During the months of February and March I traveled across Bolivia having meetings with mostly public sector actors, as well as giving presentations. I met with Ministers, Vice Ministers, university Rectors/Vice-Rectors, a Governor, a former mayor, numerous local officials, and representatives of several NGO’s. The discussions focused on environmental problems and potential solutions. They ranged from the biggest most visible problems, such as deforestation from fire and mercury contamination from artisanal gold mining, to contamination of surface waters, destruction of aquifer recharge zones, and development encroachment into sensitive, protected areas. Also discussed was the ineffectiveness of government to protect public health and safety from hazards, including the absence of environmental jurisprudence, as well as their inadequate disaster readiness resulting in increased injuries and loss of life and property. Several initiatives are being explored to bring resources to bear on these problems.
The ‘net-zero’ greenwash
As a building energy use professional and ecologist, I have been appalled at the invention and use of the term ‘net-zero’. Here is an article which lays out the problem with it. Read and be informed!
Energy Conservation versus Energy Production
Energy conservation (benign) could offset production (destructive). But no. Capitalism demands production, extractivism. Nature then pays the price. What we do to nature, we do to ourselves, as we are nature. The latest report of the IPCC Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), points to the importance of integrating ‘indigenous and local knowledge’ in research and adaptation. Now even scientists understand that our dominant epistemology is a failure. The sooner we listen to this truth telling, the better. We can then change our behavior, rearrange our priorities, and begin to mitigate the worst effects of climate chaos.
COP26 “Greenwashing Festival” Ended – Now What?
Our world has become too politicized and economized. Everyone’s an expert. Thankfully there are scientists who remain undaunted by our pathetic state of affairs and are doing the hard work of providing sound guidance as to what must be done at this time. The time has come where the people must force their governments to do what’s necessary to save earth systems that support life. That translates into disaster declarations globally and instituting emergency actions across the board as cited in this report.
Future historians will look back at our species and these times as being not only parasitic (killing our host), but infinitely (and fatally) distracted by our amusements. That in our cleverness, we separated ourselves so completely from nature that we were incapable of responding to the warning signs that were all around us telling us that we were literally killing the earth’s life support systems.
The Unchained Goddess 1958 – Bell Science Hour (Discusses Weather / Climate Change)
As this film clip proves, as early as 1958 scientists speculated on the impact upon climate of human activities altering the earth’s atmosphere. Do you think the oil companies knew about this risk? Of course they did. Not only did they hide the fact, they undertook a campaign of obfuscation to mislead and confuse consumers.
‘Vegan spider silk’ provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics
It is high time that benign substitutes for petroleum-based plastics be researched and developed. We’re poisoning the living earth, especially the oceans, and ourselves, with plastics pollution. Green chemistry and biomimicry hold great promise for homo sapiens most vexing challenges. Now if we can shift the funding from nuclear weapons modernization to life giving R&D producing products like this, we can leave our descendants a livable Earth. #materials #plastics #biomimicry #spiders #silk #petroleum #pollutionprevention #innovation #ecology #greenchemistry