Climate Extremes of 2011: part one

I did a recap of 2011 regarding the extreme climate events we saw that have been the trend. I will say this is a much more daunting task than I had envisioned because without dispute, 2011 was the year climate change by our hand became indisputable. And even so, this was one of the underreported stories in 2011.

This is part 1 and covers not even barely the first three months nor all of the places where we saw these events occur. I will be continuing this in part 2 and perhaps even a part 3, with other different features to present the information.

I believe it is imperative that we understand the connection between our actions and the effects they are now having on the world we live in, our only home and the world community we share it with.

I will also be here to continue providing information on this in the coming year with the hope that we will see the consciousness and perspective necessary to address this in the time we have left to do so.

This is about the survival of humanity! Our agriculture and water resources especially are being hard hit by this and food prices reflect that.

2011: bringing water to those who need it

Charity Water

Charity Water has been doing wonderful things to bring potable water to those who need it most. Over four thousand projects this year alone. In the coming years with climate change and pollution having a greater effect in a world with a growing population, potable water and sanitation will be even more essential to life.

There is no better gift to give than water. To see the smile on the face of a child as they put clean water from a tap to their lips for the first time to drink is unlike any other.

2011 was a year in which we saw more water sources compromised by scarcity, pollution and the effects of climate change (such as drought, evaporation, floods.) This coming year will be no less of a challenge. However, when we work together for a common cause we can do wonders.

Let us make 2012 the year we begin to heal this planet and bring this living liquid to all in our world who need it.

Water Is Life.

1 in 8 people, nearly 900 million worldwide, lack safe drinking water.

80% of diseases stem from unsafe water and insufficient sanitation.

3,575 million people die each year from a lack of safe drinking water, latrines and hand-washing stations.

4,100 of those deaths are children, 90% of them under age 5.

40 billion hours a year are spent by African people, usually women, walking to fetch water.

$20 can provide clean water for one person.

$1 invested in improved water access and sanitation can lead to an average of $12 in economic returns.

Source: World Health Organization, charity: water.

As 2012 starts I will be featuring other water organizations also working to provide potable water to those who need it most.

Indian Olympic Association To Lodge Protest Over DOW Sponsorship of 2012 London Olympics

Indian Olympic Association To Lodge Protest Over DOW Sponsorship of 2012 London Olympics

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Thursday came out in open against Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the 2012 London Olympics and has decided to lodge its protest to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At its general body meeting in New Delhi, the IOA decided that it would seek the removal of Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide, responsible for the thousands of deaths during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. However, the issue of boycotting the event did not even come up for discussion.

Acting IOA president Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the IOA will convey the sentiments of Indians to IOC chief Jacques Rogge and London Games Organising Committee chief Sebastian Coe.

"It is IOA's considered opinion that the sponsorship by Dow Chemical is against the spirit of the Olympic ideals. Olympic Games showcase the best of human endeavour, sporting spirit and camaraderie, and to have Dow Chemical even as one of the sponsors negates all these lofty values," said Malhotra.

"IOA's views not only reflect the concerns of the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy but the feelings of millions of people all over the world and it is not a partisan demand.

"We in fact are making IOC aware of the feelings of the people who have suffered due to that tragedy. It is not only the Indians who are protesting this sponsorship; there has been an outcry against this world over from various NGOs and other bodies. It is no longer a local issue."

There has been a huge outcry in India over Dow's involvement with the Games. Olympians and the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy have demanded either Dow's sponsorship be withdrawn or India boycott the event.

More at the link
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DOW continues to allow people to be poisoned by Dioxin in Bhopal... DOW continues to disavow participation in Agent Orange poisoning of Vietnam that still kills agriculture, water and haunts the people as babies are still being born with its effects... DOW continues to perpetuate the killing of biodiversity with monoculture GMO seeds and chemicals in collusion with its protege' Monsanto. DOW continues to be cited for water pollution in Michigan. This is just the tip of the iceberg for a despicable inhumane company that has toxified this planet and now seeks to "greenwash" iitself at an event that stands for everything it does not. it is time for the wordl to stan dup to companies like DOW and not allow them to buy their way into forgetting the lives that have been affectd and lost and the water that has been toxified all for their profit!

Climate Change; DON'T KILL AFRICA

Mother Earth is mic-checking US.

