Culture and Coexistence into the Great Unknown
President Obama unveiled his Climate Action Plan that proposes to cut carbon pollution from coal burning power plants, coupled with supporting energy efficiency and clean, renewable sources of energy, but cannot seem to kick the addiction to some fossil fuels, especially fracked natural gas. He also promises to ramp up climate change adaptation and to lead international efforts to address global warming.
It’s like a Gary Larson cartoon. Fires, floods, and droughts keep coming and we laugh them off, though the joke might be on us. We must all make positive personal and political contributions to solving the climate crisis before it’s too late.
Rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels has resulted in extreme weather and economic danger. A revenue neutral fee and dividend plan could spur a clean energy industrial revolution and reduce global warming.
Huge new hydroelectric dam projects now underway call for damming pristine rivers and flooding virgin rainforest, home of the Ngäbe People. The Panamanian government deems it vital for economic growth, with multinational corporations cashing in. Even the UN has awarded carbon credits predicated on “sustainably” produced energy.
The Obama Administration will continue to face the decision whether a leak-prone dirty tar sands oil pipeline, associated with destruction of ecosystems and indigenous communities as well as global climate destabilization, is in the US national interest.
President Obama: We citizens for Tar Sands Action in Los Angeles laud your decision to send the Keystone XL Pipeline back to the State Department for re-review. Yet, ensuring climate stability, protecting land and water resources, and launching an alternative clean energy economy will take much more work.
Reducing oil dependence. Strengthening energy security. Creating jobs. Tackling global warming. Addressing air pollution. Improving our health. The Union of Concerned Scientists has outlined a US national blueprint for a clean energy economy.