Advocacy
We Just Had the Hottest Summer on Record in the Northern Hemisphere
Los Angeles isn’t exactly known for its mild summers. Growing up in The Valley (San Fernando), those fateful months of every childhood year were spent hiding in neighborhood pools, running through summer camp sprinklers, and sitting in the back of minivans in bumper-to-bumper traffic trekking towards sandy shores along the coast. As a young kid, I lamented the thermostat reporting a balmy 90° Fahrenheit ( 32° C) day — or god-forbid the temperature climbed up to 100° F (38° C).
By Olivia L. Dobbs2 years ago in Earth
As The World Burn
Cassandra, daughter of the King and Queen of Troy, knew that if her brother Paris went to Sparta and came back with Queen Helen, the destruction of Troy would follow. Cassandra had the gift of prophecy bestowed upon her by Apollo, but because she refused to give herself to the god, he added this curse: No one would believe her. Thousands of years separate us from this story. But dire prophecy, deeply rooted in truth, is staring us in the face. Like the ancient Trojans, we refuse to take action. The arrival of New York Climate Week that coincides each year with the gathering of global leaders for the UN General Assembly meetings must inspire us to do just that. Until recently, a stable climate persisted through the past ten thousand years of Earth’s history, enabling human economies and the civilizations that depend on them to flourish and grow. The integrity of nature, in all its complexity, provided this “Goldilocks” period – nestled comfortably between too cold and too hot — for humanity to thrive. But in recent decades, we’ve eroded nature’s integrity and exceeded its capacity to absorb the ever-increasing stresses we’ve thrown at it. Years ago, climate scientists saw the approach of the days of reckoning we are living through. They warned us—in thousands of pages of peer-reviewed publications, in tomes of assessment reports produced over 35 years by the venerable International Panel on Climate Change, in an infinity of PowerPoint presentations, and even at the movies. We know that nature regulates the earth’s climate through the powerful buffering effects of the world’s oceans and forests that absorb heat, dampen what would otherwise be unlivable temperature extremes and regulate the movement of water around the planet. Nature’s biogeochemical processes also maintain the balance and flux of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Carbon dioxide is the main “greenhouse gas” that locks in heat from the rays of the sun and keeps the Earth’s surface warm. The integrity of terrestrial and marine ecosystems had kept the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fairly constant for millenia, but that balance depended on keeping enormous reservoirs of fossilized carbon inert and buried beneath the Earth’s surface. Those deposits of coal, oil and gas formed from the biological residue of ancient ecosystems subjected to millions of years of pressure within the earth’s interior. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, we didn’t know that burning billions of tons of fossil fuels would wreak havoc on the climate we depend on. But we’ve known for decades, even as fossil fuel companies conspired to bury the truth. Late in the war, when Odysseus conceived the ruse of gifting to Troy a giant wooden horse, filled with the invading armies’ deadliest soldiers, Cassandra knew it was a trick to get the Trojans to bring the enemy inside the city gates. She shouted the truth at the top of her lungs, lit a torch and ran toward that wooden beast to burn it to the ground and incinerate the enemy within. But the people of Troy held her back. They loved that horse. And they knew Cassandra was out of her mind. Until that night, when the finest warriors ancient Greece could muster stealthily emerged from the hollow belly of the horse and destroyed their city. Like the ancient Trojans, we’re in denial. And like Cassandra, today’s climate scientists are tolerated but the urgency of their facts and fears is ultimately dismissed. The question at hand is whether, unlike the Trojans, we have the wherewithal to change our fate. The odds are not in our favor. Time is short. Because we’ve waited so long to act decisively, we now have just a few years left before we’re fully committed to a future hotter than any that has existed on earth since humanity emerged. What is to be done? The answers are not particularly complex. But their implications are manifold. First, we must rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from every economic sector. Among others, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Costa Rica, have shown how to do this in the power, transport, and land-use sectors, respectively. The rest of the world must follow suit. Second, we must protect and strengthen the integrity of nature, which regulates the climate and reduces the impacts of the unnatural disasters we’ve wrought in the form of unprecedented heat waves, wildfires, and more powerful storm systems. Investing in nature and its stewards must move from the margins to the mainstream of our financial systems. Third, we must accelerate the removal of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, through every sensible means available, from proven biological sequestration above- and below-ground in diverse forest and agricultural systems, to technological solutions that must still be proven effective and safe at scale. And fourth, we must adapt to the climate conditions on our already warmer planet, because we’ve taken too long to accept the facts that climate scientists have been shouting at us for decades. We can sympathize with the Trojans for ignoring Cassandra at their peril. After all, she was cursed by a god. As world leaders gather once again in New York City to address the climate crisis, what excuse do we have for following in their footsteps?
By Uzma Halepoto 2 years ago in Earth
Australia on the Brink of a Mega Drought: What It Means for the Future
Australia may soon face an unprecedented mega drought—not just a few dry seasons, but potentially two decades with little to no rain. This alarming forecast not only threatens the continent but could also have far-reaching consequences worldwide, impacting food supplies and energy prices across the globe.
