WORLD'S END
Is it to Late to Save Mother Earth?
In November 1992, some 1,500– 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in the sciences, published a document of appeal titled: “The World Scientists' Warning to Humanity”. It was written and spearheaded by the late Henry Kendall, former chair of UCS's (Union of Concerned Scientists) board of directors.
“Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course. Human activities
inflict harsh and often irreversible damage on the environment and on
critical resources. If not checked, many of our current practices put
at serious risk the future that we wish for human society and the plant
and animal kingdoms, and may so alter the living world that it will
be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know. Fundamental changes
are urgent if we are to avoid the collision our present course will
bring about.” [1]
Following which the document contained a stern and urgent WARNING:
The document concluded with an extensive list of “WHAT WE MUST DO” to Save Mother Earth.
was largely ignored by many in the Global Community and Governments
of Developed Countries for at least 5 years up until December 1997 when
The Kyoto Protocol was introduced, and that a campaign launched by UCS in the same year of the publication
to “Urge US Congress to Support New Global Warming Bills” was not acted upon until February 2007.
16 years ago and only resulted in extensive, prolonged debates with
little action-taking place
.. Are we too LATE?
“The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention
on Climate Change with the objective of reducing greenhouse gases in
an effort to prevent anthropogenic climate change.
It was adopted on 11 December
1997 by the 3rd Conference of the Parties, which was meeting in Kyoto,
and it entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of May 2008, 182 parties
have ratified the protocol.[1] Of these, 36 developed cg countries (plus
the EU as a party in its own right) are required to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions to the levels specified for each of them in the treaty
(representing over 61.6% of emissions from Annex I countries),[1][2]
with three more countries intending to participate.[3]
One hundred thirty-seven (137) developing countries have ratified the
protocol, including Brazil, China and India, but have no obligation
beyond monitoring and reporting emissions. The United States has not
ratified the treaty.” [3]
In December 1997, the U.S. government tentatively agreed at a United Nations meeting in Kyoto, Japan, to reduce nationwide emissions of greenhouse gasses by 7 percent below 1990 levels. This goal would be achieved by reducing the combustion of fossil fuels sufficiently to diminish emission levels in 2010 to 41 percent below where they would end up at current rates of emission growth.
Although any estimates of the overall economic effects of the
agreement are fraught with uncertainties, economists estimated that
abiding by the agreement could reduce U.S. GDP growth by as much as
2.5 percent per year and as a result, President Bush announced in March
of 2001 that the U.S. would not sign and ratify the treaty.
The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, on behalf of the Australian people
and the Australian Government, only signed the instrument of ratification
of the Kyoto Protocol on 3rd December 2007 but in Kevin Rudd’s
favour, it was one of the first things the in-coming Labor Government
did:
“… and on 11 March 2008 Australia's ratification came into effect.
Australia has committed to meeting its Kyoto Protocol target, and has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent on 2000 levels by 2050.
Australia will participate actively and constructively in the negotiations working towards a post-2012 agreement, which is equitable and effective.
Our position is that any binding commitments need to encompass both developed
and developing countries if we are to be successful in tackling climate change.” [4]
It is woeful, that industrial and developed countries like
the United States of America, China, and Australia (through the then,
Liberal Government) etc. held the world to virtual ransom for such a
long period of time.
It is not surprising that the two great Global powers which
refuse to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, namely USA and China, are also,
the greatest violators of Human Rights and their respective countries
house several of the most polluted cities in the world.
However, if you did an Internet Search for such listings, you would find that the calculations for the Top Ten Most Polluted Cities and The
Top Twenty Most Polluted Cities are contrary to each other and the
statistics do not add up. As most of the agencies and news services,
which published these findings are US based, it seems apparent that
the US government has manipulated the findings to ensure that the three
most heavily polluted US cities
[5] are not included in the Top 20 list and that:
“A total of 16 out of the top 20 most polluted cities are in China. #1
on the list is Linfen City in Shanxi Province, China. "The whole
city smells and is covered in smoke." [6]
At the time of writing this article and potential white paper,
the 2008 Olympics are being held in Beijing, China and International
Athletes are risking their future health to win “Gold” for themselves
and prestige for their respective countries.
“According to World Bank statistics, outdoor air pollution in China causes
350,000 to 400,000 premature deaths each year. (The World Bank also
reports that 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities are in China.)
