The Climate Crisis just ratcheted up a few more notches.
In England, a non-public government report has leaked out.
It concedes that several areas of its Coastlines, many with historic significance, many with communities still living there, that those Coastlines will be surrendered to the rising sea levels. They have decided that trying to protect them from the inevitable floods, will just be too darn expensive!
I guess it's true that you can't stop progress ...
telegraph.co.uk
Coast villages to be sacrificed to the sea
By Melissa Kite and Richard Gray
GMT 11/11/2007
Whole villages and swathes of agricultural land will be surrendered to the sea because the Government is unwilling to spend billions of pounds on flood defenses.
Ministers have admitted privately that they are preparing to evacuate settlements on the east coast within the next 30 years because it is not "cost effective" to save them.
Thousands of acres of farmland will be allowed to flood, potentially jeopardizing food production in areas such as East Anglia.
Parts of the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline will not be given a penny for defenses because they have been deemed impossible to save, according to leaked details of the Government's coastal flooding and erosion risk assessment.
The study, which is being conducted by the Environment Agency and will report in June next year, uses a points system to decide which parts of coastline will receive flood defenses and which will be abandoned.
The plan comes despite warnings that destructive storm surges are becoming more frequent with climate change.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
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Nasa
Earth Observatory
Rising or falling sea level can reshape the world’s coastlines and affect some of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/...
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NASA provides a rather plausible example of "Cause and Effect" at work in our world eco-system. Increase the CO2, Increase the Sea Levels.
Global Warming is happening now, and governments continue to stall and postpone. Why?
Too bad using science to make sound decisions, is forever debated by corporate media.
Perhaps Media Pundits and their Corporate Sponsors should recall the last time they had to perform Jury Duty. The Standard there is "beyond a reasonable doubt" -- NOT complete certainty!
canada.com
Scientists say get ready for a hotter planet
Margaret Munro , CanWest News Service
Nov 09, 2007
United Nations' science advisers have boiled down their landmark climate report to one simple message -- prepare for a hotter world while slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
... there is no quick fix for the planetary meltdown threatening everything from Arctic ecosystems to boreal forests and coral reefs.
But there are "many options" for reducing emissions, says the report obtained by CanWest News Service. It highlights the need for "effective" incentives and international "co-operation" to slash greenhouse gases. It also suggests the world had best prepare for wackier and more extreme weather as well as rising sea levels, expected to slowly drown low-lying and sometimes heavily populated regions.
...
And they warn of irreversible impacts. "There is medium confidence that approximately 20-30 per cent of species assessed so far are likely to be at increasing risk of extinction if increases in global average warming exceed 1.5-2.5 degrees Celsius." Warming of at least two degrees is considered a near certainly this century based on IPCC climate models.
http://www.canada.com/...
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Day by Day the doubt about Climate Change becomes less and less plausible. We watch as the the Ice Caps melt away, while all the "Who's down in Punditville", scurry about broadcasting their own little Agendas.
the consequences are dire ..
and the threat is real and accelerating ...
Some Scientists are revising their estimates about a Tipping Point.
Some Temp increases are "already baked into the cake"
The real question now is how bad will it really end up being?
Is Global Warming on a Fast Track to the Tipping Point?
by jamess -- Wed Sep 19, 2007
http://www.dailykos.com/...
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This Crisis Climate will take real Leadership by America
to solve -- NOT more stalling and side-stepping Responsibility!
Melissa Ethridge -- WE Need to WAKE Up ... NOW!
http://www.youtube.com/...
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Time is running out ...
The 10 year window to Do Something, is almost 1/3 gone !!!
Half-measures won't get it done.
I personally, see an Edwards-Gore alliance as our best hope of starting to fix this mess. Someone HAS to Stand up NOW!
[Edwards, the front-man shaking up Washington; Gore the behind-the-scenes guy, building an international coalition. They would be quite the Team, IMO.]
I would hope you would consider Edwards, in your search for a Climate Crisis solution too.
John Edwards Congratulates Al Gore
http://www.youtube.com/...
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John Edwards: on Making Sacrifices for the Environment
http://vids.myspace.com/...
