<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for The next president needs to move with speed and clear vision on mitigating climate change]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by justlou http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:42:18 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/1 Visionaries

simply don't get elected.  They get branded as being too far out there -- "Mr. Moonbeam".  People just want someone to keep the wheels on even if they are uncertain of the direction. When the economy gets really shaky people all people will want is a foundation of security, no matter how it is derived. Compromise will be all the vision that we will get out of Washington.  When all your roads lead there, expect the road builders to be in charge.  

]]> Visionaries

simply don't get elected.  They get branded as being too far out there -- "Mr. Moonbeam".  People just want someone to keep the wheels on even if they are uncertain of the direction. When the economy gets really shaky people all people will want is a foundation of security, no matter how it is derived. Compromise will be all the vision that we will get out of Washington.  When all your roads lead there, expect the road builders to be in charge.  

]]> Comment #2 by justlou http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:55:43 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/2 The Debate of 2008

After the primaries and after the US economy has entered a recession we will be inundated with one main topic -- which candidate has the best policies to stimulate greater economic growth?  It is within this context that global warming will be discussed.  The charges and counter charges from both sides are quite predictable.  How does a vision evolve out of such debate?  

]]> The Debate of 2008

After the primaries and after the US economy has entered a recession we will be inundated with one main topic -- which candidate has the best policies to stimulate greater economic growth?  It is within this context that global warming will be discussed.  The charges and counter charges from both sides are quite predictable.  How does a vision evolve out of such debate?  

]]> Comment #3 by stevenearlsalmony http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:57:42 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/3 Perhaps, time for honesty and courage is at hand..

The great man, Professor Rajendra K. Pachauri, is an exemplar for all of us these days.

As I see it, there are not nearly enough courageous leaders like Dr. Pachauri among us, leaders who are capable of displaying so uncommon an appreciation of good science and intellectual honesty, needed to acknowledge and address the formidable, human-forced global challenges that are unexpectedly presenting themselves to humanity in our time.

Because the global challenges resulting from climate change are supposedly human-induced, it becomes immediately clear that human beings can correct their ways of living and, thereby, ameliorate the problems we have a large part in causing.

Support the good works of Rajendra Pachauri and the IPCC scientists.  By following their valiant recommendations, we have our best chance to save life as we know, and the Earth from ecological collapse, in these early years of Century XXI.

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population

http://sustsci.aaas.org/content.html?contentid=1176&p ...

http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/
 


]]> Perhaps, time for honesty and courage is at hand..

The great man, Professor Rajendra K. Pachauri, is an exemplar for all of us these days.

As I see it, there are not nearly enough courageous leaders like Dr. Pachauri among us, leaders who are capable of displaying so uncommon an appreciation of good science and intellectual honesty, needed to acknowledge and address the formidable, human-forced global challenges that are unexpectedly presenting themselves to humanity in our time.

Because the global challenges resulting from climate change are supposedly human-induced, it becomes immediately clear that human beings can correct their ways of living and, thereby, ameliorate the problems we have a large part in causing.

Support the good works of Rajendra Pachauri and the IPCC scientists.  By following their valiant recommendations, we have our best chance to save life as we know, and the Earth from ecological collapse, in these early years of Century XXI.

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population

http://sustsci.aaas.org/content.html?contentid=1176&p ...

http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/
 


]]> Comment #4 by Brendan http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:57:44 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/4 No point in being pessimistic

What have we got to lose pushing for vision from Presidential Candidates in this manner? Pursuing these lofty ideals will put America and the world in a much better place when the actual pragmatic politics of action go down. I think the worst thing people concerned about climate change can right now is defeatist, and am most impressed with the PCAP's efforts.  

]]> No point in being pessimistic

What have we got to lose pushing for vision from Presidential Candidates in this manner? Pursuing these lofty ideals will put America and the world in a much better place when the actual pragmatic politics of action go down. I think the worst thing people concerned about climate change can right now is defeatist, and am most impressed with the PCAP's efforts.  

]]> Comment #5 by randino http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:38:06 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/5 An impolite question.

I have about as much confidence in our pulling this off, as I have expectations that Hugo Chavez will ride an Armadillo across my lawn. Possible, but not probable.

So this is my impolite question to everyone. What do we do if we do not make Jim Hansen's or the rest of our experts' deadlines? Go home and take a drive in our cars with the garage door closed?

In organizing it is always a maxim to have your next step thought out, win or lose. What do we do if we lose? That is something I would like our gurus to answer. They owe it to us.

Randy Cunningham

Randy Cunningham

]]> An impolite question.

I have about as much confidence in our pulling this off, as I have expectations that Hugo Chavez will ride an Armadillo across my lawn. Possible, but not probable.

So this is my impolite question to everyone. What do we do if we do not make Jim Hansen's or the rest of our experts' deadlines? Go home and take a drive in our cars with the garage door closed?

