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Brief environmental commentary, analysis and links by Dr. Glen Barry -- highlighting severity of global ecological crises and rigorous biocentric responses


September 6, 2008

RELEASE: Earth's Newsdesk Launches -- A Fierce New Voice for the Earth

PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE

- Media releases and feature articles on the Earth's behalf, reporting upon the magnitude of global ecological crises and sufficient responses to achieve global ecological sustainability

September 8, 2008 (embargoed)
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet (EI)
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075

Ecological Internet Announces Earth's Newsdesk(Earth) -- A new type of environmental news service launches this week, as "Earth's Newsdesk" will report upon ecological science, policy and advocacy from the Earth's perspective. Ecological Internet will begin regularly providing biocentric media releases and feature articles for publication elsewhere. This continues a long list of firsts from EI and its predecessors, including the web's first blog and environmental search engine.

The free service will build upon Ecological Internet's constant tracking of environmental science, policy and advocacy -- and years of deep green analysis and action -- and will report upon major threats and opportunities facing forests, climate, water and oceans. It will focus upon environmental sustainability and the needs of the biosphere, and her ability to continue maintaining a habitable Earth for all life.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Earth's Newsdesk Launches -- A Fierce New Voice for the Earth" »

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September 4, 2008

Ending Coal: Climate Science That Matters

Coal use must end or we all dieLeading climate science Dr. James Hansen [search], who heads NASA's noted Goddard Institute for Space Studies, has called for an immediate halt in the construction of coal-fired power stations [ark | more\ark]. This is something Ecological Internet has strongly supported for years, and this political ecology represents climate science that matters. When being is threatened, it is time for expert academics to come down from their ivory towers and engage in sufficient ecological policy responses.

Dr Hansen is in England as a defense witness in the trial of six Greenpeace activists charged with damaging the Kingsnorth coal power plant in October last year. Energy giant E.on wants to build UK's first coal-fired plant for more than 30 years, and there have been major protest and direct action against Kingsnorth this summer. The trial's defense strategy seeks to establish the important and worthy precedent that direct action climate protests are justified [ark] to prevent 'much larger crimes' being committed against the Earth. Shall we all sit by peacefully as creation is destroyed, or will we do what we know is necessary to maintain being?

Continue reading "Ending Coal: Climate Science That Matters" »

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August 30, 2008

ALERT! Final Push Needed to Stop Australia's Tasmanian Ancient Forest Pulping for Throw-Away Paper Consumption

Gunns of Australia's controversial plans to build a huge pulp mill to make disposable consumer items largely from clearfelling ancients forests is close to failing, let us together make a final decisive push to warn off potential investors and environmental approvals and achieve its permanent withdrawal

What worked with ANZ can work with others to end Gunns pulp mill proposalTAKE ACTION! Plans by Australian woodchip giant Gunns Ltd., to continue clearcutting of Tasmania's ancient forests to feed a massive new paper pulp mill [search], appear to be near final collapse [ark]. Gunns is scrambling to raise the cash needed to build the AU$2 billion pulp mill and to meet a looming federal government environmental approval deadline. Chief executive of Leighton Holdings, the proposed builder of the mill, has even stated the project is dead. Join us in supporting massive local protests, and calling upon Australia's Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to not extend the environmental approval process, and for the several European pulp interests to steer clear of funding the project or risk years of protest and conflict. Let's join together with local protests and ensure the Gunns pulp mill proposal is permanently withdrawn from consideration. TAKE ACTION!

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August 28, 2008

RELEASE: RAN Sells-Out Canadian Boreal Forests

Press/Social Media Release

Rainforest Action Network greenwashes destruction of half of Ontario, Canada's boreal forests; despite lack of any detail regarding vague promised protections, and without scientific findings that doing so is ecologically sufficient

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075

Canada's boreal forests: rich in carbon and water(Earth) -- Rainforest Action Network (RAN) of San Francisco has long been one of America's leading rainforest campaign organizations. Yet in July their campaign to protect Ontario, Canada's boreal forests [search] doomed half this vital global ecological system to industrial destruction. In return, RAN and other proponents received vague promises of protections over a decade from now, but no protected area boundaries or protection plans.

Canada's boreal forests are home to hundreds of sensitive species of animals including polar bears, caribou and wolverines. Boreal forests are some of the world's largest carbon storehouses, with holdings equal to decades of global emissions from fossil fuels, while continually absorbing new emissions. The boreal region is also the world's largest reservoir of clean fresh water.

Continue reading "RELEASE: RAN Sells-Out Canadian Boreal Forests" »

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What If Global Warming is Non-Linear

Abupt climate change is non-linearThe interesting and potentially life-defining question of "what if global warming is non-linear" [ark] is worthy of consideration. That is, if we continue to increase carbon emissions, global warming may increase exponentially -- ever resulting in more change per unit of pollution -- and causing crises much more rapidly. Such abrupt climate change is a rapid change in climate -- perhaps in a decade or less -- over a widespread area to which human and natural systems have difficulty adapting. In other words, death and destruction result.

The question of how quickly climate will change is of great interest to the Climate Change Blog as we are committed to emphasizing the potential for worst case climate change and other ecosystem collapse scenarios. There are many ways that this can happen, which we feel are as or more likely than other scenarios. Abrupt climate change can result from numerous positive feedbacks such as permafrost melt, Arctic albedo change and rainforest dieback; and/or in conjunction with land degradation, water scarcity, ocean decline and persistent toxics. These positive feedbacks and synergies with other elements of global change continue to be given short thrift, and this is worrying.

