ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION IS NOT PROFITABLE
There is this lie that the destruction of the environment must occur for the benefit of the economy. But this is rubbish. An economy cannot exist without the environment.
New UN report finds almost no industry profitable if environmental costs were included (Exposing Truth, 4-9-15) REPORT
None of the world’s top industries would be profitable if they paid for the natural capital they use (Grist, 4-17-13)
Businesses create costs for the public that they themselves do not pay for. For example, a business will put pollution into the air, but the public has to pay the price for that pollution. If the public was not forced to pick up the tab for the world's most profitable businesses via tax payer funded subsidies, a majority of these businesses would not actually be profitable.
The
staggering annual financial cost of environmental destruction. (BBC
10/10/2008)
An EU study shows that annual cost of environmental destruction is greater
than current credit crisis.
See Study Here: "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity"
MASS EXTINCTION CLIMATE CHANGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
TOXIC CHEMICALS GLOBAL WATER AND FOOD SHORTAGE THE OCEAN FORESTS CHINA
CLIMATE CHANGE
(Photos of the Arctic)
When the Industrial Revolution got started, people began to burn large amounts of coal, oil and natural gas to warm factories, vehicles and homes. Over time this activity has increased exponentially, releasing an ever increasing amount of green house gasses such as Carbon Dioxide and Methane into the Earth's atmosphere. These greenhouse gasses trap ultraviolet light from the sun, which causes the Earth's temperature to get hotter.
Some may argue that natural forces (such as volcanoes) already release a large amount of greenhouse gasses. However, human activity is tipping the balance way beyond what is natural. Now scientists estimate that CO2 levels are higher than they have been in the last 800,000 years, and 99% of scientists are unanimous in agreement that this activity is causing dramatic changes to the world's climate. Not only does this mean higher temperatures, but it also means rising ocean levels, more mega-storms, more droughts, more disease, starvation, food shortages, crop failures, mass extinctions and the destruction of natural habitats. Remember that the Black Death alone killed off a third of Europe's population in the 13th century. How many billions of lives stand to be lost with a disaster on a much, much greater scale?
The U.S. is the world's number one climate criminal (World Future Fund Report)
Human impact has pushed Earth into the Anthropocene, scientists say (The Guardian, 1-7-16) NEW
KEY REPORTS
Global Warming Has Been Greatly Underestimated [STUDY] (Value Walk,10-6-14) The Report: "Quantifying underestimates of long-term upper-ocean warming"
The scientific community has significantly underestimated the extent of global warming, a new study reveals. Scientists analyzed satellite observations of ocean data and then compared the results with climate models.
2014 UN Scientific Panel On Climate Change Sounds Alarm:
This report states that if action is not taken soon, global warming could spiral out of control. The author of the climate report has said, "We're now in an era where climate change isn't some kind of future hypothetical...We live in an area where impacts from climate change are already widespread and consequential." The Report: "Climate Change 2014"
Ocean Acidification: A Critical Emerging Problem For the Ocean Sciences (Report)
Ocean acidification is a change in seawater chemistry due to rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide in the air transforms into carbonic acid in the sea. These changes have dire effects on ocean life. According to this report, "the current rapid rise in atmospheric CO2 is as much as 30 times faster than natural rates in the geological past, and present levels are higher than at anytime in at least 850,00 years and likely several million years."
A CARBON TAX
A Carbon Tax Would Cut The Deficit By $1 Trillion (Climate Progress, 11-14-13)
GLOBAL WARMING IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT
The world’s most famous climate scientist just outlined an alarming scenario for our planet’s future (Washington Post, 7-20-15)
Warming of oceans due to climate change is unstoppable, say US scientists (The Guardian, 7-16-15)
Southern Hemisphere Analysis Reveals Global Warming Underestimated By 24% To 58% (Neomatica, 10-6-14)
Newly Discovered 'Plastic Island' Shows Global Epidemic Worsening (Common Dreams, 1-18-13)
An entire island of human trash now exists in the Pacific Ocean. The large mass of garbage accumulating in the ocean has large implications on fisheries, tourism, marine ecosystems and human health.
