Leading Climate Scientists: ‘We Have A Global Emergency,’ Must Slash CO2 ASAP – ThinkProgress

 Mar 2  

CREDIT: AP/DENNIS COOK

James Hansen and 18 leading climate experts have published a peer-reviewed version of their 2015 discussion paper on the dangers posed by unrestricted carbon pollution. The study adds to the growing body of evidence that the current global target or defense line embraced by the world — 2°C (3.6°F) total global warming — “could be dangerous” to humanity.

That 2°C warming should be avoided at all costs is not news to people who pay attention to climate science, though it may be news to people who only follow the popular media. The warning is, after all, very similar to the one found in an embarrassingly underreported report last year from 70 leading climate experts, who had been asked by the world’s leading nations to review the adequacy of the 2°C target.

Specifically, the new Hansen et al study  — titled “Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 C global warming could be dangerous” — warns that even stabilizing at 2°C warming might well lead to devastating glacial melt, multimeter sea level rise and other related catastrophic impacts. The study is significant not just because it is peer-reviewed, but because the collective knowledge about climate science in general and glaciology in particular among the co-authors is quite impressive.

Besides sea level rise, rapid glacial ice melt has many potentially disastrous consequences, including a slowdown and eventual shutdown of the key North Atlantic Ocean circulation and, relatedly, an increase in super-extreme weather. Indeed, that slowdown appears to have begun, and, equally worrisome, it appears to be supercharging both precipitation, storm surge, and superstorms along the U.S. East Coast (like Sandy and Jonas), as explained here.

..(read more).

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Climate Change and the Growing Risk of Nuclear War: A Health Care Perspective

A one-day Symposium to examine the catastrophic public health consequences of climate change and the ways that climate change will increase the risk of conflict, including nuclear war.

Date: Saturday, October 15, 2016, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Location: Tufts University School of Medicine, Sackler Auditorium, Boston (Map/Directions)

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Sadiq Khan and megacity mayors urge G20 climate change action

The G20 will meet in Hangzhou, China on September 4-5. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images

Friday 2 September 2016 01.01 EDT
30 mayors from cities including London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, New York, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro call for rapid ratification of Paris climate deal

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has joined forces with city leaders from around the world to call on governments to take urgent action on climate change.

Ahead of a meeting of the G20 group of leading nations in Hangzhou, China, 30 mayors from cities including London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, New York, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro called on national leaders to work with them to “build a low carbon, climate safe world”.

Labour urges Theresa May to speed up Paris climate deal ratification

They welcomed government moves to secure the Paris Agreement, the world’s first comprehensive global deal to tackle climate change, in December last year, and efforts to ratify it as soon as possible so it could come into force rapidly.

But they warned “this is only the first step along the road towards our low carbon, climate safe future”.

In an open letter, the mayors from the C40 group of cities championing climate action said: “To limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak by 2020.

“Achieving such a rapid shift is probably one of the greatest political, economic and practical challenges faced by every national leader, but you do have great allies in this task: we, the mayors of the megacities of the world.”

They said they were already dealing with the consequences of climate change in their cities, battling floods to heatwaves.

But city leaders were also taking action such as banning the most polluting cars, rolling out fleets of electric buses and improving energy efficiency, which also had benefits for health, well-being and economic growth, they said.

…(read more).

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The Other 9/11: A CIA Agent Remembers Chile’s Coup – The Atlantic

What role did the U.S. play in the overthrow of Salvador Allende?

Chilean soldiers guard the presidential palace the day after the coup against Allende. Reuters

• Uri Friedman
• Sep 11, 2014

Jack Devine was a CIA agent in Chile at the time of the coup. In an interview with Atlantic contributing editor and Efecto Naim host Moisés Naím, he discusses the CIA’s role in the insurrection and in supporting the opposition to Allende. Of the decision not to stop the coup, Devine claims the agency’s instructions came from the White House, which was occupied at the time by Richard Nixon. “That is a Washington policy decision, that is not a CIA decision,” he says.

