Between the sacred and the profane.
Nature is miraculous. The more we learn about our kin, what seems almost supernatural to us, causes wonder and amazement, and gives us pause. In that pause we must consider how little we know about life…really. The tragedy is that we are extincting species that could teach us the greatest lessons of life. If only we could adapt, cease harm, listen, and then emulate. #life #biomimicry #biology #regeneration
Today marks the 50th anniversary of when some brave activists broke into FBI offices and shared documents they obtained that described the FBI surveillance program known as COINTELPRO.
We’re living in a perfect storm today when it comes to misinformation, disinformation, and downright ignorance, all of which is accelerating societal collapse. Put the internet together with the effects of neoliberalism upon our educational system, and you have today’s civilization, which is rushing to the precipice.
I recently read an article in the New Yorker about nuclear power, energy supply and use. About how nuclear power is being embraced by so-called environmentalists as a non-polluting energy source. One problem I recognized immediately was the article completely omitted any mention of conservation or efficiency, both of which can offset energy supply. Worse yet, the author made only cursory mention of the nuclear waste storage problem, i.e. failing to talk about the persistence of human-caused radiation and its impacts upon the biological world, much less the ethics around dumping toxic contamination on a future world whose inhabitants have no say. The author, armed with information she no doubt gathered on the internet, decided she knew enough to pen an article on nuclear power. This is frighteningly naive. Actually its worse than that, its downright reckless and irresponsible.
The internet is both a wonderful and horrible resource. I can type in a search term and bring up a breathtaking amount of information. In our fast food, instant gratification society, people are under the impression that by using the internet, you can learn all you need to know in order to make informed decisions. This is a dangerous fallacy. People don’t know what they don’t know. This is especially true when it comes to technology, the pace of which requires ever deepening expertise to grasp and keep up with.
Now more than ever people must question sources of information. Does the author or speaker know what they’re talking about? What are their credentials? Do their arguments make sense? Are they on the payroll of industry or government?
Can ignorance be innocent? Yes. But that is no excuse to not challenge it.
Nature has had 3.8 billion years of a head start in perfecting life on earth over us homo sapiens who have only been here for a mere 200,000 years. We must become students of nature and use our superior ability as a species to adapt to preserve, protect, study, learn from and then emulate nature’s genius.
Nature as a financial asset
This is how a recent report on biodiversity from the UK government refers to nature. This continues the disconnect between the human species and life support systems. Furthermore, any report or study that does not recognize our obsession with economic growth as a driver of ecological harm is blindsighted and perpetuates human supremacy. Economism is literally killing us, rendering us frozen in a state of inaction. This is an epistemological problem, one which needs to be addressed through a variety of actions around conscious awareness and (re)education.
Stereoscope photo of J Street in Sacramento during the 1862 flood. Charles L. Weed/California State Library
In addition to wildfires and earthquakes, California also experiences floods. Sometimes they can be massive and devastating floods. A meteorological phenomenon known as ‘atmospheric rivers’ can unleash huge amounts of moisture onto the California land surface. Occurring once every one to two hundred years, the USGS refers to these events as ARkStorms. The last such event took place in 1861-62. For further information, visit ARkStorm Scenario and The Biblical Flood That Will Drown California.
Why is the “…world is failing to grasp the extent of threats posed by biodiversity loss and the climate crisis?” This is no simple question and the answer is complicated. One part of the answer for me comes from a book I read years ago entitled Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. If you haven’t yet read this book, you might want to consider it.
Excerpts from this newly published report: “Environmental deterioration is infinitely more threatening to civilisation than Trumpism or Covid-19…” and “Dealing with the enormity of the problem requires far-reaching changes to global capitalism, education and equality…”
December 18th marks Attorney Steven Donziger’s 500th day confined to his apartment while wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet. I am hoping that you will join the letter writing campaign to help release Mr. Donziger from this unjust house arrest ordered by Judge Loretta Preska.
In 2011, Steven Donziger won a multi-billion dollar judgment in Ecuador against Chevron for polluting native Amazonian lands. Chevron responded by refusing to pay the judgment and launching a retaliatory federal complaint against Donziger in New York alleging that he obtained the judgment fraudulently. In 2014, based on subsequently discredited testimony, and without reviewing any evidence of contamination in Ecuador, Judge Lewis Kaplan held the Ecuador verdict unenforceable in the U.S. The judgment against Chevron, however, remains enforceable in other countries and Donziger has sought court orders to seize Chevron’s assets in Canada, as well as other nations, in order to satisfy the damages.
Judge Kaplan next referred a complaint alleging criminal contempt against Donziger to the US Attorney’s Office. When the Justice Department refused to prosecute, Kaplan took the extraordinary step of appointing a private law firm, with ties to Chevron, to charge Donziger and hand-picked Judge Preska to oversee the prosecution.
In July 2020, the European Parliament sent a letter to the members of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties urging an inquiry into the legality of Donziger’s house arrest. In addition, over fifty Nobel prize winners are calling for an end to the judicial harassment of Steven Donziger.
It is clear that Steven Donziger is being persecuted because he stood up for victims of a $200-billion dollar corporation and won.
In September 2020, Steven Donziger, a constituent of Representative Jerrold Nadler, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent Mr. Nadler a letter asking him to investigate the misuse of the federal judiciary in the lawsuits against him and to take action. The letter was accompanied by signatures from over 24,000 supporters. There has been no response from Representative Nadler.
Chairman Nadler has the obligation and the authority to take action. Let’s stand up for Steven Donziger and ask Chairman Nadler to do just that!
In Solidarity,
Scientists for a People’s Party
Humans disconnect from, and arrogance towards, nature and Earth systems has led to unprecedented vulnerability. Climate chaos is now exposing how human habitat is burdened with structural vulnerability, with the real estate industry being just one example. Major reform is required. No more business as usual!
Undisclosed: Most Homebuyers And Renters Aren’t Warned About Flood Or Wildfire Risk