Stop Global Warming Virtual March Bookmark this page now!
01/25/07
HELP SAVE POLAR BEARS FROM GLOBAL WARMING
The Bush Administration is beginning the review process to decide whether to protect the polar bear, threatened with extinction due to global warming, under the Endangered Species Act. But we must speak up before February 23, 2007, or they will not hold public hearings on this critical matter.

Please help by sending a message directly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, letting them know you want public hearings on polar bear protection. They are not required by law to hold such hearings, but they can be swayed if we all speak up.

CLICK HERE to show your support for polar bear protection.

GLOBAL WARMING DISRUPTING BEAR HIBERNATION IN EUROPE
It's not just Arctic creatures suffering from the negative effects of global warming. Spanish scientists are blaming global warming for the fact that brown bears appear to have stopped hibernating in Spain's northern Cantabrian Mountains, the first bears known not to hibernate in Europe.

According to Douglas Futuyma, professor of ecology and evolution at the State University of New York in Stony Brook, "There is a grave concern about the prospects of a great number of species. They are likely to be harmed by temperature changes, by mismatch between their life cycles and the altered seasonal life cycles of species on which they depend, and by invasion of competing species that are better adapted to warmer conditions."

STEP IT UP: UNITING FOR CLIMATE ACTION
Our friends at StepItUp07.org, a grassroots effort led by author Bill McKibben, are organizing simultaneous rallies across the country on April 14, 2007, to stage a National Day of Climate Action. If you want to do more to raise awareness about global warming, they'll make it incredibly easy for you.

Visit their website StepItUp07.org and register to host an action: all you need is the ability to gather as many interested people as you can and hold a small rally. They will help coordinate the responses, introducing you to others from your area, and give you everything you need to be a rally leader, from banners to press releases. Please join in -- it's an easy but extremely powerful way to take action as a Stop Global Warming Virtual Marcher.

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17 Add my name to the Live Earth pledge.

I PLEDGE:

1.To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

2.To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"

3.To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

4.To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

5.To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

6.To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

7.To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

18A

AL GORE, KEVIN WALL, PHARRELL, MANÁ, CAMERON DIAZ LAUNCH UNPRECEDENTED CAMPAIGN, CONCERT TO COMBAT CLIMATE CRISIS

“Live Earth” Concerts in All 7 Continents to Reach Global Audience of Over 2 Billion

Los Angeles, CA – Detailing a historic effort to engage billions of people across the globe, Kevin Wall, Al Gore, Pharrell Williams, Maná, Cameron Diaz, and the MSN Network today launched Save Our Selves (SOS) – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis. The announcement was made at the California Science Center.

SOS is designed to trigger a global movement to combat our climate crisis. It will reach people in every corner of the planet through television, film, radio, the Internet and Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 of the world’s top musical acts. Live Earth alone will engage an audience of more than 2 billion people through concert attendance and broadcasts. MSN has partnered with SOS to use its reach to make the Live Earth concerts available across the globe. The Live Earth audience, and the proceeds from the concerts, will create the foundation for a new, multi-year global effort to combat the climate crisis led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and its Chair, Vice President Al Gore. SOS was founded by Kevin Wall, who won an Emmy as Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8.

“Our climate crisis is the paramount challenge facing humanity. SOS is more than a global distress call. SOS will give the world the tools we need to answer that call with meaningful action. The most important part of SOS is how individuals, corporations, and governments respond,” Wall said. “Our climate crisis affects everyone, everywhere, and that’s who SOS is aimed at. Only a global response can conquer our climate crisis. SOS asks all people to Save Our Selves because only we can.”

“In order to solve the Climate Crisis, we have to reach billions of people. We are launching SOS and Live Earth to begin a process of communication that will mobilize people all over the world to take action,” Gore said. “The Climate Crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement. We hope to jump-start that movement right here, right now, and take it to a new level on July 7, 2007.”

“At MSN, we have the worldwide audience and the technology stage to help unite a global community around SOS and Live Earth,” said Joanne Bradford, corporate vice president and chief media officer of MSN. “Anyone around the world with an Internet connection will be able to come to MSN to view not just the concert events, but also an extensive collection of interactive media that will entertain, educate, inspire and ultimately drive change.”

Wall announced 25 of the 100 top musical acts that have answered SOS’s call and are performing at Live Earth. SOS is also engaging other celebrities, CEOs, athletes, academics and government leaders to engage their constituencies. Please see that attached list of 25 artists.

“More than 100 artists are performing at Live Earth and they’re all headliners. That’s what it takes to engage billions of people. We’re not just engaging fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg, or the Foo Fighters and Faith Hill. We’re engaging them and everyone in between,” Wall said. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from the artist community and are feverishly working out the logistics for all of the bands that want to be involved. Today we are announcing just the first 25 and will soon be announcing even more headliners who, for contractual reasons, cannot be announced today.”

The campaign’s identity is based on SOS, the international Morse code distress signal: three dots, followed by three dashes, followed by three dots. SOS is the most urgent, universal message we have, and SOS will use that signal as a continuous distress call to prompt individuals, corporations and governments around the world to respond to our climate crisis with action.

“SOS is creating an unmatched communications platform to take on an unparalleled crisis,” Wall said. “Our message must saturate the globe if we’re to succeed, and we will. In the US, we’re partnering with NBC-Universal and its networks. On satellite radio, we have SIRIUS and XM. In the UK, we’re partnering with the BBC. In Japan, we have a historic partnership with two broadcast partners. We have already secured television, Internet and wireless coverage in 120 countries, and the rest are soon to come.”

Wall announced that Live Earth concerts will take place in Brazil, Shanghai, Japan, Johannesburg, London, Sydney, and the Eastern United States.

