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. . . about Chaos,
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Robert Redford's Plea to Stop the Bush Energy Bill
Over the next few weeks, President Bush and his congressional allies will try once again to ram their disastrous energy bill through the U.S. Senate. They fell only two votes short in November and they've vowed to make passage of the bill their top priority now that Congress has returned from recess. . . . This bill may be the worst piece of legislation you and I will see in our lifetimes. . . . This is not a national energy policy. This is corporate welfare, pure and simple. Estimates of the bill's corporate tax breaks range from $23 billion to well over $100 billion with loan guarantees included. No surprise there. Big energy companies cooked up this raid on the federal treasury during hundreds of secret meetings with Vice President Cheney's energy task force and their allies on Capitol Hill. . . . It's one thing to gouge taxpayers. But to claim this rip-off is in the national interest, as the White House would have us believe, is a slap in the face to every working American. . . . Please make your voice heard. Go to Save our BioGems and tell your senators to obey the will of the American people, not the dictates of giant energy corporations! Call on Congress to create a sustainable and affordable energy path. . . . And please be sure to forward this message to at least four other people. Believe me, millions of Americans are just waiting for a simple way to stop this madness and lend their support to a sane and hopeful energy future.

posted by Lorenzo 10:16 AM

 

A Radical New Technology for Indoor Sun Lighting
Take a look at Solartech's new patented technology for moving sunlight deep into buildings. The benefits are quite impressive ... Not only does sunlight provide a better work environment for employees, it also is free. This new technology will not only make a significant reduction in energy bills, it has a 2-3 year payout.

These are the kinds of new ideas we need as we move steadily into the 21st century. So if you know of any "angel investors", please ask them to take a look at what Solartech is doing.

posted by Lorenzo 4:36 PM

 

Extinction of one quarter of all species of plants and animals on Earth by 2050 predicted
(WiredNews, January 7, 2004)
The study examined the effect of global warming on 1,103 species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs and insects in South Africa, Brazil, Europe, Australia, Mexico and Costa Rica. While some species might be able to adapt to climate change, the researchers used computer simulations that determined that many would die off as a result of global warming. . . . Greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and factories could make the Earth hotter than it has been in 10 million years, before most existing species evolved . . . The damage could be comparable to the dinosaurs' disappearance from the earth 65 million years ago, the researchers said. . . . "It's quite possible that large parts of the world will become barren wastelands, or at least their species diversity will probably drop dramatically," . . . Species generally evolve fairly slowly, but the climate change on Earth is happening so fast that it's unlikely many will be able to adapt . . . "The industrialized countries are producing far higher (carbon dioxide) emissions per capita than other countries, with the U.S. heading the list," Thomas said in an e-mail. "Therefore, these countries need to take action most rapidly. In effect, we are exporting extinction." . . . the majority of global leaders agree that something needs to be done, but he worries it will take too long for countries to agree on an approach. Meanwhile, damage to the environment will persist. . . . "The problem is that united action often runs up against the parochial conflicting demands of each country in turn," he said. "It is an immense risk not to change direction. If ever the precautionary principle should apply, it should be now."

posted by Lorenzo 12:09 PM

 