For a lifelong Beijing resident, to look at a building whose edges are
blunted by smog is, in effect, to consider your own mortality.” [7]
Albert Einstein said: “Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted.” You don’t have to be an Einstein to do the sums. Not everything adds up and it is my non-academic opinion that the governments of the world are manipulating the scientific findings before they are released to the populace.
To quote David Suzuki: “There is a glutz of misinformation on the Internet.” and to research this article and do it justice I had to sift through a great
deal of chaff to find the grains of wheat.
According to the
Natural Environmental Research Council of the United Kingdom:
Available on the
NERC’s website is a very informative brochure which presents an “overview
of the programme” they have on offer and there are many similar
pamphlets, booklets and brochures available at many other environmental
organisations’ web sites if people wish to seek them out. [9]
Academic or not, those who do not play ostrich and stick their heads into the sand, like to question the information that is presented us and not take it on
trust.
Here in Australia, where I reside, the out-going Liberal Federal Government published and delivered a booklet to all Australian letter boxes titled: “Global Warming– Cool it.” On the inside cover of the booklet, the former Minister
for the Environment and Heritage wrote:
Each year Australians emit,
more than 550 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Through everyday activities such as transport, household energy
use and decay of household waste in landfills, Australian households
generate about a fifth of Australia's total emissions. This equals about
14 tonnes per household each year." [10]
- State Governments, Local Governments, the Australian Government, industries,
communities and individuals - has to play in reducing climate change.
There are things we all can do to make a difference.
As you read this booklet,
I encourage you to consider ways you can
reduce greenhouse gas emissions in your own home to help save
money and the environment. Many of the hints and tips in this booklet
are simple things that are practical, cost-effective and easy to do"
[11]
Ironically, the Minister
who wrote this has since resigned from politics, and the Liberal Government
(led by the then Prime Minister John Howard) that he belonged to, did
nothing to address the issues other than promise to
‘invest $2 billion dollars to address climate change”. Here we had a government, which refused to sign and ratify
the Kyoto Protocol; a government, which approved the Gunns
Limited Bell Bay Pulp Mill; a government, which planned to construct
Nuclear Power Plants across Australia, suggesting that it is up to the
general population to make everyday changes to combat climate change.
It does not matter
what country, it is an inarguable fact, that an out-going government
always leaves a legacy for an in-coming government to fix whether it
be an economical deficit, a human rights violation, a war or police
action the government involved itself in or an environmental issue/
disaster.
Certainly the current
Federal Labor government led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made in-roads
to address certain issues such as signing and ratifying the Kyoto Protocol
and an apologise to the Australian Indigenous Community and reconciliation,
however there are still many golden opportunities when it comes to the
Environment that are going begging.
One small area where
they have fallen short relates to the Government grants for Solar panels
on residential homes. After the most recent Budget the Rudd Government
cut grants and made them income tested. The sad consequence of this
seemingly minor change is that those families who had chosen to support
the environment and install subsidised panels found without grants money
they could not afford to do so as the income testing made the grants
inaccessible to those who were choosing the environmental option. Families
who do fall within the income fields do not have the disposable income
to choose this eco-friendly sustainable method of electricity even with
grants. A further, equally sad consequence is that due to the cancellation
of orders and fewer bookings solar companies are also going out of business.
On an Australian
news program, recently there was mentioned new evidence to show that
old growth forests have the ability to process twice the Carbon of new
plantations that cover the same area. This is due to the diversity and
maturity of the forest is much more efficient and effective at cutting
our carbon emissions. So when we cut down old growth forests and replant
new forests we are effectively increasing our impact on the earth. We
would be better off protecting our Old Growth Forests and planting trees
purposely to cut down. So that bears a question for the individual,
where does the wood you use in your homes come from?
Ironically the present Federal Labor Government under Rudd has
continued to support the Gunn
Limited Bay Bell Pulp Mill in Old Growth Forests. [12]
“So far, over 75% of Tasmanian
old-growth forests of these trees have been felled, the majority
being made into woodchips for shipment to Asian markets.
Since Tasmania is part of Australia, where only .5% of the landmass consists of rainforest, you would think that they would protect the remaining trees. But like the megafauna, and trees on Easter Island, on this trendline the forest cover goes to zero.” [13]
In June 2004, The
Intergovernmental Agreement on a National Water Initiative was signed.