Live Earth will be broadcast worldwide on MSN, which was the first sponsor to answer SOS’s call. MSN is one of the world’s most popular Internet destinations, and as such will allow the SOS campaign to have a global reach. MSN has services in over 42 markets and 21 languages, and more than 465 million people around the world visit MSN each month. Beginning today, people can go to http://liveearth.msn.com and begin participating in the global movement, and on 7/7/07, to watch the Live Earth concerts.

Live Earth is being produced by Control Room, of which Kevin Wall is the CEO. Control Room has produced and distributed more than 60 concerts since its founding a year and a half ago featuring Beyoncé, Madonna, Green Day, Dave Matthews Band, Keith Urban, James Blunt, Snoop Dogg, the Rolling Stones, among others. Its multi-partner network provides a global reach for live offerings through broadband, television, digital movie theatres and mobile phones throughout the U.S. and the world.

Live Earth will implement a new Green Event Standard that will become the model for carbon neutral concerts and other live events in the future. The Green Event Standard is being developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council to create a way for venues to be LEED-approved.

+LIVE EARTH FACT SHEET

Live Earth - The Concert for a Climate in Crisis

Concerts on all 7 continents:

Shanghai
Sydney
Johannesburg
London
Brazil - TBD
Japan - TBD
United States - TBD
Antarctica - TBD

100+ artists
Current and legendary artists across all genres performing multiple hits.

Announced today:

Pharrell
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Foo Fighters
Snoop Dogg
Lenny Kravitz
Bon Jovi
Paolo Nutini
Sheryl Crow
AFI
Melissa Etheridge
John Mayer
Damien Rice
Corinne Bailey Rae
Duran Duran
Snow Patrol
John Legend
Black Eyed Peas
Akon
Enrique Iglesias
Fall Out Boy
Maná
Keane
Kelly Clarkson
Korn
Faith Hill w/ Tim McGraw
Bloc Party

Celebrities and thought leaders
Entertainers, athletes, scientists, government leaders and CEOs helping engage their constituencies with SOS.

More than 1 million audience members
Live concert attendance reaching more than 1 million people.

More than 2 billion viewers
Multi-platform distribution (television, radio, internet, wireless) reaching in excess of 2 billion people across the globe.

The global audience gathered for Live Earth, its ongoing actions, and the proceeds from the concerts, will form the foundation for a new, multi-year international initiative to combat the climate crisis led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and its Chair, Al Gore.

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Click Here for television and radio broadcast schedules and information.

Welcome to the Press Information Center for Live Earth

Live Blog is where you will find up-to-the-minute information covering all of Live Earth’s 24 hours of music on 7 continents.

We will be posting official statements, global facts, remarkable stage moments, reports from the ground, and worldwide broadcast and pledge statistics around the clock beginning with Live Earth Sydney.

Online press kits are available for download in the Press Materials section to the right of Live Blog.

For all media inquiries, please email: press@liveearth.org.

- Live Earth Press Team

[more]

YUSUF (FORMERLY CAT STEVENS), XZIBIT AND KENNA TO JOIN LIVE EARTH LINE-UPS IN HAMBURG, TOKYO & NEW YORK Read More

LOS ANGELES MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA KICKS OFF GLOBAL SUPPORT FOR LIVE EARTH Read More

MORE THAN 7,000 ‘FRIENDS OF LIVE EARTH’ EVENTS NOW REGISTERED IN 129 COUNTRIES, ALL 50 STATES…AND GROWING Read More

Live Earth Adds VeriSign as Wireless Messaging Partner Read More

AL GORE, KEVIN WALL ISSUE FAR-REACHNG LIVE EARTH CALL TO ACTION Read More

LIVE EARTH NEW YORK PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH RIO DE JANEIRO PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH LONDON PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH JOHANNESBURG PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH HAMBURG PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH SHANGHAI PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH TOKYO PRESS KIT Read More

LIVE EARTH SYDNEY PRESS KIT Read More

Live Earth Video Packages & PSAs Read More

19A

I will change four light bulbs to CFLs at my home.

I will ride public transit or carpool one or more times per week.

I will shop for the most energy efficient electronics and appliances.

I will forward a Live Earth email message to 5 friends.

I will shut off my equipment and lights whenever I'm not using them.


CLICK HERE to read the Live Earth Pledge

First Name:	City:
Last Name:	Country:
Postal code:	* Email:

Send me email from Live Earth and its nonprofit partners on how to do more.
I am at least 13 years of age.

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20A What is Carbon Neutral? A carbon audit regime is an effective means of accounting for greenhouse gas control efforts. It establishes that the claimed reductions in emissions, or carbon sequestration, has actually occurred and is stable.

Click Will Ferrel As George Bush on Global Warming Humor.

Blue Box 2 Brian Nelson

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"In terms of the effectiveness of the Kyoto protocol, the U.S. participation is crucial."
-- Yasuko Ishii,
Japanese environment ministry (more)

"We'll be working with our allies to reduce greenhouse gases. But I will not accept a plan that will harm our economy and hurt American workers."
-- U.S. President George W. Bush (more)

President Bush has re-entered the global warming debate by unveiling his alternative to the 1997 Kyoto agreement on global warming. His plan offers incentives to businesses to voluntarily reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 4.5 percent over 10 years and to reduce power plant emissions.

Bush's plan is dramatically lower than the estimated 33 percent mandatory reduction sought by the Kyoto agreement for the United States, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions.

Asian and European nations have strongly criticized Bush's decision in 2001 to abandon the Kyoto treaty, which commits 37 industrialized nations to cut gas emissions. Bush has criticized the treaty, saying it set unrealistic goals and could damage the U.S. economy. But other nations worry about scientific concerns that climate change could lead to severe floods and droughts, rising sea levels and an increase in malaria and respiratory disease.