Read the report: "Plastic pollution in the South Pacific subtropical gyre"
THE DESTRUCTION OF COASTAL CITIES
The 10 Cities Most At Risk Of Being Hit By Natural Disasters (Business Insider, 3-28-14) There are many high population cities around the world that are a sitting duck for a natural disaster. Tehran for example is a city with 15 million people and it sits on one of the most dangerous fault lines in the world. Many of the other cities mentioned are also situated on top of dangerous fault lines or are right next to large rivers, which makes them a potential target for heavy floods.
14 U.S. Cities That Could Disappear Over The Next Century, Thanks to Global Warming (Huffington Post, 8-27-13)
Thanks to Climate Change, sea levels are rising. Many populated cities like Miami may not make it over the next century due to rising tides.
VICTIMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
300,000 People a Year Are Already Being Killed by Climate Change
In May of 2009 the
Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum launched a report intended to document
the impact of climate change on human society. Its conclusions: More than
300,000 people die annually due to the deteriorating environmental situation.
The report further found that over 500 million people live at extreme risk,
their existence threatened daily by climate change. The report also found that
more than 20 million people are currently climate refugees and that climate
change itself costs the world economy more than 100 billion dollars annually.
Click here for a PDF copy of the report or visit the website here.
KEY STATEMENTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
(Bolivian President Evo Morales at the UN)
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES SPEAK OUT
Pope Francis: Heed ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (Crux, 6-18-15) OFFICIAL STATEMENT/REPORT FROM THE POPE: "LAUDATO SI"
The Pope's Most Powerful Quotes About Climate Change (Huffington Post, 12-1-15)
Muslim scholars name climate change as dire threat (RTCC, 7-15-15)
STATEMENTS FROM WORLD LEADERS
Poverty, Climate Change and Indigenous Rights In Morales and Menchu Speeches (Indian Country Today, 10-5-14)
CELEBRITY STATEMENTS
Leonardo DiCaprio (UN Messenger of Peace) at the opening of Climate Summit 2014 (YouTube Video)
YOUNG INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST STEPS FORWARD
15-Year-Old Climate Activist Speaks To UN General Assembly (Huffington Post, 7-2-15)
CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC
Ice in Antarctica and Greenland Melting at Alarming Rate (NBC Report, Posted on World Future Fund)
Most people around the world live in coastal cities. Even most Americans live within 50 miles of the coastline. Enough ice is melting to raise ocean levels to dangerous levels - dangerous enough to cause constant storms for those who live on the coastline. We are living through climate chance in real time and massive storms like Katrina and Sandy are about to become a regular part of life.
Greenland and Antarctica ' May be Vulnerable to Rapid Ice Loss Through Catastrophic Disintegration' (Think Progress, 7-30-13)
Why Greenland’s melting could be the biggest climate disaster of all (Grist, 2-24-13) The report: "Greenland ice sheet albedo feedback: thermodynamics and atmospheric drivers" (PDF)
Arctic Death Spiral Bombshell: CryoSat-2 Confirms Sea Ice Volume Has Collapsed (Think Progress, 12-14-13) The report: "Geophysical Research Letters"
Greenland Ice Cap Doomed to Meltdown (New Scientist, 4-7-04)
METHANE IN THE ARCTIC
Scientists estimate that there are hundreds of millions of tons of methane gas locked away beneath the Arctic permafrost. Methane is a greenhouse gas much more powerful than carbon dioxide - 23 times more powerful. One of the greatest fears that many scientists have is that when the Arctic sea ice disappears (due to global warming), the trapped methane will be released into the atmosphere leading to severe and rapid climate change.
Arctic Methane: Why The Sea Ice Matters (Envisionation VIDEO)
The ice in the Arctic now is half of what it was 30 years ago. So far it hasn't collapsed, but it will.
