at risk:

Those that have opposed a deal on climate, which would include elements of the fossil fuel industry, have clearly made making a 2C target much, much harder, if not impossible. They've clearly put the world at risk of far more adverse effects of climate change.

The GOP has a two-pronged message: The climate science is so bogus that no legislation or measures are needed, but, if a bill will be passed, Plan B is to depict the measure as a "monstrosity" that needs a few wackadoodle reforms.

So, the GOP attack the proposed bill while also pushing for more concessions for their fossil fuel buddies in hopes of sabotaging any ultimate climate change bill so that Obama's policy will be a failure whether it is enacted into law or not. Then, all fingers point to the Democrats.

Note: The following video was originally posted here, with additional photographs and more details.

What is permaculture?

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order.

Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms.

The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions.

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There are many forms of climate change obstructionism, including denial of the science to confuse and mislead the public to reduce support for reform, boycotts and Congressional parliamentary tactics to delay a domestic law and global treaty, and interference with national policy to ensure failure blamed on Obama and the Democrats.

Texas, the top U.S. producer of wind power, now plans to become the "Coal Star State" with 12 new coal-fired power plants. (larger graphic here.)

While the nation and the world are working to move from fossil fuel to alternative energies, Texas is pushing new coal-fired power plants.

Coal's comeback in Texas comes as the rest of the United States moves in the opposite direction. At least 107 proposed coal plants have been scrapped nationwide since 2002. Recently, high-profile battles in Idaho, Georgia, Kansas, Iowa and Nevada doomed proposed coal-fired plants.