Bush touts alternative plan

The latest news on global warming

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09/24/2009 02:35 PM -0500

A Letter of Concern

"Global warming is a reality. It threatens both our society and life, as we know it on earth. The overwhelming consensus of the scientific community for the past decade has been that the planetary warming we are now experiencing, and the resulting climate change, is largely a human induced phenomenon. This is brought on mainly by the release of carbon dioxide through the burning of fossil fuels, which blankets our atmosphere raising the earth’s surface temperature.

Environmentally, we see dramatic signs of global warming in our polar regions.

Yet, because these regions are remote and go unseen by most people, it’s easy to ignore the potent warnings.
I have been to both poles; and I’ve seen catastrophic consequences of the climate change. I crossed both the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in the Arctic and Larson A and B Ice Shelves on Antarctica. All of which, to the astonishment of scientists, abruptly collapsed into the sea in the last decade as a result of climate changes. I experienced firsthand the melting of the sea ice on the Arctic Ocean. The polar sea has lost one fourth of both its thickness and area in the last two decades. Its once reflective surface is now exposing the darker ocean surfaces; because darker surfaces absorb more energy than lighter ones, warmth is accelerated. The summer sea ice is predicted to virtually disappear during the second half of this century, dooming animals like the polar bear and walrus to probable extinction.
In 1990, I testified before Congress about the danger of global warming thawing the northern permafrost releasing methane gas, a dangerous greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. This process is now in motion. The record warm summers in the Arctic are advancing the thawing of the high elevations of the Greenland icecap. The loss of ice that we are now experiencing worldwide is the fingerprint of global warming.

Morally, we see very real impacts on the human race. The Inuit hunting culture depends on Arctic ice. The melting sea threatens to obliterate this culture. With melting, low lying island nations sink. Intense hurricanes and other global warming related disruptions bankrupt economies and threaten to end the march of civilization, as we know it.

The Arctic and the Antarctic regions have been my home for over 40 years. To survive in these lands, I have become intimately familiar with their vast lands, wildlife, and climates. The changes I see deeply affect me in a way neither a scientific study nor a satellite image could. Without action, life in the Arctic faces extinction.
With action, we can address the root causes and limit the impact.

How can we act to avert the worst consequences? Throughout the next ten years, we must significantly reduce our emissions from today’s levels. By the year 2050, we must have cut those emissions by 60 to 80 percent.
Action begins with education. Global warming must be an essential topic in the K-12 educational agenda. This agenda begins with a sound educational curriculum based on best practices in educational research and pedagogy and continues with teacher education and professional development. Because we are dealing with an immediate threat, we must launch a public education campaign to engage everyone. Congregations, environmental groups, youth organizations, campuses, clubs of all kinds will play a pivotal role informing and engaging their members and moving them towards action. We must expect that our leaders in government, industry, congregations, and schools, are well informed about global warming and its consequences. To this end, we need to develop and offer an interactive forum-based program to those in leadership positions that would consist of a panel of authorities, such as scientists and other experts, who would discuss global warming and solutions at all levels of society.

Action continues by exploring diverse energy sources, continuing our search for increased fuel efficiency, and increasing our domestic production of transportation fuels.

Significantly increasing the use of domestic produced bio-fuels offers both immediate and potential long-term solutions to national security, economic competitiveness of the United States, and price and supply vulnerabilities for families and businesses. Domestically produced bio-fuels and energy also benefit the United States by creating jobs, keeping dollars in the country, and lowering the environmental impacts associated with fossil fuel production and use. We can reduce global warming pollution through: conservation, existing technologies that make power plants and factories more efficient, and cleaner technologies (e.g., hybrid automobiles, wind power, and solar power).

Global warming, an environment and moral issue is also a unifying issue. It affects all of us; therefore, the solution requires all of us. Individual action leads to collective action. Soon we are unified in this fight. But individual action alone will not solve the problem. We need to demand that our elected officials act to solve the global warming problem.

Cities, states, and individuals are adopting solutions that reduce our dependence on oil. These solutions, in turn, reduce air pollution and protect our pristine environments from oil drilling and mining.

State and local initiatives are proving that answers exist. To reinforce and expand these efforts, we need federal action that triggers solutions on a national scale. U.S. businesses can and should lead the world in developing new energy technologies, but many of these businesses will not lead without the guidance of mandatory limits. In 2005 the U.S. Senate recognized that global warming is real and that the time has come for strong federal policy. The effects of global warming are pervasive. We humans continue to burn fossil fuels. The burning creates a blanket, and the blanket forms a greenhouse over our earth. We cannot delay in slowing and reversing this trend.. Our economy, security, health, and the environment demand it."

- Will Steger

Will Steger (born 1943 at Mahtomedi, Minnesota) is the 2nd of 9 children in his family. His family moved to Richfield, MN in 1950. His adventures started when he was just a teen when he and his older brother traveled down the Mississippi River to New Orleans in a very small motor boat. Since then Will has done many things. He is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in dogsled exploration; such as the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole (without re-supply) in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland - the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history during 1988, the historic 3,471-mile International Trans-Antarctic Expedition - the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica (1989-90), and the International Arctic Project - the first and only dogsled traverse of the Arctic Ocean from Russia to Ellesmere Island in Canada during 1995.

Having been invited to testify before Congress on polar and environmental issues, Steger co-founded the Center for Environmental Education (CGEE)^[1] at Hamline University in 1991. During 1993 he founded the World School ^[2] at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota).

Will Steger joins Amelia Earhart, Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen and Jacques-Yves Cousteau in receiving the National Geographic Society's John Oliver La Gorce Medal for "accomplishments in geographic exploration, in the sciences, and for public service to advance international understanding" in 1995.