Continue reading "What If Global Warming is Non-Linear" »

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August 23, 2008

Arctic Going to Hell in a Hand-Basket

Arctic sea ice loss one symptom of global ecological emergencyThe Arctic's alarmingly rapid loss of summer sea ice [search] continues. The fact the ice has not totally melted this year is no consolation, as last year summer sea ice shrank to a record low, and total loss of sea ice -- which was predicted to occur in over sixty years only a few years ago -- now seems assured by 2030 and may even be imminent. Nine polar bears were spotted swimming in open ocean [ark] off Alaska's northwest coast, up to 65 miles offshore, indicating their difficulty in finding pack ice and food. In Northern Greenland, until now thought immune from global warming, the massive Petermann glacier [search] shows a growing giant crack [ark] -- 7 miles long and half a mile wide -- and an 11-square-mile chunk of ice is breaking off.

I am not sure how many more global ecological emergencies, indicative of abrupt and deadly climate change [search], I can stomach being disregarded with assurances that "scientists don't like to attribute single events to global warming, but... events fit a pattern." The patterns being repeated over and over again in front of our eyes include collapse of major global ecosystems [search] and societal myopic denial that the end of being is nigh. The hell emerging in the Arctic is the same force ravaging Australia with drought, California with wildfires and China with toxic pollution. We are witnessing the inevitable consequences of nearly seven billion humans consuming like there is no tomorrow ensuring there soon will not be one. Only profound revolutionary personal and social transformation can save us now.

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August 21, 2008

RELEASE: Australia's Tepid Overseas Rainforest Aid Provides Little Climate Benefit

Press/Social Media Release

Harnessing ancient primary forests for continued carbon storage requires ending industrial logging, and in Australia too

By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075

(Earth) -- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea cannot continue first-time industrial ancient forest logging and credibly accept funds for rainforests' carbon storageEcological Internet welcomes Australia’s expression of concern about forests and climate change, demonstrated by yesterday's release of an initial US$2 million in aid [ark] for Asia-Pacific nations to help protect forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it is unfortunate these efforts to maintain forest carbon [search] are only being applied overseas, are based upon flawed science, and thus will be unlikely to make much difference.

An important new study from Australian National University researchers recently found that first-time logging of ancient primary forests results in more than a 40 percent reduction in long-term carbon compared with unlogged forests[1]. Further, untouched natural forests were found to store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated and 60 percent more than plantation forests. These findings directly contradict industry propaganda that logging old-growth is climate friendly.

Continue reading "RELEASE: Australia's Tepid Overseas Rainforest Aid Provides Little Climate Benefit" »

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August 20, 2008

ALERT! Fund Ecuador to Keep Oil Underground

It is time for the international community led by Europe to step up and finance large-scale Amazon rainforest preservation to protect the Earth's atmosphere, biodiversity, and life-giving ecosystems; while helping meet needs for national advancement

Amazon roadTAKE ACTION! The Western Amazon -- home to some of the most biodiverse and intact rainforest left on Earth, which are critical for driving regional and global ecosystems and climatic patterns necessary for life -- may soon be decimated by oil rigs and pipelines. According to a new study in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, over 180 oil and gas "blocks" – areas zoned for exploration and development – now cover the Western Amazon, which includes Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and western Brazil. These oil and gas blocks stretch over 688,000 km2 (170 million acres), a vast area nearly the size of Texas.

Yet there is hope, as Ecuador's new forward-thinking government led by President Rafael Correa announced in June 2007 the innovative Yasuní-ITT Initiative which offers to keep Ecuador's largest untapped oilfields unexploited in exchange for financial compensation from the international community. Regional governments, international donors and global citizens must decide whether every last bit of the Earth's wilderness; and intact, large ecosystems, will be sacrificed to delay having to transition now to renewable energy sources, ensuring abrupt run-away climate change in the process. Given their historical strong rhetoric on the need to protect global climate and biodiversity, please ask European aid agencies to lead the effort. TAKE ACTION!

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August 19, 2008

Climate Change and Species' Deaths (including yours)

Climate change kills species including your ownWe learned today that birds in France are unable to migrate [ark] fast enough to keep up with their habitat. And the Arctic tundra is being invaded by trees [ark]. Humans too are animals with specific heat, moisture and food requirements. Where will we run as we lose our habitat?

Climate change -- and the host of attendant ecological crises associated with too many humans consuming too many resources at the expense of life giving ecosystems -- will together not be some minor irritant. Climate-mediated global ecological collapse [search] will be gut-wrenching biological murder as conditions where you live become unable to sustain life.

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August 15, 2008

Climate Skeptic Slap Down: the Earth is Demonstrably Heating

The Earth is demonstraby heatingRecently climate skeptics [search] and sympathetic press have claimed there has been no global warming for a decade. New Scientist does a marvelous job of debunking [ark] this selective misreading of climate data by lay skeptics. Using a powerful yet simple analogy, they illustrate that surface temperatures are only one measure of global heat increases.

Surface temperatures only reflect what is happening to the very thin layer where air meets the land and sea. But long-term how much heat is gained or lost by the entire planet, called the "top of the atmosphere" radiation budget, is what matters. Claims that global warming is non-existent is further confounded by the fact surface temperatures in the Arctic, the place on Earth where the greatest warming is occurring, is not measured by a permanent base. And 1998 was unusually warm due to El Nino conditions.

Continue reading "Climate Skeptic Slap Down: the Earth is Demonstrably Heating" »

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