Arctic Ocean Leaking Methane At Alarming Rate, Researchers Say (The Seattle Times, 11-29-13)
More Arctic Methane Bubbles into Atmosphere (Scientific American, 11-25-13)
Vast methane 'plumes' seen in Arctic ocean as sea ice retreats (Independent, 12-13-11) The report: International Arctic Research Center
Scientists Find
New Global Warming "Time Bomb"
"Global warming gases trapped in
the soil are bubbling out of the thawing permafrost in amounts far higher
than previously thought and may trigger what researchers warn is a climate
time bomb. Methane - a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than
carbon dioxide - is being released from the permafrost at a rate five
times faster than thought, according to a study being published today
in the journal Nature." (USA Today, 9-6-06)
DANGERS IN SIBERIA
Melting Permafrost Releases Deadly, Long-Dormant Anthrax in Siberia (Common Dreams, 8-1-16)
Now the proof: permafrost 'bubbles' are leaking methane 200 times above the norm (The Siberian Times, 7-22-16)
Trembling tundra - the latest weird phenomenon in Siberia's land of craters (The Siberian Times, 7-20-16)
INFORMATIVE SITES ON CLIMATE CHANGE
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The United Nations and Climate Change
Pictures of Impact of Climate Change BBC Version
Al Gore 2007 Nobel Prize Speech and Video (Official Nobel Prize Site) Official Transcript
MASS EXTINCTION CLIMATE CHANGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
TOXIC CHEMICALS GLOBAL WATER AND FOOD SHORTAGE THE OCEAN FORESTS CHINA
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
A key cause of human activated climate change is our consumption and energy use. The push to use more renewable energy sources would help slow down the effects of climate change, and also help leave less of a carbon footprint on our planet. However, the shift to renewable energy is happening slowly, far too slowly to avert the developing climate disaster. Much of this is a result of political paralysis. Radical actions needs to be taken on this front, not too little too late reforms.
FRACKING AND METHANE
U.S. Methane Study Says Emissions 50 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates (CBS News, 11-26-13)
This means that Methane may be a greater environmental threat than formerly thought. Much of this methane comes from the keeping of livestock in factory farms as well as the release of gas from the practice of hydraulic fracking. The Study: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Fracking Flares in North Dakota Bakken Shale Equal 1 Million Cars Each Year (Popular Resistance, 8-31-13)
Former Mobil VP Warns of Fracking and Climate Change (Truth Out, 7-19-13)
Oil scholar Michael Klare calls fracking the "race for what is left." Louis Alstadt, the former VP of Mobil himself, states "The fracking that's going on right now is the real wake-up call on just what extreme lengths are required to pull oil or gas out of the ground now that most of the conventional reservoirs have been exploited - at least those that are easy to access." He goes on to discuss the reality that fracking releases Methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
RISING USE OF COAL AROUND THE WORLD
IEA predicts coal will grow by as a share of world energy between 2005 and 2030. This means the world's worst form of energy will grow in demand by 73%. (International Energy Agency) The report:"World Energy Outlook 2007" (PDF)
Europe consuming more coal (The Washington Post, 2-7-13)
Coal set to rival oil as world’s primary energy source by 2017 (Deep Green Resistance, 12-18-12)
HYDROPOWER
Not-so-Clean Hydropower is Damming Us All (National Geographic, 9-25-13)
Why Hydropower is Not Clean Energy (Alternet, 10-4-07)
MASS EXTINCTION CLIMATE CHANGE ENERGY CONSUMPTION
TOXIC CHEMICALS GLOBAL WATER AND FOOD SHORTAGE THE OCEAN FORESTS CHINA
POISONING THE PLANET
DANGEROUS EFFECTS OF CHEMICALS ON ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
In America, many of the chemical companies have very loose regulations about what kinds of chemicals they can release into the public. As a result, hundreds of untested or low tested chemicals have been released into the environment that have questionable effects on human health, as well as the health of other life forms. Many of these chemicals, such as some of the newer pesticides used for farming, have killed millions of other life forms, such as bees and bats. Check out the World Future Fund Site links below for more on this chemical crisis.
