Category Archives: Climate change

NBSAP Forum - CBD, UNDP, UNEP

NBSAP Forum

: NBSAP Forum - CBD, UNDP, UNEP

Krishnan,

Thanks for this. Let me directly come to the point.

After having seen
– the encyclical from Pope Francis about Climate Change and protecting our environment,
– the speech from the Dalai Lama at Glastonbury also about Climate Change and lately
– the speech from Prince Charles about the pressing necessity of rewiring the global economy to halt the destruction of our planet

probably best moment could not be expected to direct the attention of NBSAP Forum members to the fact that their main objective: “Supporting countries in their critical work in reversing the global loss of biodiversity by 2020.” will be nothing more than an empty slogan unless all the stakeholders combine all their capacity to address the single most important cause for biodiversity loss: Anthropogenic pressure on this planet.

To tackle this issue I can see the following “sub-tasks”
– Work out the framework for a new global economic model replacing the current growth and profit centric exercise;
– Educate nations all around the globe about the finite nature of our planetary resources, and as part of this also educate them about their responsibility in the exploding population;
– Propose a mechanism to be implemented worldwide for Carbon Labeling every products and services.

Infrastructure for teaching, education are given in much more places than such kind of information is distributed in any way, so education can be started right now.

We, The Biodiversity Alliance can act as a facilitator to contact and communicating with stakeholders to deliver the above message.

I hope to see your thoughts on this. 🙂
Janos

Air pollution: a conundrum?

Two links here: Santiago largely shut down because of air pollution (it’s location exacerbates the smog problem); then a major discussion on gobal health. It highlights the problem of fossil fuels, and interestingly states that lack of political will is now the major hurdle to a low carbon reality, instead of absence of knowledge or technology. Various reports are mentioned in the second link. The conundrum is saving all the peoples’ lives adds to to our global population pressure. No easy answers.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/22/chile-santiago-smog-environment-emergency

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/23/climate-change-threatens-50-years-of-progress-in-global-health-study-says

Pope Francis

As expected Pope Francis is about to release his encyclical concerning the environment and climate change. The Guardian article below explains much of what is likely to be included in the Bull. The Pope concurs with many of our ideas here at The BA. One important aspect is the cultural & aesthetic appreciation of Nature in its own right. Remember too that the Vatican has a voice at the UN and is a country in its own right; as well as speaking for over a billion Catholics worldwide.

Also as expected the Yankee Republicans said “the pope should stick to his job!”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/13/pope-francis-intervention-transforms-climate-change-debate

At last! A hint of truth about hot air!

This short article touches on why we cannot achieve much in our world. The two most vocal powers are determined to do as little as possible. But why? Simple! It interferes with their abillity to make a profit. At the heart of the matter it has only ever been about money: but it is clear that capitalism ~ and the deliberate destruction of our planet to fuel that paradigm ~ has failed. The climate meeting in Paris this December is likely to achieve very little indeed 🙁

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/uk-and-us-main-barriers-to-addressing-climate-change-survey-finds-10303279.html

California: death of the lawn?

As California succumbs to its 4th year of drought ~ state legislators decreed citizens must reduce water consumption by 30% on 2013 levels; this came into force on 1st June 2015. Some of you will be aware that California’s reservoirs usually get topped up during the springtime melting of snow & ice on the mountains ~ there wasn’t any!

The Guardian story speaks for itself: the only thing that surprised me was paying someone else to dig up your lawn. Bizarre! Grab a shovel and go outside yourself.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/04/california-lawns-drought-tolerant-succulents

El Nino heat map - AFP / Getty images

El Nino has, apparently, arrived.

: El Nino heat map - AFP / Getty images

This cyclical weather phenomenon has apparently finally arrived. NOAA said it started in March 2015, although few of the physical signs appeared. The link below shows Australia, Japan and NOAA all agreeing … we’ll soon find out. What the article does not say is that the 1997-98 ENSO saw roughly half of the world’s corals die. In the face of global warming the corals and seagrass beds absorb a huge amount of CO2 during their photsynthesis. We’re talking similar levels of carbon-fixing to tropical rain forests; so if we get more major coral bleaching events then we are likely to be in a mess.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/what-is-el-nino-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-weather-phenomenon-10247049.html

TheGuardian

The Guardian and Gates

: TheGuardian

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

…with assumptions and with ignorance of potential risk and consequences.

I can understand the biased ardour of The Guardian’s Keep it in the Ground team towards the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as they also funds the Guardian’s global development coverage.

What I can not understand is the lack of understanding the causative relationship between Climate Change and the global economical and financial system of which Bill Gates is one of the best representative figure.

The system in which he believes so fanatically and which allowed him to pile up his wealth is determined to destroy the biosphere of this planet for the shier personal interest of figures like Gates.

According to Forbes, the 1,826 members of the billionaires club owns “an aggregate net worth of $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion a year ago” possessed by 1,646 people. These guys are interested only in increasing their wealth further by taking as mach as possible and as quickly as possible from the biosphere, either directly or indirectly.

During the same period of time the population on Earth grew by more 80,000,000 people. Wast majority of them has literally nothing but they wear. To reduce the growth of human population which is the major and most fundamental reason of the climate change is not the interest of billionaires and of the current incarnation of capitalism.

In my view, The Guradian’s Keep it in the Ground team should have chosen a person to lead this campaign more wisely. They should have chosen someone who is committed to protect this planet rather than to make his profit from it.


Is Bill Gates a suitable person to "lead the fight against climate change"?

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