Steger received recognition and numerous honors for record setting explorations and interactive educational initiatives: Explorers Club Finne Ronne Memorial Award 1997, and the National Geographic Society's First Explorer-in-Residence 1996. ^[3]

He authored four books and his publications, photographs and interviews are distributed globally:

Bookmark this page now!

Action!

The Will Steger Foundation is committed to inspiring and documenting citizen action on the issue of global warming. We believe that small-scale, community based action is the most effective means of creating change. Communities have an immediate knowledge of their abilities and needs and of the resources available to them. Through the Global Warming 101 site, groups of active citizens can come together to share their stories and ideas. You can use their experience as a springboard for starting a project in your own community, then publish your story of what you accomplished on our site. Click on these action groups to see what people like you are doing across the nation to help combat global warming.

Steam and exhaust rise up from the smokestack of a coal-burning electric power plant. Coal is blamed by environmentalists as a leading source for carbon dioxide, one of the three main gases causing the "greenhouse effect" and warming the earth's temperature. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Global warming taking center stage

Broadcast: Midday, 01/26/2007, 11:06 a.m.

Listen to call-in show

St. Paul, Minn. — It seems the issue of global warming is getting a great deal of attention lately, on a state, national and even international level.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush referred to global warming as an established fact, and said we need to "confront the serious challenge of global climate change."

The World Economic Forum is meeting this week in Switzerland, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the group that battling climate change has to be among the planet's key priorities.

In the Minnesota House, Speaker Margaret Kelliher is hosting a global warming forum for legislators next Tuesday. Among the speakers will be several scientists, religious leaders and polar explorer Will Steger.

Steger will depart shortly on a trip to the Canadian Arctic, in part to keep the attention focused on global warming.

Guests

Will Steger: Polar explorer and educator.

Click Here for the Audio Track on Global warming taking center stage with Will Steger (call-in show) You can LIstn to this audio while you surf the net. Bookmark this page now!

Global Warming 101 Expeditions

The Will Steger Foundation's Global Warming 101 Initiative has launched a series of three educational expeditions between 2007 and 2009. Steger and his team of educators and explorers will travel to the ends of the Earth, focusing on each of the following three highly sensitive areas, in which positive feedback loops resulting from global warming could start a chain reaction with potentially destructive consequences worldwide: the Arctic Circle, Antarctica, and Greenland.

What are positive feedback loops and how are they connected with global warming?

Positive feedback loops refer to the point at which an effect on a dynamic system, of which climate is an example, initiates a self-reinforcing cycle -- once it begins, it is difficult, if not impossible, to stop. The concept applies to any process in which beyond a certain point, the rate at which the process -- be it chemical, sociological or environmental -- increases dramatically. Positive feedback loops can begin suddenly and without warning, which means we need to ACT NOW in order to prevent potentially dire consequences for the entire planet.

Breakup of the Arctic sea ice

Diminishing ice-albedo effect

In the Arctic a positive feedback loop has been determined in conjunction with the gradual thawing of the polar sea. U.S. Navy scientists have been documenting the effects of global warming in the Arctic Circle since 1958 and have since that time been recording changes in ice thickness. NASA began recording satellite images of the Arctic ice cap since the 1970's, and these photos demonstrate dramatic changes in the amount of ice cover. The Arctic sea ice reflects much of the Sun's heat back into space, a process known as the ice-albedo effect. Due to the rapid melting of the Arctic ice, the heat that was once deflected is now absorbed by the ocean. The increased heat in the atmosphere causes the ice to melt even faster, perpetuating a dangerous cycle of melting and heating.

Collapsing ice shelves in Antarctica

Breakup of the Larsen Ice Shelf, Antartica

In Antarctica, a positive feedback loop occurred in 1995 when the first ice shelf in Western Antarctica collapsed -- Larsen A, 618 square miles -- followed by the 425-square mile Wilkins Ice Shelf in 1998. To the surprise of scientists, the 1,255-square mile Larsen B Ice Shelf, approximately 220-meters thick and around 10,000 years old, also collapsed into the Weddell Sea in 2002. This shelf, crossed by Steger on his Trans-Antarctica expedition in 1989, took the team 21 days to cross via dogsled.

It is not the ice shelves' collapse, dramatic as it was, that now causes scientists to worry. Researchers in the field now warn that the loss of ice shelves in the region caused a secondary reaction that will ultimately raise the sea level. Studies continue to show that Antarctic glaciers are melting and surging toward the sea in the wake of the collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf. There is growing concern about what will happen when a buttressed ice shelf disintegrates into the ocean, increasing the chances that additional glaciers will follow. Antarctica stores 70% of the world's fresh water, with the West Antarctic Ice sheet holding an estimated 30 million cubic kilometers. If the entire shelf collapses, sea levels will rise by at least 5 meters, with other estimates predicting a rise of up to 17 meters.

Greenland's melting ice cap

Greenland is the location of another positive feedback loop that is the focus of a Global Warming 101 Expedition. Greenland's ice cap contains 6% of the Earth's supply of fresh water. This ice, if melted, would raise sea levels by about 23 feet worldwide -- not counting ice loss from the rest of the Arctic and the Antarctic. A study by NASA and the University of Kansas showed that the decline of Greenland's ice unexpectedly doubled between 1996 and 2005, as glaciers surged into the sea with unforeseen speed. A greater cause for concern is the discovery that the area of melt shifted 300 nautical miles north during the last four years of the study, indicating that the warmth is spreading rapidly.

