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http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/32216549/

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:57:57 -0700

Read the full article

Back in 1970, when the first Earth Day was observed, life was relatively easy for those in the industrialized nations. Although there was highly visible pollution here and there, and the Cuyahoga River famously caught on fire in 1969, the problems were nearly all based on point sources, namely measurable, restrictable sources.

Although the effects of these sources were highly visible, they could be controlled with then-existing technologies and enforcement applied in a methodical manner. And great improvements were made in controlling these visible problems, starting in 1970, the same year as the first Earth Day.

Last night, PBS Frontline program presented this encapsulation of the change in environmentalism and environmental needs from then to now.

In the 1970s, we simply needed to control manufacturers, town water treatment processing, and garbage management. Today, we face more difficult problems: the dependence on chemical processes for creating the goods of daily life, the move of nations into "advanced" technology and transportation usage, the dominance of factory farming so as to feed a growing world population, all of these are at far higher levels than ever before.

And the number of people in the world has more than doubled from 3.7 billion in 1970 to 7.77 billion currently.

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/32101711/

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:43:41 -0700

A Little Bit of Kindness

It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than "try to be a little kinder".

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/32011546/

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:37:24 -0700

[Editor's note: this is part of a longer article discussing the anticipated challenges, their timing, and solutions for a better future]

All of the debts for society's century-long industrial fiesta are coming due at the same time. We have no choice but to transition to a world no longer dependent on fossil fuels, a world made up of communities and economies that function within ecological bounds. Thus the most important question of our time: How do we manage the transition to a post-carbon world?

Post Carbon Institute is dedicated to helping individuals, families, businesses, communities, and governments understand and manage the transition to a post-carbon world. Our aim is to bring together the best thinking and models in such a way that the challenges we face can be easily understood, and the best solutions can be identified and replicated as quickly, sustainably, and equitably as possible.

These are unprecedented times that will test our courage, resourcefulness, and commitment. Many communities have already begun their post-carbon journey. We hope you join us.

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/30722752/

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:52:33 -0800

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit."

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/30422479/

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:56:46 -0800

See Alan Watts speak in 1971 as he quickly dug into what he saw as the cause of our failure to take care of the planet.� See also the link to the second video (part 4 of 4) to complete the discussion.

Alan Watts rather quickly penetrates to the deeper level that underlies our continued damaging of the planet.� If we were a society made of fully attuned, wise individuals we would turn on a dime and immediately stop the destruction by living with minimal impact, by not having many children so as to reduce population, and by undertaking various "difficult" measures to reduce all our footprints on the planet.� But, we are not a society made of sages....

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/30270994/

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:08:38 -0800

The question occurs to me frequently, as editor at PlanetThoughts.org, regarding how severe the news published at PlanetThoughts.org should be.� That seems particularly relevant as additional scientists are now joining Dr. James Hansen in raising the level of alarm and calling for near-immediate action to change our global path in terms of energy and resource use.

Although I keep asking myself whether reporting on some of this information is too alarmist, and though it comes up in discussions with my environmental scientist contacts and with other friends, I always come up with the same answer.� Here it is:

If the general reader, the reader who is not an environmental or climate scientist but who follows news reports, if that reader is still not adequately informed about the serious problem in the global environment, it is my responsibility to repeat that information until it starts to be absorbed.

Coming to grips with the size of the problems we seem to face is not easy and is never instantaneous.� Changing one's focus from daily routines of doing ones job, caring about a family, sharing with friends, and even helping society, and suddenly confronting a world-changing and possibly permanent (thousands of years or more) change in the nature of our planet's liveability, that kind of shift requires a lot of rearranging of mental furniture.... Read the rest of the article

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/30270963/

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:06:16 -0800

Warning by a top IPCC�scientist

Without decisive action, global warming in the 21st century is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than predicted, according to a leading member of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

IPCC scientist Chris Field of Stanford University and the Carnegie Institution for Science points to recent studies showing that, in a business-as-usual world, higher temperatures could ignite tropical forests and melt the Arctic tundra, releasing billions of tons of greenhouse gas that could raise global temperatures even more—a vicious cycle that could spiral out of control by the end of the century.... Read the rest of the article

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/29622325/

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:10:57 -0800

"We're the only country in the world that has these things called self-storage units, where people have so much junk they have to move it off-site.

Well, guess what. Self-storage is going to live up to its true name, as people decide to move into those."

- Gerald Celente

The image shows a white wall built in scale from one day of USA paper cups with two people (dots at lower left) and Statue of Liberty. See the TED video.

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/29238064/

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:57:29 -0800

Those of us living in relative comfort may never have had to consider whether environmental problems are heaped disproportionately on those who are poor, or racial minorities, or disenfranchised immigrants.� But it is still the case today, and was even more so the case during the 1960s.

Rev. Martin Luther King became focused on this issue after he saw strong successes in his original goal of breaking down color lines.� It became clear to him that simply allowing minority children to attend integrated schools, and forcing public places such as lunch counters in stores to be integrated, did not solve a series of other problems.

One of these unsolved problems was the placement of toxic substances and treatment facilities in poor, ethnic, and minority neighborhoods, and giving the dirty work of the entire population to the poor without regard for their safety and well-being.

Dr. King was asked to help improve the working conditions of the garbage collection employees, all African-American (or I imagine there might have been one or two exceptions), who had terrible working conditions that often led to maiming and had recently killed two of the workers who were crushed inside their trucks..... Read the rest of the article

http://PlanetThoughts.stumbleupon.com/review/28397613/

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:23:19 -0800

If you take a look at this video, you will view some of the issues relating to peak oil. Less well-known than the climate change threat, peak oil will (if there is truth to the projections of production having peaked and starting to fall, while structural need for oil and gas holds steady or continues to rise) require change in all aspects of society. We should all be talking about it and planning now, BEFORE the impact is felt.

Two speakers look at the implication for community planning (Megan Quinn Bach) and the needs for transport and urban planning (Bryn Davidson) in the not-too-distant future. And the real answer would have been to start on this process 30 years ago, as did Denmark in many aspects.