This was an initiative of the John Howard led Liberal Federal
Government adopted by the present government. [14]
Currently, in Our
State of South Australia, there is a lot of political action taking
place to save our major river the River Murray from drying up. This
river travels through three states (New South Wales and Victoria) and
ends in the South of South Australia, however the mouth is so land locked
and saline that the river is dying. There has been a lot of discussion
over a vast number of years but no real action. Food Producers in our
state have been on zero water allocations for months. There are many
arguments as to why it is so bad but unless the damage is rectified
the river will dry up, the food producers will close down and we will
be stuck importing our food at great expense to the individual.
We, the people, elect
governments in the hope that they address important issues of our concern,
whether they be National or International.
When it comes to urgent and extremely important issues such as
pollution, Global Warming and other very sensitive environmental issues
it should be paramount that action is taken.
Not wait 16 years after
“The
World Scientists' Warning to Humanity”, to further debate strategies and develop proposed solutions.
On
Thursday 14th September 2006, I was fortunate enough to be
able to attend a Public lecture by Doctor David Suzuki in Adelaide,
South Australia. I was also, given the ability to write a review of
this lecture for the local (SA) pagan newsletter, The
Silver Wheel. [15]
In the article I wrote:
“David Suzuki knows how
to engage an audience; he knows how to relate and address the audience
as if he is speaking to you personally. He addresses each part of the
room with equal courtesy and talks in a fluid and very articulated manner.
He then talked at length
about Economists, Globalisation, Global Warming, Pollution and how these
pollutions have caused an escalation of asthma world wide. He spoke
at length about alternative power supply i.e.: Wind farms and Solar
power. He spoke at length about Nuclear power and how expensive nuclear
power would be to generate electricity for homes. He covered a great
deal of information in a very short time.
He
went on to examine the fact that all indigenous people world wide acknowledge
the Earth as the Mother; and that we all came from the mother and that
all life consist of the four sacred elements of Earth, Air, Fire and
Water.
To paraphrase his quote:
“We
are all Air. Human beings are made of the four elements. Earth, Air,
Fire and Water. All four elements are of equal importance … but without
air we would not exist … so why do we destroy our air …with chemicals
and pollutants … when it is apparent that we are destroying our-selves…”
Suzuki then mentioned a colleague of his that measured the argon particles
in air. Argon particles are an inert element of air. The number of argon
particles in a breath of air which was calculated to be about 2 litres
which meant that for every breath of air we breath in approximately
38 billion argon particles and breath out the same amount which then
disperse and within five minutes everyone in a room would breath in
the same. So technically we are sharing air. This means that we are
all inter-linked by the air we breathe.” [15]
Why
do we destroy our air … with chemicals and pollutants … when it is so
apparent that we are destroying ourselves?
If
we stopped and considered how the damage that we have done to the Environment
has had such drastic environmental impact upon human beings, let alone
the other species on this planet we share, we would of acted upon the
warning at least a decade ago.
“In 1990 –1991 it was recognised
that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (now known to be caused by a variety of
factors, all of which result in a biochemical cascade/cycle which in
turn causes it to be part of an illness complex which includes CFS,
fibro myalgia, MCS, and even PTSD) was "growing at a rate 5 times
faster than AIDS" -- and the estimate was that "1 in 10 people"
had it, and they were starting to worry about the impact on the national
economy at that point.
Almost all cancer is caused
by environmental factors (an interesting window into that can be seen
in the sudden and enormous drop (between 25% to over 66%, if I remember
correctly, depending on the type of cancer, with an overall drop between
33%-66%, despite the range of factors which remained unaltered) in the
rate of certain forms of breast cancers in Israel when they banned a
certain group of pesticides for a few years -- following which those
same cancers returned to their previous rates when the pesticides were
reintroduced), and that the statistical rate of cancer in men is now
predicted at "1 out of 1 men will have cancer in their lifetime"
-- and no, that's not a typo, I didn't drop a digit -- it has now approached
"statistical certainty" that every man will have some form
of cancer in his lifetime.