Greenland Icecap melt area (l/r 1992, 2002 & 2005)

Education

The Global Warming 101 Education program tells the stories of the Inuit and of the polar bears, seals and walruses that share their Arctic home. The close observation of its affects on human and animal communities will help people understand the implications of global warming in a fundamentally different way than classroom study alone can. The expedition will put a face on a complex and seemingly remote issue. Educators Elizabeth Andre and Abby Fenton will share their experiences of living with the Inuit and of the Arctic biome -- thereby providing, with the help of the interactive web-based curriculum, a means for students to gain a deep, personal understanding of the interconnected world in which we all live.

The Education program includes:

	Six interdisciplinary lesson plans on global warming for middle and high school students, edited and approved by National Geographic Xpeditons and Union of Concerned Scientists. These lesson plans will help students master the requisite background information on global climate change processes, the importance of the Arctic to global climate, the potential effects of a warming Arctic, and consider what can/should be done in response. They will also provide a framework for further information collected and sent back from the expedition. Click Here to be taken to the lesson plans
	A catalog of cross-disciplinary classroom activities for K-12th grade. The catalog offers over 60 activities available for download, free of cost. All activities are related to global warming, experiential in nature, and written by our partners at Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis, MN, and by participants in the Will Steger Foundation Institute for Climate Change Education. Click Here for K-5 activities Click Here for 6-12 activities
	A secure and moderated on-line forum. Learners and educators will communicate through the forum about global warming-related news, projects and class activities. The forum will be continually updated with breaking news stories and satellite messages from the expeditions. Discussion Starters (can be used on or off the forum): A series of discussion starters give educators the tools they need to help students develop critical thinking skills and learn how to engage in respectful and informed discussion and debate about issues related to global warming. Click Here to be taken to the Global Warming101 Forum Click Here to be taken to the Discussion Starters
Recommended Resource	School of Environmental Studies Student e-Zine: Students at SES will produce their own monthly on-line Global Warming focused magazine including current events, field work and class projects, art, music and film, and responses to the expedition. The Ezine will be featured on the Global Warming 101 website. Click Here to be taken to the e-Zine (Coming Soon)
	Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA): Currently the most important document about global warming in the Arctic, the ACIA can be used as an important learning tool in middle school and high school classrooms. You can order copies by following the link above.

Bush offers alternative environmental plan

June 11, 2001 Posted: 12:23 PM EDT (1623 GMT)

The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort bringing Americans together to declare that global warming is here now and it’s time to act.

Learn More

The results are in and the reality of global warming is beyond dispute or debate. It’s not just an environmental issue. It affects ours public health and national security. It’s an urgent matter of survival for everyone on the planet — the most urgent threat facing humanity today. It’s going to take action from you and all of us working together.

The first step, Join the Virtual March.

The second step, Keep reading below, and share this with friends.

Global warming isn’t opinion. It’s a scientific reality. And the science tells us that human activity has made enormous impacts to our planet that affect our well-being and even our survival as a species.

The world’s leading science journals report that glaciers are melting ten times faster than previously thought, that atmospheric greenhouse gases have reached levels not seen for millions of years, and that species are vanishing as a result of climate change. They also report of extreme weather events, long-term droughts, and rising sea levels.

Fortunately, the science also tells us how we can begin to make significant repairs to try and reverse those impacts, but only through immediate action. That’s why we urge you to join us. The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is virtual but its purpose is real. By spreading the word and sharing this with others, our collective power will force governments, corporations, and politicians everywhere to pay attention.

What is Global Warming?

The Earth as an ecosystem is changing, attributable in great part to the effects of globalization and man. More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere than has been in the past 650,000 years. This carbon stays in the atmosphere, acts like a warm blanket, and holds in the heat — hence the name ‘global warming.’

The reason we exist on this planet is because the earth naturally traps just enough heat in the atmosphere to keep the temperature within a very narrow range - this creates the conditions that give us breathable air, clean water, and the weather we depend on to survive. Human beings have begun to tip that balance. We've overloaded the atmosphere with heat-trapping gasses from our cars and factories and power plants. If we don't start fixing the problem now, we’re in for devastating changes to our environment. We will experience extreme temperatures, rises in sea levels, and storms of unimaginable destructive fury. Recently, alarming events that are consistent with scientific predictions about the effects of climate change have become more and more commonplace.

Environmental Destruction

The massive ice sheets in the Arctic are melting at alarming rates. This is causing the oceans to rise. That’s how big these ice sheets are! Most of the world’s population lives on or near the coasts. Rising ocean levels, an estimated six feet over the next 100 years or sooner, will cause massive devastation and economic catastrophe to population centers worldwide.

The United States, with only four percent of the world’s population, is responsible for 22% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. A rapid transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources will combat global warming, protect human health, create new jobs, protect habitat and wildlife, and ensure a secure, affordable energy future.

Catastrophic Weather

Super powerful hurricanes, fueled by warmer ocean temperatures are the “smoking gun” of global warming. Since 1970, the number of category 4 and 5 events has jumped sharply. Hurricane Katrina, in September 2005 almost became a category 6 event. Human activities are adding an alarming amount of pollution to the earth’s atmosphere causing catastrophic shifts in weather patterns. These shifts are causing severe heat, floods and worse.

An Inconvenient Truth

BY ROGER EBERT / June 2, 2006

Cast & Credits
Paramount Classics presents a documentary featuring Al Gore. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated PG (for mild thematic elements).

I want to write this review so every reader will begin it and finish it. I am a liberal, but I do not intend this as a review reflecting any kind of politics. It reflects the truth as I understand it, and it represents, I believe, agreement among the world's experts.

Global warming is real.

It is caused by human activity.

Mankind and its governments must begin immediate action to halt and reverse it.

If we do nothing, in about 10 years the planet may reach a "tipping point" and begin a slide toward destruction of our civilization and most of the other species on this planet.

After that point is reached, it would be too late for any action.