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An Energy Revolution is possible: tax havens and financing climate action – Friends of the earth international

02 September, 2016

2 september 2016 – In a new report, launched today, Friends of the Earth International calculates that government revenue lost to tax havens over a 15-year period could power Africa, Latin America and much of Asia with 100% renewable energy. Globally every year up to $600 billion dollars of government tax revenue is lost through tax avoidance alone 1. The report comes ahead of the G20 leaders summit this weekend in China where the dual realities of climate change and tax avoidance should be at the top of the agenda.

See:

• http://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Summary-FINAL-2.pdf
• http://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/foe-energy-revolution-full-reportNEWdraft2.pdf

Energy production from fossil fuels is one of the main contributors to sky-high levels of carbon emissions and tackling it is central to stopping a climate disaster. The practice of hiding profits abroad in tax havens, denies governments vast sums of money that could, and should, be used for social purposes, including to fund renewable energy.

Friends of the Earth International found that:

• Government revenue lost through tax havens could power half the world with 100% renewable energy by 2030, including many G20 countries: Argentina; Brazil; India; Indonesia; South Africa.
• The extra investment required to power Africa, Latin America and much of Asia with 100% renewable energy is on average $507 billion per year over a 15 year period 2. This is well below estimates for annual tax revenue lost through tax havens globally.

“This report is a wake up call for the G20 to stop talking and start acting. The finance to bring about an Energy Revolution exists, it is hidden in tax havens, but the political will to drive the transformation is shockingly absent.” says Sam Cossar-Gilbert of Friends of the Earth International.

“Each year the climate crisis is getting worse. Without urgent action we will see greater hunger, drought, floods, and weather extremes, as well as mass extinctions and the forced migration of millions of people”, he adds.

“It is a gross injustice that the world’s richest multinational corporations and individuals do not pay their fair share of taxes and continue to pollute without limit. We must stop tax avoidance and use that money for building sustainable and just societies. An Energy Revolution is possible, but we must fight for it”, says Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International Climate Justice and Energy coordinator.

“Climate change is a symptom of our broken system. The energy transformation involves not just switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but also challenging the corporate power and greed that has led to this crisis,” she adds.

Friends of the Earth International believes that stopping tax avoidance and evasion gives an opportunity to increase public spending on public services – including community and socially controlled renewable energy. For this there is an urgent need for G20 and governments to end tax havens.

A 100% renewable energy revolution is financially well within reach. But leaders must demonstrate the political will to make it possible.

Here you can read the report: http://www.foei.org/resources/an-energy-revolution-is-possible

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The Other 911 – BBC Documentary

John Daniel
Uploaded on May 7, 2009

On September 11th 1973 a military coup was started by Augusto Pinochet which removed the democratically elected leader of Chile. This film recounts the event from witnesses and archive footage of ‘The Other 911’.

Part 1

Part 2:

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Chile: The Other 9/11 (TV Movie 2003) – IMDb

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1034300/

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Shock Doctrine – shock dogma

Stelios Pafios

Published on Apr 30, 2012

shock doctrine – shock dogma – A GREAT DOCUMENTARY

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China ratifies Paris climate agreement – BBC News

Image caption Signing up to cut emissions means China will have to move away from coal power

China’s top legislature has ratified the Paris global climate agreement, state news agency Xinhua reports.

The country is the world’s largest emitter of harmful CO2 emissions, which cause climate change.

China and the US were expected to announce ratification jointly before or at the weekend’s G20 Hangzhou summit.

In a landmark deal struck in December, countries agreed to cut emissions enough to keep the global average rise in temperatures below 2C.

The Paris deal is the world’s first comprehensive climate agreement. It will only come into force legally when it is ratified by countries producing 55% of global carbon emissions.

When the US follows China’s lead, it will bump the tally up to 40%.

…(read more).

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History of the World Part 1 (Mel Brooks) – Old Testament – Moses – Ten Commandments

27bstyles

Uploaded on Feb 2, 2012

E120, e145,

9/11 Exposed – 2nd Edition (2015) Full Documentary Film

E120, e145,