'US climate policy bigger threat to world than terrorism'
(Steve Connor, The Independent 09 January 2004)
Tony Blair's chief scientist has launched a withering attack on President George Bush for failing to tackle climate change, which he says is more serious than terrorism. . . . Sir David King, the Government's chief scientific adviser, says in an article today in the journal Science that America, the world's greatest polluter, must take the threat of global warming more seriously. . . . "In my view, climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism," Sir David says. . . . "The Bush administration's strategy relies largely on market-based incentives and voluntary action ... But the market cannot decide that mitigation is necessary, nor can it establish the basic international framework in which all actors can take their place." . . . Results of a major study showed yesterday that more than a million species will become extinct as a result of global warming over the next 50 years. Sir David says the Bush administration is wrong to dispute the reality of global warming. The 10 hottest years on record started in 1991 and, worldwide, average temperatures had risen by 0.6C in the past century. . . . Sea levels were rising, ice caps were melting and flooding had become more frequent. The Thames barrier was used about once a year in the 1980s to protect London but now it was used more than six times a year. . . . "If we could stabilise the atmosphere's carbon dioxide concentration at some realistically achievable and relatively low level, there is still a good chance of mitigating the worst effects of climate change." . . . But countries such as Britain could not solve the problem of global warming in isolation, particularly when the US was by far the biggest producer of greenhouse gases on the planet. "The United Kingdom is responsible for only 2 per cent of the world's emissions, the United States for more than 20 per cent (although it contains only 4 per cent of the world's population)," Sir David says. . . . "As a consequence of continued warming, millions more people around the world may in future be exposed to the risk of hunger, drought, flooding, and debilitating diseases such as malaria," Sir David says. . . . President Bush has said more research on global warming is needed before the US will consider the sort of action needed to comply with the Kyoto protocol, but Sir David says that by then it could be too late. "Delaying action for decades, or even just years, is not a serious option. I am firmly convinced that if we do not begin now, more substantial, more disruptive, and more expensive change will be needed later on." . . . Sir David says that it is a "myth" that reducing greenhouse gas emissions makes us poorer. "Taking action to tackle climate change can create economic opportunities and higher living standards," he says.

posted by Lorenzo 3:36 PM

 

Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil
(Rainforest Action Network, January 8, 2004)
LOS ANGELES - This morning human rights and environmental activists with Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network daringly repelled down a 32-story skyscraper near the Los Angeles Auto Show and unfurled a giant banner reading, "Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil."

Spokespeople are available at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 12th Street in Downtown LA to discuss the dramatic protest and explain how Ford Motor Company is fueling American oil addiction.

The unfurling of the banner occurred as people entered the LA Auto Show just blocks away. The banner was designed to raise public awareness about how Ford Motor Company and other auto manufacturers are needlessly keeping the US dependent on oil by refusing to increase the fuel economy of their vehicles.

The 40-foot by 60-foot banner featured an arm of a corporate executive holding a gas nozzle to the head of the Statue of Liberty as if ready to shoot the icon of freedom. Above the graphic were the words, "Ford: Holding America Hostage to Oil." Auto show attendees looked on in shock as activists unfurled the banner.

"A typical Ford vehicle on the road today gets fewer miles per gallon than the Model-T did 80 years ago," said Jason Mark, Clean Car Campaigner with the human rights group Global Exchange. "Ford is driving in reverse. It's a disgrace to Ford Motor Company's tradition of ingenuity. Proven technology exists to double the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks. Yet Ford is turning its back on these solutions. Bill Ford says he wants to create an 'environmental car company,' but there's a huge gap between his rhetoric and reality. "

"Our own automakers are holding us hostage to oil," said Mike Brune, executive director of the environmental organization Rainforest Action Network. "Americans want energy independence and that means freedom from our oil addiction. Oil addiction endangers the lungs of the planet?our forests. It also endangers our economy. Ending America's addiction to oil is a matter of national security."

Public opinion polls show that 8 in 10 Americans?including 84 percent of autoworker households support tougher fuel economy rules. But Ford is failing to meet the desire for better fuel mileage. According to a 2003 EPA report, Ford's vehicles rank the lowest of any major automaker in overall fuel economy, and its cars are worse than GM's when it comes to global warming pollutants.

Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network are among a national coalition of more than 80 public interest organizations calling on Ford to double the fuel economy of its vehicles by 2010 and completely eliminate tailpipe emissions by 2020. For more information, visit www.jumpstartford.com.

posted by Lorenzo 11:02 PM

 

Thought for the day
The environmentalists are going to have to be like the mob in the square in Romania before they prevail.
-- Frank Mankiewicz

posted by Lorenzo 1:56 PM