Failure of U.S. Chemical Testing: Poison in The Blood(World Future Fund)
America's track record on testing poisonous chemicals has been one of complete neglect to public health and safety. Most Americans assume that chemicals in everyday products such as shampoos and detergents have been tested. In this assumption, they are dead wrong. In its entire history, the Environmental Protection Agency has only succeeded in banning five substances (New York Times). America clearly does not take the regulation of hazardous chemicals very seriously.
EPA and EU Sites Concerning Chemicals and Human Health (World Future Fund)
Chemicals and Health Organizations (World Future Fund)
The Green Revolution (World Future Fund)
Indoor Air Report (World Future Fund)
A LACK OF EPA REGULATION
The Huge Drop in America's Commitment to a Safe Environment: EPA Budget as a Percent of Total Federal Budget (World Future Fund Report)
America's commitment to a safe and clean environment has declined drastically since the 1980's. There has been a 75% spending drop (as a percent of the federal budget) for the EPA in the last 3 decades. In Obama's recent budget proposal for 2014, funding for the EPA has been decreased 5% below 2013 levels. Clean air, water and the management of hazardous chemicals are a serious matter that deserve real funding. Not pocket change.
Civil Rights Report Calls Out EPA’s Chronic Failure to Protect Most Vulnerable Communities (Waterkeeper, 9-23-16) NEW
Obama's EPA breaks pledge to divorce politics from science on toxic chemicals (Public Integrity, 1-23-15)
U.S. Methane Study Says Emissions 50 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates (CBS News, 11-26-13)
This means that Methane may be a greater environmental threat than formerly thought. Much of this methane comes from the keeping of livestock in factory farms as well as the release of gas from the practice of hydraulic fracking. The Study: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
White House Looks To Trim EPA's Budget In FY2014 Request (GHGNews, 4-10-13)
Information from Official White House Budget Historical Tables. See table 4.1 for projected spending on different agencies (including the EPA). Or Read entire budget here (PDF).
POLLUTION
Indoor Air, Human Health and Chemicals: The Missing 90% of America's Air Pollution Problems (World Future Fund)
Industrial scars: The environmental cost of consumption – in pictures (The Guardian, 10-24-16) NEW
The World is a Gas Chamber (Counter Punch, 6-20-16) NEW
In a World Made Toxic, Nearly a Quarter of All Human Deaths Caused by Pollution (Common Dreams, 3-15-16) NEW
87% of Earth's population lives where the air is toxic (Tree Hugger, 12-9-15) NEW
What Humans Are Really Doing to Our Planet in 19 Jaw Dropping Images (News Mic, 5-4-15)
The dystopian lake filled by the world’s tech lust (BBC, 4-2-15) (We have something on this, but we need to elaborate)
Hidden in an unknown corner of inner Mongolia, is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by the first world's thirst for smart phones, consumer gadgets and green tech.
25 Of The Most Polluted Places In The World
LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH
The Leading Cause of Death in Developing Countries Might Surprise You (Global Voices Online, 1-21-15)
Water, Air and Soil Pollution Causes 40% of Deaths World Wide (Cornell University)
7 Million people die of air pollution in 2012. Air pollution was responsible for one in eight deaths (CNN, 3-24-14)
The Air We Breathe Definitely and Scientifically Linked to Cancer (Alternet, 10-17-13)
PESTICIDES
The Green Revolution: A New Debt Against The Future: (World Future Fund)
A report on harmful practices from the modern world of agriculture. This includes the modern use of pesticides that is launching a holocaust against the populations of bees, bats and frogs.
Pesticides Are Killing Our Sperm (Grist, 3-5-13)
