Without tech and science, we cannot create a thermostat for the planet. What are the risks, the opportunities, and the socioeconomic and political implications of the rapidly- evolving science of geo-engineering? Who will decide whether and how we alter our atmosphere? Harvard University’s David Keith, Andrew Parker of the Harvard Kennedy School, and Jeff Goodell of Rolling Stone explore some these questions in a session at Techonomy 2012. Here are some highlights.
http://www.truthtalktunes.com/
On May 24th, 2011 We Are Change Calgary met with David Keith professor of Earth Sciences at University of Calgary, who was featured in the film “What in the World are They Spraying” outlining proposals for aerosol spraying programs that may use alumina particles to reflect the sun to help combat “Global Warming.” David Keith has stated he has not seen the film and that he would not want to see it because the producer is biased in his opinion and built the evidence around the conclusion and not the other way around.
The meeting was attended by about 10 We Are Change Calgary members, and David Keith and his Assistants Hollie Roberts and Ashley Mercer (who works on public perception of geo-engineering) . David Keith has always denied that Chemtrail spraying operations are ongoing, while promoting Geo-engineering “proposals”. We must remember that in a CFR meeting it was stated that there were Tens of Millions spent on confusing the public about Geo-engineering.
One of Davids main arguments in the meeting is, if there was a large scale chemtrail program that we would have to know about it. He states the paper trail would simply be too large, and there would be too many employees that would blow the whistle. We know this is simply not true because there have been countless large scale military operations that have been completely secret and confidential.
David Keith claims there is no evidence to even suggest that Chemtrail operations are ongoing, and that “Chemtrails” have been observed since the 1950’s. He also claims the aerosol spraying campaigns he is researching would not look like the “Chemtrail” phenomenon. There is tons of evidence to support the Chemtrail “Theory” but he claims everything he gets sent as evidence is laughable and cannot be taken seriously.
The group is going to be meeting with David again, this time with some solid evidence. He stated in the meeting that if these chemtrail programs were ongoing and we could prove it to him, he would dedicate his life to exposing it. Hopefully at the next meeting David takes the proof presented and actually researches it instead of calling it a crazy conspiracy theory. To have David Keith working against Chemtrails would be a huge breakthrough in this issue.
I would like to thank David Keith, Ashley Mercer and Hollie Robers for taking the time to meet with We Are Change Calgary. I would also like to thank Michelle and Denise for setting up the meeting, and every member of We Are Change that showed up to the meeting. Special thanks goes to Michelle Robinson for recording the meeting on camera.
Is geoengineering the answer to the world’s climate change woes?
Guests:
John Stone is adjunct research professor at Carleton University.
Alan Robock is distinguished professor of Climatology, director of the Meteorology Undergraduate Program, and associate director of the Center for Environmental Prediction Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University.
David Keith is director of ISEEE Energy and Environmental Systems Group, the Canada research chair in Energy and the Environment at the University of Calgary.
In this special Cabot Institute lecture, in association with Bristol Festival of Ideas, Michael E Mann discusses the science, politics, and ethical dimensions of global warming in the context of his own ongoing experiences as a figure in the centre of the debate over human-caused climate change.
The Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University Presents:
Climate Wars: What People Will Be Killed For in the 21st Century. A lecture by Harald Welzer
Harald Welzer is a sociologist and social psychologist and Professor for Transformation-design at the University of Flensburg, as well as Executive Director of the foundation FuturZwei. His main foci of research and teaching are memory, group violence and socio-cultural climate impact research. His books have been translated into 15 languages. Welzer is the author of the best-selling Climate Wars: What People Will be Killed for in the 21st Century, and, more recently, Klima, Zukunft und die Chancen der Demokratie [The end of the world as we know it.
Climate, the future and chances for democracy]. This event was moderated by Henrik Selin, associate Professor of International Relations and an expert on environmental politics, sustainable development, global governance and international institutions.
March 17, 2014
Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University.
Co-sponsored by the Goethe Institut Boston and BU Europe. Funded in part by a grant from the European Commission Delegation in Washington DC.
James Gustave Speth, armed with the latest data about the global environmental crisis, explains why current methods of tackling the problem (international negotiations and treaties) have failed, and exposes the disaster waiting to happen if we stay the current course. Lecturing on the topics of his book Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment, Speth explains how governments have created the illusion of progress, and illustrates his own ambitious plans for effecting true and meaningful change.
Speth founded and was president of the World Resources Institute, and served as adviser on environmental issues for presidents Carter and Clinton. He is currently dean and professor in the practice of environmental policy and sustainable development at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University.
Red Sky at Morning: Crisis of the Global Environment
James Gustave Speth, armed with the latest data about the global environmental crisis, explains why current methods of tackling the problem (international negotiations and treaties) have failed, and exposes the disaster waiting to happen if we stay the current course. Lecturing on the topics of his book Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment, Speth explains how governments have created the illusion of progress, and illustrates his own ambitious plans for effecting true and meaningful change.
Speth founded and was president of the World Resources Institute, and served as adviser on environmental issues for presidents Carter and Clinton. He is currently dean and professor in the practice of environmental policy and sustainable development at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies at Yale University.
Geochemist Daniel Schrag argues that climate change is actually far worse than people are led to believe. Locally, he suggests a feasible project to raise the height of the Charles River Dam, providing Boston with additional protection in the event of future storm flooding and sea-level rise. On the global level, he has cautiously endorsed the study of “geoengineering”: schemes to mitigate or reverse global warming.
