Climate Crisis & Sustainability Update: The Madness of Pursuing the Last Drop of Peak Oil, Instead of Transitioning to a 21st Century Renewable Energy Model, has Caught Up with the Human Race -- the Food Security Fuse has Been Lit
By Richard Power
What is it that so many government and business leaders do not seem to understand?
Do they really think that we can isolate ourselves and somehow remain above the chaos that will come?
And chaos and tribulation are surely coming unless we radically and urgently change our energy models and green our economies.
Consider recent warnings from Oxfam and UN officials:
Oxfam's Elizabeth Stuart: "Global economic uncertainty, high food prices, more frequent floods, drought and other impacts of climate change all pose a serious threat to vulnerable people in developing countries. The situation requires urgent action and more money from rich countries and yet, aid levels are falling for a second straight year." Oxfam calls for immediate action to be taken by donors and national governments to ensure that the poorest consumers are protected against high food prices and price volatility on food markets worldwide. OXFAM, 4-8-08
Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and threaten political stability, the UN’s top humanitarian official warned yesterday after two days of rioting in Egypt over the doubling of prices of basic foods in a year and protests in other parts of the world. ... [Sir John Holmes, undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and the UN’s emergency relief coordinator] added that the biggest challenge to humanitarian work is climate change, which has doubled the number of disasters from an average of 200 a year to 400 a year in the past two decades.
As well as this week’s violence in Egypt, the rising cost and scarcity of food has been blamed for:
· Riots in Haiti last week that killed four people
· Violent protests in Ivory Coast
· Price riots in Cameroon in February that left 40 people dead
· Heated demonstrations in Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal
· Protests in Uzbekistan, Yemen, Bolivia and Indonesia Guardian, 4-9-08
Richard Power's Left-Handed Security: Overcoming Fear, Greed & Ignorance in This Era of Global Crisis is available now! Click here for more information.
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Center for American Progress Action Fund's Mic Check Radio has released a witty and compelling compilation on the Top 100 Effects of Global Warming, organized into sections like "Global Warming Wrecks All the Fun" (e.g., "Goodbye to Pinot Noir," "Goodbye to Baseball," "Goodbye to Salmon Dinners," "Goodbye to Ski Vacations," etc.), "Global Warming Kills the Animals" (e.g., "Death March of the Penguins," "Dying Grey Whales," "Farewell to Frogs," etc.) and yes, "Global Warming Threatens Our National Security" (e.g., "Famine," "Drought," "Large-Scale Migrations," "The World's Checkbook," etc.) I urge you to utilize Top 100 Effects of Global Warming in your dialogues with friends, family and colleagues.
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