These facts are stated by Al Gore in the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Forget he ever ran for office. Consider him a concerned man speaking out on the approaching crisis. "There is no controversy about these facts," he says in the film. "Out of 925 recent articles in peer-review scientific journals about global warming, there was no disagreement. Zero."

He stands on a stage before a vast screen, in front of an audience. The documentary is based on a speech he has been developing for six years, and is supported by dramatic visuals. He shows the famous photograph "Earthrise," taken from space by the first American astronauts. Then he shows a series of later space photographs, clearly indicating that glaciers and lakes are shrinking, snows are melting, shorelines are retreating.

He provides statistics: The 10 warmest years in history were in the last 14 years. Last year South America experienced its first hurricane. Japan and the Pacific are setting records for typhoons. Hurricane Katrina passed over Florida, doubled back over the Gulf, picked up strength from unusually warm Gulf waters, and went from Category 3 to Category 5. There are changes in the Gulf Stream and the jet stream. Cores of polar ice show that carbon dioxide is much, much higher than ever before in a quarter of a million years. It was once thought that such things went in cycles. Gore stands in front of a graph showing the ups and downs of carbon dioxide over the centuries. Yes, there is a cyclical pattern. Then, in recent years, the graph turns up and keeps going up, higher and higher, off the chart.

The primary man-made cause of global warming is the burning of fossil fuels. We are taking energy stored over hundreds of millions of years in the form of coal, gas and oil, and releasing it suddenly. This causes global warming, and there is a pass-along effect. Since glaciers and snow reflect sunlight but sea water absorbs it, the more the ice melts, the more of the sun's energy is retained by the sea.

Gore says that although there is "100 percent agreement" among scientists, a database search of newspaper and magazine articles shows that 57 percent question the fact of global warming, while 43 percent support it. These figures are the result, he says, of a disinformation campaign started in the 1990s by the energy industries to "reposition global warming as a debate." It is the same strategy used for years by the defenders of tobacco. My father was a Luckys smoker who died of lung cancer in 1960, and 20 years later it was still "debatable" that there was a link between smoking and lung cancer. Now we are talking about the death of the future, starting in the lives of those now living.

"The world won't 'end' overnight in 10 years," Gore says. "But a point will have been passed, and there will be an irreversible slide into destruction."

In England, Sir James Lovelock, the scientist who proposed the Gaia hypothesis (that the planet functions like a living organism), has published a new book saying that in 100 years mankind will be reduced to "a few breeding couples at the Poles." Gore thinks "that's too pessimistic. We can turn this around just as we reversed the hole in the ozone layer. But it takes action right now, and politicians in every nation must have the courage to do what is necessary. It is not a political issue. It is a moral issue."

When I said I was going to a press screening of "An Inconvenient Truth," a friend said, "Al Gore talking about the environment! Bor...ing!" This is not a boring film. The director, Davis Guggenheim, uses words, images and Gore's concise litany of facts to build a film that is fascinating and relentless. In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to.

Am I acting as an advocate in this review? Yes, I am. I believe that to be "impartial" and "balanced" on global warming means one must take a position like Gore's. There is no other view that can be defended. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Environment Committee, has said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." I hope he takes his job seriously enough to see this film. I think he has a responsibility to do that.

What can we do? Switch to and encourage the development of alternative energy sources: Solar, wind, tidal, and, yes, nuclear. Move quickly toward hybrid and electric cars. Pour money into public transit, and subsidize the fares. Save energy in our houses. I did a funny thing when I came home after seeing "An Inconvenient Truth." I went around the house turning off the lights.

Take Action!

There are many simple things you can do in your daily life — what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home — that can have an effect on your immediate surroundings, and on places as far away as Antarctica. Here is a list of a few things that you can do to make a difference.

Calculate Your Carbon and Cash Savings!

The Stop Global Warming calculator shows you how much carbon dioxide you can prevent from being released into the atmosphere and how much money you can save by making some small changes in your daily life. It’s our hope that the calculator will promote action, awareness and empowerment by showing you that one person can make a difference and help stop global warming.

An Inconvenient Truth

Watch the trailer for ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ – then pre-purchase tickets. The film eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global warming.

An Inconvenient Truth

The film eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal story and lifelong commitment to stop global warming. A rallying cry for action

Trailer (2:30)
Documentary
Rating: PG
In Theatres: May 24th, 2006

The truth is coming soon to a theater near you: Al Gore’s New Global Warming Movie “An Inconvenient Truth”

Al Gore’s critically-acclaimed new film “An Inconvenient Truth” offers the best opportunity we’ve ever had to capture the immediate attention of all Americans and move this country forward quickly to stop global warming. While the problem is urgent, the solutions are clear, and with American ingenuity and leadership, we can avert disaster and restore the world’s confidence in our values. Let’s work together to make this movie a success, and turn the audience interest into action.

One easy way to get involved as virtual marchers is to buy a ticket and bring a friend to see this movie. Then help spread the word. The more people go see this movie on opening weekend, the more theaters will pick it up. Bring the power of the Virtual March to movie theaters across the country.

Marching forward,
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Find the theater nearest you showing An Inconvenient Truth

Other ways you can help

Email your friends and family to pre-purchase tickets for opening weekend.
Tell your coworkers, book clubs, teachers, classmates, dinner party guests, neighbors, church groups, relatives…shout it from the rooftops!
Organize a group to go (Call the Paramount Group Sales office at 323-956-8896).
Sponsor your office or company to see the film
Sponsor a school, sponsor a science class, sponsor a youth club.
Take someone who you don't think would be interested in going.
Host post-viewing "Take Action" parties.
Blog about the movie in advance, and after you’ve seen it with your reactions.
Have your own website? Are you on MySpace? Post Online banners, icons, and other info about the movie.
Ask your local theater to show “An Inconvenient Truth” if they aren’t planning to already.