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Question from Abbey, a Writer with "The New Hampshire" at UNH:
On Environmental Concerns, I know all these issues are extremely important, Health Care Coverage and everything else we've talked about. I was wondering where the Environment plays a part in all this. I was wondering if you would be willing to promote governmental incentives to Businesses to promote sustainable living in the country -- for the future? I just don't know where that plays a part in your campaign?
John Edwards: The answer to your Question -- Let me give you a definitive YES. And what I believe, is that Al Gore is Right -- That Global Warming/Climate Change IS a Crisis!
It's NOT something for the Future. It's not something that going to happen 75 years down the road. I read an article in a British newspaper, a couple week ago, that said -- based on some work being done by American Scientists -- suggested that the Polar Ice Cap will disappear in 23 years unless we change our behavior. And once it's gone -- it is NOT coming back!
And this is -- you know, I won't claim to be a scientific expert, but I'm smart enough to figure out, that a Polar Ice Cap reflects the Sun's heat. And when that Ice Cap is gone, the black dark ocean, is going to absorb the Sun's heat. And it is not healthy for America -- Everyone knows this already -- we're the worst polluter on the planet! We're in a great competition with China -- this is exactly what we want to be, right? We put our 25% of the world's greenhouse gases.
I mentioned being proud of being the first one to come out with a Universal health care plan. I'm also proud I was the first one to come out with an aggressive, specific plan to fight Global Warming. Can I take just a minute and go through it?
Questioner: I've love you to (lol)
John Edwards: What I would do is Cap Carbon Emissions in America -- a National Cap. I would reduce our Carbon Emissions by a minimum of 80% by the year 2050. MINIMUM is Important -- because it MAY be necessary to do MORE than that! The more Scientific Information we get, the more severe the Problem appears to be. I'd bring that Cap down EVERY year. So that you keep reducing, keep reducing, keep reducing.
Beneath the Cap, for companies that want to send out Carbon Dioxide, I'd MAKE them buy a permit, to do it. THAT Money, the money from the permitting system, can be used to invest in Wind and Solar and cellulose-based Bio-fuels. And I'll point out another difference I have with some of the other Candidates -- I'm NOT for building more Nuclear Power Plants. I'm not satisfied that they ... Number 1, they are incredibly expensive. They take a long time to get on line. But I'm not satisfied that we have a safe way to dispose of waste.
I don't think that we should build ANY MORE coal fired power plants. Unless we have the ability to Capture the Carbon, which we DON'T today!
Beyond that, I also think that we ought to be investing and having American Car Companies make the most innovative cars on the planet. I'd put a Billion dollars, of the proceeds of that auctioning -- permit system into investment in our Car Companies making more fuel efficient -- plug-in hybrids for example, which I think have extraordinary potential.
And THEN, last but not least, this is a word you're not going to hear much from Presidential Candidates -- I would ask Americans to be willing to sacrifice. I would say to America ... (applause)
that it IS time for us to be patriotic about something other than War! For us to say, as a Country, if we want to be Stronger, If we want to be more Independent -- we HAVE to be willing to sacrifice. We got to drive more fuel-efficient Vehicles! We've got to conserve in our Homes! We've got to conserve in our Workplaces! Because you CAN'T spend, and innovate your way out of this Problem. It's gonna require all of us to take some Responsibility, and take some Action!
I will say, just a quick plug, we have a service organization nationally, that I set up a little over a year ago -- before the Campaign -- called One Corps (O-N-E One Core). And we act as a group, and there are over a thousand chapters -- we as a group are engaged in lots of activities. But one of the thing we've been doing is going into people's homes, who need ... you know, pipes covered, fluorescent -- I mean, light bulbs changed, you know really simple things. But we do it together to show that Americans Taking Action really matters. And we can make a Difference in this area.
92-94% percent of the MTV audience indicated that Edwards is doing quite well in understanding and addressing the issue.
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John Edwards Plan for Building a New Energy Economy
http://johnedwards.com/...
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Edwards Plan for Building One America - Bullet Points (pdf)
http://johnedwards.com/...
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Please join the cause. (the cause of "leaving the world a better place")
Thank you, and your grandkids, thank you too.