Bladder cancer is linked
by a causal relationship to dry cleaning chemicals. Leukaemia
in turn is linked to certain high-temperature petroleum distillates
(commonly used in light industry), as are other environmental factors
(like the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which caused a world-wide
change in levels of childhood leukaemia).
The rates of ADD, ADHD, autism
spectrum disorders, etc., which are all environmentally linked as well
(see the studies in changes in children where the food additives are
removed from the diet, the behaviour changes in children fed the antifungals
found in McDonald's hamburger buns, etc.). As for VATER syndrome
(a severe and usually life-threatening birth disorder), it's known to
be caused by environmental exposure.
Both environmental estrogens
and other factors are linked to mental illness -- women given naturally
sourced estrogens recovered mostly-fully from late-life forms of mental
illness and dementia, where no other aspect of treatment was changed.
Aluminium cookware is in turn directly linked to Alzheimer's, in what
is known to be a causal relationship (we use none in this house -- food
isn't even re-heated in or near aluminium foil, for precisely this reason).
Hypoglycaemia (which in turn is a common reaction to chemical contamination
of the food -- commonly relieved in MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)
patients who change to an all-organic diet, as it was in Ken) is in
turn linked to schizophrenia, by way of a study which showed that 50%
of the schizophrenics in the study became symptom-free on an unmedicated
regimen, as long as they ate a hypoglycaemia-appropriate diet.
When it comes to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers:
- The
LOWEST government-accepted figure is 2% (and that reflects primarily
those with the worst and most disabling form of full-blown, diagnosed
MCS) - 10%
is the more common recognised number, in both US and Australia, among
the medical professionals and support communities in which the population
actually affected are aware of the true numbers of those affected
(and often invisible to the larger population) - 25%
is the number recognised in the Bay Area of the US state of California
as "being sensitive to multiple chemicals in a way that impacts
upon their health" (not a full-blown MCS diagnosis, but a recognition
that various aspects of their medical problems are being caused by
this)” [16]
We
have opened “Pandora’s Box”. In the last 200 years we have consumed
more resources and done more harm to the Earth and our Environment than
any other period of time in history.
To once more quote Doctor David Suzuki:
“There is no Environment out there and we have to interact with
it. We are the Environment because we are the Earth and we are made
by the FOUR Sacred elements. Earth, Air, Fire and Water … and that’s
not meant in a metaphoric or poetic way of speaking. They mean that
in the most scientific and profound way!”
People continue to
buy into the government(s) propaganda released through the various media
sources without seeking out and researching statistics and more reliable
information. The majority of the population are accepting what they
are told without question.
Recently, there have
been several news reports and much debate in various on-line forums
about the believed apocalypse
which, based on the Mayan calendar, will occur on Dec. 21, 2012. Survival groups around the world are gearing up for the event. [17]
Across the United States,
Canada and throughout Europe, apocalyptic sects and individuals say
that is the day that the world as we know it will end. [18]
Ironically, the next Kyoto
conference is schedule for 2012 but are we too late?
If we are to believe the
Mayan calendar is it the End of the World and if it isn’t then, what
legacy are we leaving our children?
I no longer consider myself a member
of the Human Race, because unlike the rest of Humanity I am not Racing
towards my own extinction and I no longer consider myself a member of
Mankind because Man is NOT kind. I am an Earth Kin; a Child of the Earth.
"Look deep into nature, and then
you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein"
Select bibliography and source:
1.
http://www.ucsusa.org/ucs/about/1992-world-scientists-warning-to-humanity.html
2.
http://www.ucsusa.org/ucs/about/1992-world-scientists-warning-to-humanity.html
3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol
4.
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/international/kyoto/index.html
5.
http://www.citymayors.com/environment/polluted_uscities.html
6.
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-06/2006-06-28-voa36.cfm
7.
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1421&fuseaction=topics.item&news_id=218780
8.
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/lwec/
9.
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/lwec/documents/lwec-brochure.pdf
10.
Global Warming - Cool It!
11.
GlobalWarming - Cool It!
12.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Bay_Pulp_Mill
14.
http://www.nwc.gov.au/www/html/117-national-water-initiative.asp
16.
Researched and written by Willow Firesong for this article and used with permission.
17.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=5301284&page=1
18.
Thousands Expect Apocalypse in 2012
19.
GreenCreed
20.
GlacialMelting Causes Flooding in Nepal
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