Petition Your Mayor!

While 162 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol to address global warming, the United States has not. When federal leadership failed to lead, mayors across the country rose to the occasion. 255 mayors representing over 45.4 million Americans have signed the Climate Protection Agreement, pledging to reduce global warming emissions in their cities. Has yours?

Learn More About Global Warming

The results are in and the reality of global warming is beyond dispute or debate. It’s not just an environmental issue. It affects our public health and national security. It’s an urgent matter of survival for everyone on the planet — the most urgent threat facing humanity today. It’s going to take action from you and all of us working together. If you’re not convinced that global warming is a serious issue that concerns you then you need to click here to learn why.

Five Things We Can All Do

Join StopGlobalWarming.org. Together our voices will be heard!
Spread the word, share the learning. Send this link to family, friends, and colleagues. Share why this is so important.
Change begins at home. (See the list home-related Action Items)
Put the heat on your elected officials.
The power of the pocketbook.

From : http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/home.nsf/pt_climate_change

Climate Change: Business Opportunity, Business Challenge

Human beings are changing the Earth’s climate. Around the world, heat-trapping gases from human activities are raising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and altering the length of seasons. These alarming trends threaten livelihoods and long-established ways of life in every nation.

This summer, in what has become a disturbingly predictable pattern, many parts of the United States experienced record high temperatures. In July, parts of India experienced record rainfall, killing more than 1,000 people. In June, eleven national academies of science from around the world issued a joint statement declaring that “the scientific understanding of climate change is now sufficiently clear to justify nations taking strong action.” On June 12, the popular newspaper USA Today— reflecting this widespread scientific consensus—ran a front page headline that read: “The debate’s over: Globe is warming.”

The heat-trapping gases gathering in the atmosphere come mainly from fossil fuels. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, billions of tons of coal and oil beneath the earth’s surface have been burned, converting solid carbon into gaseous carbon dioxide (the leading “greenhouse gas”). Forest loss also plays an important role. More than 20% of the heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere each year come from the cutting and burning of forests.

Global warming will be felt in all nations, but nowhere more acutely than in the developing world. These countries are most vulnerable because their economies depend on agriculture and other sectors tied to the climate, and because they simply have less money to spend on expensive adaptation measures. An African environmentalist once said that “for us, the problem of global warming is like the problem of secondhand smoke. We don’t create these gases, but they blow over us, causing no end of problems.”

As the threat posed by global warming becomes more apparent, governments and businesses have started to turn their attention to solutions. In recent years dozens of companies around the world have significantly cut emissions while saving money. Dozens of cities have done the same. This growing record of success raises questions about longstanding assumptions concerning the costs of reducing emissions and the dire warnings that this could only be done at significant economic cost.

For the private sector, climate change presents both a daunting challenge and an exciting opportunity. One challenge is the threat to physical infrastructure from more severe storms, as companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico have learned from this summer’s hurricanes. Another challenge is regulatory uncertainty: many governments around the world are only beginning to implement programs to control heat-trapping gases, with many elements of these programs still in the process of development. In the United States, a complex patchwork of state and local regulation is emerging as Washington moves haltingly toward playing a role. A final challenge is managing public perceptions. Shareholders of public companies, for example, are increasingly seeking ways to hold management accountable for perceived poor performance in response to climate change.

The opportunities are also considerable. Demand for clean energy is exploding around the world. Markets for wind and solar power are doubling every 2-3 years. Europe plans to generate 22% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2010; India plans to generate 10% of its electricity from renewables by 2012. Wind power already provides more than 17% of Denmark’s electricity; more than 6,000 solar electric systems are being installed in the next several years in Nicaragua alone. Meanwhile, clean coal technologies such as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) have efficiencies at least 25% greater than traditional coal-fired power plants. Investments in energy efficiency are especially powerful, helping to save energy and reduce costs.

Many large and small companies are positioning themselves to capture portions of these markets. Emissions trading offers companies the opportunity to capture extra profits from efficient production processes. In developing countries in particular, new sources of financing may be available for business ventures that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Companies that show leadership on this issue may be able to win customer loyalty, attract investment and build a positive brand.

Global Forecast

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to engage the largest cities in the world through the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group and provide them with the tools to become leaders in energy efficiency and green building strategies, which will result in the reduction of carbon emissions. CCI is focusing on three key deliverables: improving green purchasing power; mobilizing and deploying technical expertise; and implementing common measurement tools in the areas of buildings, power and water; and transportation. CCI, a program of the Clinton Foundation, recently launched in Los Angeles, Calif.

As a partner in the CCI's effort, USGBC will provide technical assistance and expertise in green building practices, engaging the World Green Building Council (WGBC), and mobilizing leading green building experts from around the globe with the goal of increasing the inventory of green buildings around the world. Other partners in the Clinton Climate Initiative include the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Alliance to Save Energy, and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

Governor, Blair Reach Environmental Accord

Schwarzenegger, saying the state 'will not wait' for federal government to act on global warming, signs pact with Britain's prime minister.

By Deborah Schoch and Janet Wilson, Times Staff Writers
August 1, 2006

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair signed an agreement on Monday to work together to curb greenhouse gas emissions, promote clean-burning fuels and collaborate on research to fight global warming.

Blair and Schwarzenegger announced the agreement at a meeting at the Port of Long Beach with prominent California and European business leaders on climate issues.

"California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming," said Schwarzenegger in a statement. "International partnerships are needed in the fight against global warming, and California has a responsibility and a profound role to play to protect not only our environment, but to be a world leader on this issue as well."

At the meeting, Blair called global warming "long term, the single biggest issue we face."