In organizing it is always a maxim to have your next step thought out, win or lose. What do we do if we lose? That is something I would like our gurus to answer. They owe it to us.

Randy Cunningham

Randy Cunningham

]]> Comment #6 by socialscientist http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:52:36 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/6 free public transit

stimulates the economy
pays for itself many times over
ends the need for oil wars
helps the working poor
saves the biosphere
threatens carbon/auto profits.... oops, never mind

http://www.freepublictransit.org






]]> free public transit

stimulates the economy
pays for itself many times over
ends the need for oil wars
helps the working poor
saves the biosphere
threatens carbon/auto profits.... oops, never mind

http://www.freepublictransit.org






]]> Comment #7 by Colin Wright http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:20:16 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/7 Latest polling ...

Polls zig-zag a lot, but I found the latest from Zogby to be scary:
UTICA, New York - A new Zogby Interactive survey shows Democrat Hillary Clinton of New York would lose to every one of the top five Republican presidential contenders, representing a reversal of fortune for the national Democratic front-runner who had led against all prospective GOP opponents earlier this year.

Meanwhile, fellow Democrats Barack Obama of Illinois and John Edwards of North Carolina would defeat or tie every one of the Republicans, this latest survey shows

This was discussed on the Thom Hartmann program this morning: Is America too misogynist or racist to elect a woman or an African-American? Hell if I know...


]]> Latest polling ...

Polls zig-zag a lot, but I found the latest from Zogby to be scary:
UTICA, New York - A new Zogby Interactive survey shows Democrat Hillary Clinton of New York would lose to every one of the top five Republican presidential contenders, representing a reversal of fortune for the national Democratic front-runner who had led against all prospective GOP opponents earlier this year.

Meanwhile, fellow Democrats Barack Obama of Illinois and John Edwards of North Carolina would defeat or tie every one of the Republicans, this latest survey shows

This was discussed on the Thom Hartmann program this morning: Is America too misogynist or racist to elect a woman or an African-American? Hell if I know...


]]> Comment #8 by WineDrkSea http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:33:24 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/8 Don't worry too much about that Zogby poll

Colin,

I'm not a big Hillary supporter, but Zogby's online polls are not thought to be very sound methodologically. It's worth noting that the same day as that poll came out and got major media play, a Gallup poll showing Clinton beating her Republican challengers got little or no media play. For more details, see:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2007/11/medi ...

]]> Don't worry too much about that Zogby poll

Colin,

I'm not a big Hillary supporter, but Zogby's online polls are not thought to be very sound methodologically. It's worth noting that the same day as that poll came out and got major media play, a Gallup poll showing Clinton beating her Republican challengers got little or no media play. For more details, see:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2007/11/medi ...

]]> Comment #9 by caniscandida http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:02:01 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/9 misspelling; electibility

I have just now looked at this post for the first time, and noticed that the last name of Rajendra Pachauri is misspelled twice: in the photo caption, and again in the text.

Colin,
what is an "interactive survey"?  Are the respondents "self-selected," as they say?  Or are they truly randomly chosen?

Pollsters' questions about particular face-offs strike me as pernicious.  But it is certainly true that primary voters like to weigh the perceived electibility of the various candidates.  Democratic voters seem to have done that in early 2004, when lots and lots of us shamelessly abandoned Howard Dean, after the disgraceful obsession of the media with a silly, meaningless moment of mirth in the company of his campaign workers, and turned to that stalwart war hero John Kerry, in spite of the fact that nobody really sincerely loved him.

So the interesting question that is elicited by this poll is: Will those Democrats who now support Hillary abandon her, in a month's time, if they are persuaded that she cannot defeat any of the leading Republican candidates, but either Obama or Edwards can?

It is an ugly fact, that such questions are important in our politics.

Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.


]]> misspelling; electibility

I have just now looked at this post for the first time, and noticed that the last name of Rajendra Pachauri is misspelled twice: in the photo caption, and again in the text.

Colin,
what is an "interactive survey"?  Are the respondents "self-selected," as they say?  Or are they truly randomly chosen?

Pollsters' questions about particular face-offs strike me as pernicious.  But it is certainly true that primary voters like to weigh the perceived electibility of the various candidates.  Democratic voters seem to have done that in early 2004, when lots and lots of us shamelessly abandoned Howard Dean, after the disgraceful obsession of the media with a silly, meaningless moment of mirth in the company of his campaign workers, and turned to that stalwart war hero John Kerry, in spite of the fact that nobody really sincerely loved him.

So the interesting question that is elicited by this poll is: Will those Democrats who now support Hillary abandon her, in a month's time, if they are persuaded that she cannot defeat any of the leading Republican candidates, but either Obama or Edwards can?

It is an ugly fact, that such questions are important in our politics.

Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.


