World Environment Day Message: "Effective actions are possible. But delay must not be an option"

World Environment Day (5 June 2010) has just passed but the worsening Climate Emergency remains.

Members of the prestigious US Academy of Sciences (255 members, including 11 Nobel laureates) have recently signed a statement about climate change in which they conclude : “Society has two choices: we can ignore the science and hide our heads in the sand and hope we are lucky, or we can act in the public interest to reduce the threat of global climate change quickly and substantively. The good news is that smart and effective actions are possible. But delay must not be an option.” [1].

Top climate scientists demand a rapid return of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration from the present dangerous and damaging 390 parts per million (ppm) to a safe and sustainable 300 ppm for a safe and sustainable environment for all nations, all peoples and all species. [2, 3].

Thus the species extinction rate is now 100-1,000 times greater than it was before industrialization. [4, 5, 6].

Yet the problem is soluble using existing, well-established technologies to enable implementation of 100% renewable energy, re-afforestation and biochar (charcoal production) ASAP coupled with rapid cessation of deforestation and industrial and agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution ASAP. [7].

One disastrously illusory route being adopted by neocon governments is the Carbon Trading Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) approach. However leading climate scientists and economists have slammed the ETS approach as empirically ineffective, counterproductive and indeed fraudulent – instead they advocate a transparent Carbon Tax to recover the huge environmental and human cost of carbon pollution. Thus Carbon Trading involves selling something no country has the right to sell, specifically the right to pollute the one common atmosphere of all peoples, all nations and all species. [8].

The alternative to timely action is dire. Both Dr James Lovelock FRS (Gaia hypothesis) and Professor Kevin Anderson ( Director, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Manchester, UK) have recently estimated that fewer than 1 billion people will survive this century due to unaddressed, man-made global warming – noting that the world population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, these estimates translate to a Climate Genocide involving deaths of 10 billion people this century, this including 6 billion under-5 year old infants, 3 billion Muslims in a terminal Muslim Holocaust, 2 billion Indians, 1.3 billion non-Arab Africans, 0.5 billion Bengalis, 0.3 billion Pakistanis and 0.3 billion Bangladeshis. [9].

The First World is responsible for about 73% of post-industrial carbon pollution in the atmosphere. Current "annual per capita greenhouse gas pollution” in units of “tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) per person per year” is 0.9 (Bangladesh), 0.9 (Pakistan), 2.2 (India), less than 3 (many African and Island countries), 3.2 (the Developing World), 5.5 (China), 6.7 (the World), 11 (Europe), 16 (the Developed World), 27 (the US) and 30 (Australia; or 54 if Australia’s huge Exported CO2 pollution is included).[9].

In Melbourne, Australia, our local Yarra Valley Climate Action Group activists did its bit on World Environment Day by the following actions.

1. Mounting a week-long World Environment Day display at a local library to tell the public about the worsening Climate Emergency and what we must do about it.

2. Holding a demonstration outside the offices of the local Federal member, a Federal Government Minister in the pro-war, pro-coal Australian Labor Party Government that has betrayed Labor voters by refusing to tackle climate change for about 3 years and promising to do nothing for another few years if re-elected (and then counterproductive action via an ineffective, counterproductive and intrinsically fraudulent Emissions Trading Scheme or ETS).

3. Distributing hundreds of World Environment Day posters (see below) in our local area, including in our big local university, La Trobe University.

Our World Environment Day message is not going to go away and the Climate Crisis will steadily worsen – indeed every day should be World Environment Day.

Below is the core message that we gave out to the public in our part of Australia on World Environment Day. .

Please use the carefully devised core summation below to inform everyone you can – “delay must not be an option”.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY - 5 June.

For details see Yarra Valley Climate Action Group & 300.org.

[1]. “Open Letter: Climate change and the integrity if science”: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme... .

[2]. “300.org - return atmosphere CO2 to 300 ppm”: http://sites.google.com/site/300org... .

[3]. 300.org: http://sites.google.com/site/300org... .

[4]. Dr Phillip S. Levin and Dr Donald A. Levin, “The real biodiversity crisis”, Macroscope, January-February 2002: http://www.soc.duke.edu/~pmorgan/le... ”.

[5]. “Climate Emergency: what top world scientific experts say”: http://sites.google.com/site/yarrav... .

[6]. Yarra Valley Climate Action Group: http://sites.google.com/site/yarrav... .

[7]. “Climate Crisis facts and required actions”: http://sites.google.com/site/yarrav... .

[8]. “Science & economics experts: Carbon Tax needed and NOT Cap-and-Trade Emission Trading Scheme (ETS)”, 300.org: http://sites.google.com/site/300org... .

[9]. “Climate Genocide”: http://sites.google.com/site/climat... .