New Tesla for the Masses: Orders off the Hook

Posted on April 2, 2016 by GarryRogers

This automobile and Tesla’s network of power stations, adds another practical reason for our next car to be pollution-free.

Climate Denial Crock of the Week

Teslarati:

Less than a day after Elon Musk officially unveiled the jaw-dropping Model 3 at the Tesla Design Center, he took to Twitter to announce that 232,000 reservations have been placed. The figure isn’t surprising considering earlier in the day Musk tweeted that 180,000 Model 3 deposits were accepted in just 24 hours since the reservation window opened. This crushes our earlier predictions that Tesla would sell 100,000 units within the first day.

And climbing.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk plays Al Gore.

muskgore2

View original post 98 more words

Avoiding collapse: Grand challenges for science and society to solve by 2050

Posted on March 23, 2016 by GarryRogers

News Stories about global change.

“These six examples illustrate that there is no one-size-fits all approach for researchers to address today’s grand environmental challenges, but two common themes emerge. The first is that it is no longer enough to simply do the science and publish an academic paper; that is a necessary first step, but moves only halfway towards the goal of guiding the planet towards a future that is sustainable for both human civilization and the biosphere. To implement knowledge that arises from basic research, it is necessary to establish dialogues and collaborations that transcend narrow academic specialties, and bridge between academia, industry, the policy community and society in general. The second theme is that now is the time to rise to these scientific and communication challenges. The trajectories of population overgrowth, climate change, ecosystem loss, extinctions, disease, and environmental contamination have been rapidly accelerating over the past half-century. If not arrested within the next decade, their momentum may prevent us from stopping them short of disaster.” From: elementascience.org

Alberta must move away from oil-based economy, minister says

Posted on January 3, 2016 by GarryRogers

EDMONTON — Climate isn’t all that’s changing in Alberta. The province’s NDP government has arguably made bigger moves on global warming in six months than the previous Conservatives made in a generation. From: thechronicleherald.ca

Thank you Shannon Phillips. Trudeau makes it all possible.

Limits to Growth was right. Research shows pending collapse as human population rises and resources decline

Posted on December 12, 2015 by GarryRogers

In 1972, a group of scientists predicted that human civilization would collapse by 2100 if there were no changes in the ways we run our businesses, governments, and daily lives. There were no changes.

GarryRogers Nature Conservation

Four decades after publication, Limit to Growth’s forecasts have been vindicated by new Australian research. Expect the early stages of global collapse to start appearing soon.by Graham Turner and Cathy Alexander, The Guardian, September 2, 2014

*Piles of crushed cars at a metal recycling site in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Photograph: Alamy*

Critics called the 1972 book Limits to Growth, which predicted our civilisation would probably collapse some time this century, a doomsday fantasy. Back in 2002, self-styled environmental expert Bjorn Lomborg consigned it to the “dustbin of history.”

It doesn’t belong there. Research from the University of Melbourne has found the book’s forecasts are accurate, 40 years on. If we continue to track in line with the book’s scenario, expect the early stages of global collapse to start appearing soon.

A think tank called the Club of Rome commissioned the Limits to Growth. Researchers working out…

View original post 1,075 more words

Demonstrate for an End to Global Warming

Posted on November 29, 2015 by GarryRogers

Climate-change demonstrations show our leaders that we want them to take steps to stop global warming. We must also ask our leaders to change the human activities that are causing climate change.

We want them to block corporate control over our government and the decisions it makes.
We want them to end international sales of weapons and begin to encourage peace and a focus on life style and resource use.
We want them to discourage unsustainable resource harvests.
We want them to encourage human rights and equality.
We want them to speak out for wild animals and natural ecosystems.
We want them to call for restoring the damaged lands and seas.
And finally, we want them to oppose gender inequality and overpopulation.

Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels today, activities causing climate change would continue. Farming, deforestation, industrial fishing, desertification, construction, and growth of the human population would continue to waste the Earth and release CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Forest Service Revs Up Push to Open Over 170 Million Tons of Coal to Mining From Colorado Roadless Forest

Posted on November 19, 2015 by GarryRogers

Proposed Loophole Could Cause Millions of Tons of Carbon Pollution, undermine Obama Administration Climate Goals, and Degrade Wildlife Habitat

DENVER— National and local conservation groups today condemned a decision by the U.S. Forest Service to continue pressing to open national forest roadless areas in Colorado to coal mining.
Bulldozer
Photo of bulldozer near Sunset Roadless Area courtesy U.S. Forest Service. Photos are available for media use.

In a notice filed today, the Forest Service announced it would move forward by issuing a draft environmental impact statement on the proposal to pave the way for mining. The proposal would reopen a loophole in the “roadless rule” for national forests in Colorado to enable Arch Coal — the nation’s second largest coal company — to scrape roads and well pads on nearly 20,000 acres of otherwise-protected, publicly owned national forest and wildlife habitat in Colorado’s North Fork Valley.

The loophole was thrown out by the U.S. District Court of Colorado last year because the Forest Service had failed to consider the climate change impacts of mining as much as 350 million tons of coal in the national forest. (Today’s notice reduces the estimated coal available to 173 million tons.) The Forest Service admits that reopening the loophole could result in hundreds of millions of tons of additional carbon pollution from mining and burning the coal. That carbon pollution could cost the global economy and environment billions of dollars, according to today’s notice. From: www.biologicaldiversity.org

GR: Apparently, the U. S. Forest Service isn’t satisfied with just clear-cutting the forests; it wants to widen its attack with more roads and more global warming CO2 emissions. Way-to-go Forest Service!

Nature News Digests

Posted on October 10, 2015 by GarryRogers

Nature News Digests:

Evils of the Livestock Industry

Posted on April 12, 2015 by GarryRogers

The following is by Rosemary Lowe: Thinking Beyond the Animal Factories to Save This Planet Those out there who are concerned about this planet, the wildlife, the wild places, really need to understand how very destructive the Livestock Industry… Source: exposingthebiggame.wordpress.com

GR: Full acceptance of Leopold’s land ethic requires that we consume a fully vegan diet, release all imprisoned animals, and do what we can to preserve and protect wildlife and wildlife habitat. Sometimes called biocentric ethics, Leopold’s land ethic, that I prefer to call the Earth Ethic, is the only sensible behavior for our species. Anything else will lead to eventual decline and extinction of life on our planet.

How ignorance and indifference are contributing to climate change

Posted on March 12, 2015 by GarryRogers

Uganda: In the current decade, features such as Namanve Forest have simply disappeared under unclear circumstances and turned into industrial parks and slums…

Photo caption: A thick layer of algae paints Lake Victoria around Port Bell landing site in Luzira, Kampala (PHOTO/Maria Wamala).

Source: www.monitor.co.ug

GR: Similar stories of human ignorance and developer disdain for nature are repeated for rivers, lakes, valleys, villages, cities, and nations around the world.

Pipeline breach spills oil into Yellowstone River

Posted on January 19, 2015 by GarryRogers

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) 1/18/15 — “Montana officials said Sunday that an oil pipeline breach spilled up to 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana, but they said they are unaware of any threats to public safety or health.

“The Bridger Pipeline Co. said the spill occurred about 10 a.m. Saturday. The initial estimate is that 300 to 1,200 barrels of oil spilled, the company said in a statement Sunday.

“Some of the oil did get into the water, but the area where it spilled was frozen over and that could help reduce the impact, said Dave Parker, a spokesman for Gov. Steve Bullock” (Associated Press).

GR: It is unfortunate that the safety of wildlife is not an instant concern for government and company representatives.