THANK YOU to those there speaking out for climate justice!

The people united will never be defeated.

World Bank out of climate finance!
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The fact is that climate justice is the farthest thing from the minds of industrialized nations in putting together a climate pact that resembles anything regarding true climate justice and moral courage. Greed, selfishness, geopolitics, intolerance ( yes I can believe a part of this is based on just not wanting to help people of color along with the poor and women) all things that have rotted the governments of these nations to their core. And Americans, our government is one of them. This government and this administration along with others have failed future generations on a huge scale by continuing to serve the status quo that now sees our planet teetering on the edge.

Instead of progress, we get obstruction. Instead of solutions, we get deception. Instead of food sovereignty and recognizing the Rights of Mother Earth, we get MONSANTO and BP. Instead of respecting the science, we get political rhetoric delivered by those so far removed from the reality of what climate change is doing to those who had nothing to do with making it. There is no other way any more to say this. The planet is warming. The effects are real. They are affecting our ability to provide food, water, and sound social structures to MILLIONS of people globally, with climate migration not some distant delusion but a present humanitarian crisis.

When you have the people relegated to the streets and arrested for seeking merely to be able to survive, you know who really runs this show. This is the epitome of what OWS is about. The environmental effects of the actions of the 1% have now insured us that the world our chldren and grandchildren will live in will be unlike the world we pictured and lived in.They are not on the side of working for real solutions that bring justice and equality that in turn brings food sovereignty, clean water, social justice and respect for the processes of our planet that we must now work with in order for our species to survive.They are climate criminals intent on using this crisis for their own profit at the expense of all of us as this is killing people and will kill Africa and many others in this world if allowed to go unchecked any longer.

Therefore, I stress again my belief that they should all be held accused of human rights abuses and abuses against Mother Earth and dealt with accordingly and the people must now take into their hands the work they refuse to do. Our survival depends on us. If anything this will hopefully inspire more people to see the truth and to understand this is a real and present danger to our continued survival. It's time to GET IT DONE.

To Kill A Continent

Article that hits the nail on the head about the mechanisms involved in the schemes being put forth by industrialized nations, the World Bank and other entities in looking to use this planetary emergency as a way to profit from it without really doing anything to address it. And that includes our water.

Occupy movement calls for climate justice in Durban-COP17

I stand with the indigenous peoples in Durban and those Occupying Durban speaking out for Climate Justice Now!

We need caps on greenhouse gases that do not strip indigenous and poor people of their cultures, traditions and livelihoods and give them local control of their forests and their water. No REDD mechanism will accomplish what needs to be done now. It needs to be taxed at the source to spur transition, sustainability and responsibility. We need caps that are offset by sustainable agricultural practices, reforestation, agroecology, CO2 sequestration in soil that can remove up to 40% of emissions from our atmosphere and to preserve biodiversity plus a massive move to renewable energy sources.

There are currently more developing nations doing this than rich ones. Where the hell is their moral center? Do they have one? Obviously not. We need to hold polluters accountable through a revenue neutral carbon tax and or the financial markets to a financial transaction tax (and yes again I know try passing that here in the U.S.) that makes up for them using our commons as a sewer and use those funds to bring about the energy transition necessary to stave off catastrophe.

We need all countries to participate in this, even if those binding caps are tied to their GDP instead of the same across the board or even if developing nations that do not only participate in sequestration and reforestation. Those countries that are not polluting but experiencing the effects more pronounced should not have to pay the same as the large polluters! However, those countries like the U.S. and now China which has surpassed the U.S. emissions wise (and yes I know that in part is due to them manufacturing the crap we buy here in the U.S.) should stop acting like children and playing politics and be responsible for what they have and continue to put up in the atmosphere. Personally, I think the retiscense doesn't just stem from politics or ideology, but from the fact that so many cannot admit their own culpability in this. Well, the Arctic isn't going to wait for you any longer and people are dying now.

Any failure here is a failure of and for humanity. Water is an integral part of this because of the effects of climate change regarding floods, droughts, crop failures, sea level rise, glacier melt. Africa is the hardest hit continent to date, with all other continents feeling the effects of this as well, particularly Australia. The IEA tells us that we only have about five years to get our act together to avoid dangerous irreversible climate change and every scientic organization in the world has verified the science and the corrolation between these evnts and human forcings on our planet. I have posted about some of these events, but they don't begin to scratch the surface of the extreme weather and climate events we have seen this year, last year and in climate models for the last fifty years.

