Towheeblog

Heraclitus saw it clearly over 2000 years ago–“All is flux.” Well, we will be surrounded by serious fluxing for decades to come.

“NYT” columnist Paul Krugman stops pretending that climate change is a future threat. Click here for his full admission–it’s all around us and upon us. Then a close friend of mine–a well-trained scientist who spent time working inside the American military apparatus and traveled widely–adds this comment:

“A clear explanation of the current situation until the reader gets to the end.  Krugman has the typical progressive’s belief that we could fix things, if we were just not ignorant/short-sighted/greedy/immoral, et cetera.  At this point there are physical processes at work that we cannot reverse, no matter what we do, or don’t do.  The exception is nuclear winter – that would change things, but not for the better.”

I’m afraid I agree with my friend, Krugman blithely ignores a glaring fact through much of human history. We have evolved to be quick, clever, violent when we think it’s right, able to organize. So we are good at dealing with immediate problems when we are not overwhelmed by plague or volcano or hurricane. We are terrible at seeing long-term consequences. How does Krugman fantasize that nations and tribes will overcome their milennia-old xenophobias and out-wit the huge corporations and many nations (from Saudi to Russia to Venezuela) whose existence depends on fossil fuel money?

Batteries may be crucial to how we get off the gas and coal. Click here for story about the new coalition to make batteries here in the US (no doubt spurred by the clear parallel bwteween Ukraine and Taiwan).  Think if we embargoed drugs or batteries or iPhones from China because they attacked Taiwan.

The U.S. Navy plans to go electric; click here.  Why? Google says “A roughly three-foot increase in sea level would threaten 128 coastal DOD installations in the United States (43 percent of which are naval installations, valued at roughly $100 billion) and the livelihoods of the people—both military personnel and civilians—who depend on them (NAS 2011).”

That ignores the dozens of other bases overseas…from Okinawa to Europe.
<a href="http://&lt;!– wp:paragraph –> <p><a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/07/front-lines-of-rising-seas-key-executive-summary.pdf">https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2016/07/front-lines-of-rising-seas-key-executive-summary.pdf</a></p&gt; <!– /wp:paragraph –> <!– wp:paragraph –> <p>KS WILD</p> Here’s a more complete warning report to the U.S. Defense Department.

Climate change leads to unbearable heat; click here for look at recent south Asian bake-off. 

I recently had a heart-felt talk with a friend who works full-time for a conservation organization trying to save a small section of the drought-beleaguered western U.S. Many people who support his small organization are fighting against fatalism, fearing fate is beyond us now, facing tomorrow with little or no hope. What could you say to a grandchild about our planet now and later, without knowing yourself a liar? His group tries to offer supporters a specific and direct thing they can do or help pay for. Save this patch of forest. Keep this chemical or plastic out of our local stream…

With that clear-eyed goal in mind, here are some of my own particular favorite groups in America. Similar exist in many other nations, even including Turkey and Iran.

Some ways to take action:

KS Wild’s mission is to protect and restore wild nature in the Klamath-Siskiyou region of southwest Oregon and northwest California. We promote science-based land and water conservation through policy and community action.    Click here.

CBD: At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Click here.

Environemtnal Defense Fund–EDF follows the evidence to zero-in on the areas where our expertise can make the biggest difference. Click here.

Klamath Bird Observatory achieves bird conservation in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the ranges of our migratory birds. Emphasizing high-caliber science and the role of birds as indicators, we inform and improve natural resource management. Click here.

Cape May Bird Observatory. Nature is our sanctuary, where we turn for comfort and serenity. New Jersey Audubon will continue working tirelessly to ensure that our workplaces, programs, and natural spaces are safe and welcoming for all. Click here.