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The Forum > Article Comments > Live Earth and the cure for climate change > Comments

Live Earth and the cure for climate change : Comments

By Alan AtKisson and Steven Rockefeller, published 10/7/2007

Climate change is not the only global emergency. We also have growing poverty, over-consumption, challenges to peace and human rights, and the degradation of natural systems.

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Well said Allen, but just watch the neo-cons, GW deniers and the recalcitrant ostriches stick their heads out of the sand and attack your well meaning thoughts.
Posted by davsab, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 9:20:52 AM
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Not much to attack other than:

"There is now little doubt that climate change, driven by humanity's release of greenhouse gases"
There is still quiet a lot of doubt...and it seems to be growing.

"climate change is indeed the global emergency that campaigner Al Gore - the inspirational leader of Live Earth - says it is."
He is not inspirational in the slightest, he is selling snake oil.

I agree with the rest of the article's premise, which is poverty and environmental issues will only be eliminated by sustainable development of the third world. Economic development of poorer nations will also lead to population stabilsation and eventually decline.
Posted by alzo, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 9:34:02 AM
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Hey Alzo,

Right on cue? Anyway, appreciate your thoughts albeit we may, with respect, have to agree to differ on some of the issues raised about GW.

I know it is a 'cherry-pick', but Al G did inspire Live Earth as their leader. He has been pushing CC for 20 yrs or so, therefore I'm prepared to give him a little slack. Although I personally think it is/was a bad move for him to be the front man - very inconvenient, in more ways than one.

A lot of major issues can be dealt with by environmental sustainable development I agree. Another cherry though Alzo, it has to be done by everyone, NOT just the third world.

Cheers
Posted by davsab, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 10:04:00 AM
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Good to read something positive in this atmosphere of gloom.
The news media are. naturally, full of stories and images of conflict - of course that makes more colourful reading and viewing.
The UN keeps getting flak - despite its maraothon good efforts through so many of its agencies.

Let the climate change deniers go on - we have not only the accumulated knowledge from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but also the news evidence coming consistently from many parts of the world - especially in those polar areas.

Anyone who watches BBC World News Service will be especially aware of this - with excellent visual coveerage of the effects of global warming.

My hope is that the world co-operation of nany people - like all those millions who watched the Live Earth conceerts - will diminish the CLIMATE OF FEAR engendered by those who sell weapons, by the NUCLEAR lobby, and the politicians who depend for their jobs on the backing of mining corporations with their various "front" groups.
Christina Macpherson www.antinuclearaustralia.com
Posted by ChristinaMac, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 10:14:22 AM
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"it has to be done by everyone, NOT just the third world."
I agree with you on this too davsab. There is a lot of waste and inefficiency in our present society. We too should cut back these excesses. To what degree do you think we should do this? What measures would you propose if you were in a position to do so? Lets see how much we can agree on.

I too will credit Al Gore with Live Earth. I do not see anything worthwhile coming out of this event. I think it was the most tokenistic and hypocritical event ever staged. Well done Al.

I will agree to disagree with you on GW.
Posted by alzo, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 10:14:25 AM
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I'm going to sound really cynical here, and I'm not a cynic, but

"The poor you will always have with you".

*Yes*, poverty is a problem. No good solution exists: to attempt to redistribute the world's wealth fairly would precipitate bloody revolution. True egalitarians might abhor violence, but those with most to lose rarely hesitate to crush leftists when they look like succeeding. Moreover, communist regimes are not very successful at wealth creation in their own right, and are dismal when it comes to protecting such important things as personal freedom.

Or is the problem of poverty not inequality, but merely the suffering of souls? Like Mother Teresa, some prefer to provide a soft bed and a reassuring myth to the weak than first-class health care or a good price for their labour.

"Fair trade" and "microcredit" are useful modern market band-aids, helping to raise a lucky fraction of the poorest by an income bracket, but the realities of capitalist relations mean these advantages are only available to those who can sell themselves to the market, supplying what the wealthy demand. Many millions continue to be "surplus labour" and merely subsist -- or starve.

The truly urgent challenge, today, is for civilisation as a whole to leave off squandering the huge but fragile resource which is the Earth's climate and biosphere.

Any fool who still doubts that this is a problem is encouraged to go read up on the history and science of climate systems at

http://www.aip.org/history/climate/index.html

and

http://www.realclimate.org/

Every credible objection by those who doubt that industry is responsible for a rapid increase in global temperatures, or that such an increase is going to be devastating, is thoroughly addressed therein.

Luckily this technical problem has a technical solution; it requires neither miracle nor bloody revolution (though political muscle is undoubtedly necessary). Most urgently, we must stop the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases; this rise is almost entirely due to our legacy energy technology, whereas ample ambient energy is available on the globe for all our purposes.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Energy-Labyrinth-Environment-Catastrophe/dp/1845115384/

I wish you all clearer, therefore happier, thoughts.
Posted by xoddam, Tuesday, 10 July 2007 12:45:57 PM
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