I personally believe we have reached tipping points regarding Arctic ice melt and will see an enhancement of the positive feedback loop which makes it even more imperative to take action to decrease greenhouse gases at the source. So please, do all you can as an individual to walk light on this planet and respect our water. Demand renewable energy and an end to the destructive practices that are exacerbating this crisis. If we do not stand together as humanity, we will fall. This will not be easy, but this is our planet and it is worth fighting for!

Water Is Your Life

In writing about water the effects of pollution, waste, privatization and climate change are the primary topics of discussion. And rightfully so because in this world we live in we are seeing more and more abuse of water as population increases and as the commoditization of water takes away its identity relinquishing it to nothing more than a commodity like any other. However, there is so much more to this elixir of life than just to be used as an instrument of our greed or the waste receptacle of it. Water isn't just a part of our lives, it is our lives. It is us.

Have you ever noticed that while walking by the banks of a river the water moves in sync, the sun glimmering off the top of it as if it has a life all its own? Have you ever thought that perhaps there was more to this than just gravity? That perhaps the water is alive and responding to life as we do? Our bodies are inexplicably linked to water. Over 70% of our bodies is water as is the Earth. When we thirst, it is water we crave. When we seek comfort, it is the warmth or cooling of water that sets our souls aright. When we seek sustenance, it is water that grows it, prepares it and cooks it. Water is our life and it lives and breathes as an organism of our Earth just as we do.

Is it any wonder then that our Earth is so out of balance and as a result so are we? For we on the whole have abandoned the special bond of life we share with water. We kill it with toxic chemicals and pollution. We clog its arteries with garbage, oil, plastic. We take all its wonder for granted. We waste it thinking it will always be there when we need it. And we are now paying for it with our health and our lives as it too suffers. There is for sure a much deeper connection to this mysterious wonderful fluid and I believe that until we delve deeper into that connection we will never truly know the secret of life. So, is it possible to transfer our energy to water and vice versa?

Consider this:



While many remain skeptical and cite that this work on water is not peer reviewed, I can understand and agree with the concept that pollution has the ability to change the crystalline structure of water in a way where it actually conveys the water's "pain" just as it's crystalline structure changes with the opposite effect. In India, Hindus believe that the Ganges even as polluted as it is can be made clean again through positive thought and prayer. We have not even begun to scratch the surface regarding the study of water and its properties and how they react to different stimuli. And Emoto's work actually borders on the study of Noetic sciences as well imo... that thoughts have structure and can affect the physical when strong enough. It is very interesting study regarding the connection between us, our thoughts and the elements that give us life regardless of whether or not you think it is possible. After all, we are water and water is us.

And seeing this is sad as well considering the condition of so many of our waterways globally. If you look at the Yamuna River as an example using this concept it would be considered dead. And we did it. I do pray for a higher consciousness to take hold of us before it is truly too late.

So in writing about pollution, wastefulness, climate change and the selfish greedy attempts by those who do not understand this special bond who undermine the true reason water exists in tandem with humanity, we must always strive within our hearts to connect ourselves to it. It is then and only then that we will realize that to kill it kills the life that burns within our souls and in turn our future existence on this planet.

Blessed Thanksgiving: Be Thankful For Water

On this thanksgiving day as every day, I am thankful for family, friends, those I love and my health as well as this planet, particularly the seed and water. I am thankful for its beauty; it's grace; its healing; its spiritual comfort; its power and its ability to provide for our survival.

And on this day I am also aware of the billion plus people on our planet who still do not have access to this fundamental right. So I am thankful that whenever I turn on a tap, it is there. Whenever I thirst, it is there. Whenever I need comfort, it is there. Whenever I need healing, it is there.

However, we abuse this precious gift through polluting it, toxifying it, hoarding it, wasting it and taking it for granted. And as we are seeing water has now become a force of destruction to also be reckoned with because of it. I hope for the coming year then that we will truly see a time coming when this resource that is there for all of us will be there for all of us and more will come to understand just how much we need to be thankful for it and the life it brings.

Blessed Thanksgiving to all.

Enjoy the video.