]]> Comment #10 by stevenearlsalmony http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/ Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:59:15 -0800 http://www.grist.org/article/our-defining-moment/10 Time to support the work of Dr. R. K. Pachauri

Open Letter to the Grist Community,

Please find below an email from a distinguished colleague and a personal friend of mine, with its request to you for assistance.

Dear Steven,

FEEDBACK DYNAMICS and the ACCELERATION of CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is non-linear.  Once set in motion it is acceleratingly self-perpetuating.  There is
then only a small time-window within which human intervention has any (rapidly diminishing) chance
of halting the process and returning the system to a stable state.  Failure to act effectively
within that window of opportunity would inevitably precipitate cataclysmic change on a par with the
five mass extinction events known to have obliterated almost all life on earth.

This WESTMINSTER BRIEFING (subtitled PLANET EARTH WE HAVE A PROBLEM) was delivered to a packed
audience in the House of Commons in June 2007.  It is now released in the approach to the Bali
Meeting of the UNFCCC because it presents material not yet addressed by the IPCC, but which is
absolutely critical to the decision-making process at and beyond that event.

Click on <http://www.apollo-gaia.org> (if the link is not active, copy and paste the address to your
browser) then follow the link to BALI & BEYOND to access the Introduction, Summary for Policy
Makers, Sample Presentations, and Book Order Form.

FEEDBACK DYNAMICS and the ACCELERATION of CLIMATE CHANGE provides an essential briefing for every
person and organisation involved in the UNFCCC Bali Meeting.  Beyond Bali it lays the foundation for
all future strategic engagement with the imperative task of climate stabilisation.

Please do everything in your power to ensure that the material reaches:

All delegates and participants involved in the UNFCCC Bali Meeting
Political leaders and members of government at every level of society
Business leaders with strategic responsibility
Academics and research institutions working on climate change and environmental studies
NGOs and organisations of the Civil Society
Concerned citizens of all ages throughout the world community
Friends and family, colleagues and contacts
E-mail lists, groups, listings, networks, postings and web-sites

With best wishes,

David Wasdell

Director:  The Apollo-Gaia Project
(Hosted by the Meridian Programme)
Meridian House
115 Poplar High Street
London E14 0AE
Tel: +44 (0) 207 987 3600
E-mail: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_4fix4n6RZz').innerHTML = output; //]]>
Web-site: http://www.meridian.org.uk

[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Version 4.3.46 using the F-Prot Antivirus engine Version 3.16f]

Always, with thanks,

Steve

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population
http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/


























]]> Time to support the work of Dr. R. K. Pachauri

Open Letter to the Grist Community,

Please find below an email from a distinguished colleague and a personal friend of mine, with its request to you for assistance.

Dear Steven,

FEEDBACK DYNAMICS and the ACCELERATION of CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is non-linear.  Once set in motion it is acceleratingly self-perpetuating.  There is
then only a small time-window within which human intervention has any (rapidly diminishing) chance
of halting the process and returning the system to a stable state.  Failure to act effectively
within that window of opportunity would inevitably precipitate cataclysmic change on a par with the
five mass extinction events known to have obliterated almost all life on earth.

This WESTMINSTER BRIEFING (subtitled PLANET EARTH WE HAVE A PROBLEM) was delivered to a packed
audience in the House of Commons in June 2007.  It is now released in the approach to the Bali
Meeting of the UNFCCC because it presents material not yet addressed by the IPCC, but which is
absolutely critical to the decision-making process at and beyond that event.

Click on <http://www.apollo-gaia.org> (if the link is not active, copy and paste the address to your
browser) then follow the link to BALI & BEYOND to access the Introduction, Summary for Policy
Makers, Sample Presentations, and Book Order Form.

FEEDBACK DYNAMICS and the ACCELERATION of CLIMATE CHANGE provides an essential briefing for every
person and organisation involved in the UNFCCC Bali Meeting.  Beyond Bali it lays the foundation for
all future strategic engagement with the imperative task of climate stabilisation.

Please do everything in your power to ensure that the material reaches:

All delegates and participants involved in the UNFCCC Bali Meeting
Political leaders and members of government at every level of society
Business leaders with strategic responsibility
Academics and research institutions working on climate change and environmental studies
NGOs and organisations of the Civil Society
Concerned citizens of all ages throughout the world community
Friends and family, colleagues and contacts
E-mail lists, groups, listings, networks, postings and web-sites

With best wishes,

David Wasdell

Director:  The Apollo-Gaia Project
(Hosted by the Meridian Programme)
Meridian House
115 Poplar High Street
London E14 0AE
Tel: +44 (0) 207 987 3600
E-mail: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_4fix4n6RZz').innerHTML = output; //]]>
Web-site: http://www.meridian.org.uk

[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Declude Version 4.3.46 using the F-Prot Antivirus engine Version 3.16f]

Always, with thanks,

Steve

Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population
http://sustainabilitysoutheast.org/


























]]>