This lecture is part of the 2008 IDEAS Boston conference.
Daniel Schrag is the Director of Harvard’s Center for the Environment and is a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. Schrag, who studies climate and climate change over the broadest range of Earth’s history, has examined changes in ocean circulation over the last several decades, with particular attention to El Nino and the tropical Pacific.
He also has worked on theories for Pleistocene ice-age cycles including a better determination of ocean temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum, 20,000 years ago. Currently he is working with economists and engineers on technological approaches to mitigating future climate change. Schrag received a PhD in geology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Have you heard the news? A Freedom of Information Act Request by U.S. Right to Know has revealed ties between the biotech industry and academics at public universities—and the many ways industry works behind the scene to influence the story we hear about GMOs. Journalists have scoured thousands of these emails and the reporting is eye-popping and ground-breaking.
From one piece on the emails in Bloomberg: “I
need to step aside so I don’t compromise the project,” a Monsanto executive wrote in one of these e-mails. Then, he went on to suggest specific topics before connecting the academics with CMA Consulting, a PR firm hired by Monsanto.
New York Times: Food Industry Enlisted Academics in G.M.O. Lobbying War, Emails Show @EricLiptonNYT @NYTimes bit.ly/1LAKaow
Boston Globe: Monsanto connection never disclosed in @Harvard professor’s #GMO paper @BostonGlobe @laurakrantz bit.ly/1LYVfjw
Bloomberg: How Monsanto Mobilized Academics to Pen Articles Supporting #GMOs @jackkaskey @Bloomberg bloom.bg/1LoGUy0
Mother Jones: These Emails Show Monsanto Leaning on Professors to Fight the #GMO PR War @MotherJones @tomphilpott bit.ly/1N9WqOs
The Intercept: Jeb Bush Campaign Manager Helped Big Pharma Beat Back Anti-Meth Lab Law (+promotes #GMOs) @the_intercept @lhfang bit.ly/1LoH5cI
In Britain, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is clashing with members of his party after he told the BBC that if he were prime minister, he would not order the military to use nuclear weapons, regardless of the circumstances.
BBC reporter Laura Kuenssberg: “Would you ever push the nuclear button, if you were prime minister?”
Jeremy Corbyn: “I am opposed to nuclear weapons. I am opposed to the holding and the usage of nuclear weapons. They are an ultimate weapon of mass destruction that can only kill millions of civilians if ever used. And I am totally and morally opposed to nuclear weapons. I do not see them as a defense. I do not see the use of them as a credible way to do things.”
Kuenssberg: “So, yes or now, you would never push the nuclear button?”
Corbyn: “I’ve answered you perfectly clearly. It’s immoral to have or use nuclear weapons. I’ve made that clear all of my life.”
Corbyn also said that he would oppose the renewal of Britain’s billion-dollar submarine-based nuclear program Trident, calling the program a waste of money.
As we mark the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, one of the most destructive storms in the nation’s history, are we prepared for another extreme weather event, which researchers say are becoming more frequent with the effects of climate change? 2015 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, and nine of the 10 hottest months since record keeping began in 1880 have occurred since 2005. We speak to the duo behind the new film, “This Changes Everything,” which re-imagines the vast challenge of climate change. The documentary is directed by filmmaker Avi Lewis and inspired by journalist Naomi Klein’s international best-selling book by the same name. Over the course of four years, the pair traveled to nine countries on five continents to profile communities on the front lines of the climate justice movement — from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta tar sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: The East Coast of the United States may have dodged a bullet this time, as forecasters say Hurricane Joaquin may not make landfall due to a northerly turn. The Category 4 storm is, however, hammering the Bahamas, and heavy rains have already caused massive flooding in Charleston, South Carolina.
But as we mark the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, one of the most destructive storms in the nation’s history, are we prepared for another extreme weather event, which researchers say are becoming more frequent with the effects of climate change? 2015 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released a report showing that July was the single warmest month in history, and nine of the 10 hottest months since record keeping began in 1880 have occurred since 2005.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is calling this weekend’s torrential rainfall that has triggered flooding and led to eight deaths in the Carolinas a once-in-a-millennium downpour. According to the National Weather Service, the storm had dumped more than 20 inches of rain in parts of central South Carolina since Friday. This month also marks the third anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, one of the most destructive storms in the nation’s history. Researchers say such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent with the effects of climate change, with 2015 on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. In Part Two of our conversation with Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis on their new film, “This Changes Everything,” we talk about what we can learn from such extreme weather events.
Ahead of Canada’s October 19 elections, a coalition of Canadian labor, indigenous rights, climate justice, anti-poverty and migrant rights organizations have released The Leap Manifesto, a plan to transition away from fossil fuels to a 100 percent clean economy by the middle of this century. “A lot of the polling in Canada is showing that people don’t want just gradual, incremental change,” says Naomi Klein, author of “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.” “They’re ready for more dramatic change. And this is why we’re seeing more support for The Leap Manifesto. Stephen Harper is an incredibly unpopular prime minister, and because of that, there are a lot of people who are going to be voting strategically for whoever they believe has the best chance of beating Harper, because there’s a lot of concern about splitting the vote.” We speak with Klein and Avi Lewis, the duo behind the new climate change documentary, “This Changes Everything,” about the effort, as well as Canadian politics and the move by Shell against drilling in the Arctic.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
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