By Nicoline Beukes2 years ago in Earth
The Sad Side of The Nature
Wren Nest Learning about nature is not always a happy experience. To learn how nature works it is necessary to know it is a balance and there is death as well as life. Nature always finds a way to maintain this balance, although it might not be in a way we would like. My daughter in law called crying about her bird house that was knocked over by the wind during a storm. The baby birds that it was housing had perished. I recently witnessed a baby wren die in my driveway after what I assume was from flying into something and sustaining an injury that it was not able to recover from. It was so heartbreaking. But in the same week I witnessed the wonder of 2 young hawks flying from their nest, found baby praying mantises while I was mulching, and watched countless other miracles of nature. I believe these negative aspects of nature make the positives even more wondrous. For each example of sad nature experiences I can think of at least two happy ones. It can be very challenging to refrain from interfering with natures process when we sense it will have a negative outcome. Sometimes assistance can offset some of the human interference already in place such as helping a turtle that is on the side of the road. Other times our “helping out” can have consequences we can’t imagine. An example of this is stopping a predator from catching it’s prey. It may be difficult and go against our instincts to help a creature in need, but realize that the predator has it’s place in nature as well and keeping it from catching it’s prey could result in starvation. Without predators, the prey species would become overpopulated. This would result in devastation of food sources and starvation of the prey species. This is just a very small part of natures process but I hope it helps to paint the bigger picture. Nature is a delicate balance that when interfered with can have consequences that are not intended. This being said, some simple acts can be helpful in overcoming other forms of human interference. It is important to be aware of this when becoming involved with or enjoying nature. In my experience the happy outweighs the sad and I hope when you become more aware of nature you will see this as well.
By Uzma Halepoto 2 years ago in Earth
The Soil In which We Grow
In order for any plant to grow and flourish to its full potential, it needs the right conditions. The soil is all important. Everything grows in the soil. If the soil is good and you have the right amount of sunshine and water everything takes care of itself. Nature follows its own course. We don’t need to interfere. The tiny acorn grows into the majestic Oak tree. Would the same Oak tree grow in a desert? Would it flourish in a tiny plant pot? What if the soil is barren and polluted? It is no different for human beings. In order for us to grow and flourish to our full potential, we need the right conditions. In our case, you could think of society as the soil in which we grow. What do I mean when I say “society”? I mean it in the broadest possible sense: our families, our communities, our schools, our friends, our government institutions, our laws, our offices, our work, our recreational spaces, our culture… the world in which we live. Does our society provide the optimum conditions for human growth and development? Is each person afforded the appropriate conditions which will allow them to flourish… to become what they were always naturally inclined to become: an artist, a farmer, a carer, an entertainer, a thinker, a writer, a scientist, a mother, a teacher, an explorer? Is our society more akin to an industrial farm where only one or two crops are considered to be of value? Where rainforests are chopped down to make room for the profitable, consumable crops. Where any inclination towards being an artist or an explorer or a philosopher is suppressed in favour of something more practical… maybe an accountant or a tax consultant or a banker? Not that there’s anything at all wrong with those professions if that’s what you love to do. Does society make it easy for a person to discover what their talent is and does it enable them to cultivate that talent? Is that what school does or in a sense does our current education system do the exact opposite? Does it teach children to question and think for themselves or does it teach them to memorise facts and conform? Think back to when you were very young. What did you love to do back then? What were you really interested in? Maybe it’s so long ago you find it difficult to remember. Did you have a natural inclination towards something? Were you one of the lucky ones and did you always follow this interest throughout your life or did you stop for some reason? Was it suppressed? When did it become very important to “fit in” and please other people? When did you become pragmatic? When did safety become the most important thing? When did earning lots of money, owning material things and being “successful” become the dream? What is success? Were you ever empowered to follow your real dream or did it always seem unrealistic and unfeasible to do that? Were you ever asked what it is you would really like to do with your life? Have you ever considered these questions before?
By Uzma Halepoto 2 years ago in Earth
Two lions walking in the snow! Outcry over 'rare' incident, viral video released
Two lions walking in the snow! Outcry over 'rare' incident, viral video released. A rare snowstorm hit South Africa at the end of last week. Because of this white is a part of the country. Many houses and roads are covered in snow.
By Anupam Ghosal2 years ago in Earth
Florida Braces for Another Hurricane as Recovery from Helene Continues
Florida Braces for Another Hurricane as Recovery from Helene Continues Florida residents are being urged to prepare for another hurricane just days after the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene. With communities still recovering from the wreckage left behind by the Category 4 storm, which struck the state on September 26, leaving 20 people dead and thousands without power, the arrival of Tropical Storm Milton poses a new threat. Helene’s path of destruction, stretching over 500 miles, brought catastrophic flooding and powerful winds, and now Floridians are facing the possibility of another significant storm hitting the Gulf Coast.
By Sunil Christian2 years ago in Earth
Tech Revolution or Nature’s Nightmare? Computing the environmental costs of AI
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) investment is a double-edged sword. While it promises unprecedented advancements, the environmental cost of AI’s insatiable hunger for energy is reaching a tipping point. Investment in AI has driven Big Tech share prices to fresh highs, creating the idea that AI-focused companies will grow indefinitely.
By Andrea Zanon2 years ago in Earth
A Vision for Global Peace
In a world teeming with complexity and challenges, peace stands as both a timeless aspiration and a vital necessity. It is more than the absence of conflict; peace is the presence of justice, harmony, and mutual understanding. As humanity evolves, the pursuit of global peace must become a shared priority, a journey toward healing the fractures that divide us and fostering an environment where all people can thrive.
By sunday obi2 years ago in Earth