The agreement stops short of recommending mandatory cap-and-trade programs or other regulations that Britain and other European countries have implemented, which some environmentalists and Democratic state lawmakers are advocating.

Instead, the pact calls for studying the economic benefits and costs of such programs and of new energy technology, with an eye to a possible joint emissions trading program between California and Britain in the future.

BP Chief Executive Officer John Browne hosted the meeting at its terminal in Long Beach, with a company oil tanker looming in the background.

Blair and Schwarzenegger met privately with an array of corporate leaders, including Virgin Group Chief Executive Richard Branson, DuPont chief Charles O. Holliday Jr., Edison International chief John Bryson and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. The session was organized by the Climate Group, a London-based nonprofit organization.

At the news conference, reporters asked Blair and Schwarzenegger whether the agreement was an attempt to sidestep the Bush administration, which has been criticized for not acknowledging climate change more forcefully or embracing strong measures to combat it. The Bush administration favors voluntary emissions reductions rather than regulation.

Schwarzenegger responded that California would not wait for Washington to act, and he called climate change "the single most important issue" faced by the world community.

At a morning press briefing, the governor's communications director, Adam Mendelsohn, offered a milder comment. "Just to be clear," he said, for the press to report that the state was "bypassing the federal administration to enter into agreements with Great Britain would be wrong."

Schwarzenegger's environmental officials said they are in "constant contact" with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials about global warming. But Cal-EPA secretary Linda Adams said that no draft of the agreement had been shown to federal officials and that they had not been consulted.

James L. Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, did not attend Monday's meeting.

"There were some informal discussions about him attending, and he had a prior commitment, so he couldn't make it," said Kristen Hellmer, the council's deputy director for communications. She said the council views Monday's agreement as "a great amplification" of what Bush and Blair discussed at the G-8 summit last year.

Some environmental groups praised the pact.

The agreement "sounds like good politics for all … sort of like an international climate diplomacy by press release," said V. John White, executive director of the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology in Sacramento.

White said, however, that the Schwarzenegger administration and environmentalists still needed to agree this month on how to pass a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions that the governor would sign.

California business leaders guardedly praised the agreement but warned that they don't want to see the state impose a strict limit on emissions.

The Western States Petroleum Assn., representing the state's major oil companies, released a comment underscoring its concerns about AB32, a bill cosponsored by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) that would set limits on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases given off by industry.

By contrast, said the association's chief operating officer, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, Monday's agreement "recognizes the importance of using market-based mechanisms to address the challenging issues of climate change. It acknowledges the very real risks to our economic future if we don't move with care and deliberation."

In a statement, Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, applauded Schwarzenegger and Blair for their actions, including proposals to examine the true costs of greenhouse gas regulatory programs, adding, "Knowing what climate change policies will do to California's economy should be a prerequisite of any statutory change…. Unfortunately, some state policymakers continue to encourage the imposition of an arbitrary, California-only mandatory emissions cap program."

Blair, the first sitting British prime minister to visit Los Angeles, met with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other local leaders Monday at the Getty Villa.

An Inconvenient Truth:

Audiences everywhere respond to An Inconvenient Truth with spontaneous applause and standing ovations.

That’s because An Inconvenient Truth gives voice to a crisis that impacts us all: global warming. The facts are chilling and galvanizing individuals.

An-Inconvenient-Truth.com is an independent site established by fans to help promote this film in theaters and on DVD. We want everyone to see this film and help to spread its message.

Whether you see it in the theaters or not, we hope you share it with your friends, family, and community so that we can all start reducing our environmental impact.

While you wait for the DVD there are simple steps you can take to reduce your personal contribution to global warming. Our Personal Impact Audit Checklist will walk you through your home, room-by-room, and help you assess your energy efficiency.

Even the smallest lifestyle adjustments taken collectively can add up to significant reductions in global warming.
There is nothing more inspiring or more effective than Americans united behind a cause. We’re the most technologically advanced, highly educated, and wealthiest country on the planet. As a society, we’ve overcome tremendous challenges and done “the impossible” over and over again.

Reversing global warming is not a political issue. It’s a practical and realistic proposal. It’s our civic responsibility. If we, our children, and our children’s children want to continue living on Earth, it’s an imperative. And we have to start today.

That’s why we put together this site. There’s a wealth of information, links, recommendations for books and movies, a blog – and of course, the Personal Impact Audit Checklist. Just fill in your name and email, and we’ll send you the link so you can start reducing your impact today.

We hope you join us and then take a tour of the site. Thank you!

Aloha,

James Jacobson
President
Maui Media, LLC
Maui, Hawaii

Sat 8 Jul 2006

Modern Convenience vs. Environmental Conservation: Does it have to be a trade-off?

I consider myself a modern environmentalist who lives a life of dichotomy. I am ok with cities growing and providing for their citizens but I also think we should preserve green space wherever we can. I am conscious of my energy consumption but I still love a good road trip once in awhile. And, I love modern conveniences. I have a great microwave, I live less than a mile from the grocery store, and I just like to have the stuff I want when I want it. I confess that I sometimes hit a wall of choice between my desire to conserve, recyle, and preserve the environment and my desire for modern conveniences. So, I ask you: how do you manage the trade-off between convenience and conservation? Do you believe these two ideas are mutually exclusive? What things can we do to fulfill both desires?

I ask this of you because sometimes I feel stuck in a dilema. You see, besides being a modern environmentalist, I am also a hard-core hedonist. I love abundant and delicious food, beautiful art, amazing smells, ease and flow in life, and objects of pure desire. I like wearing sexy heels out and about and frankly, they just aren’t that comfortable if you’re catching mass transit (and fancy dresses do not go with tennis shoes..). It might sound vain to consider what I wear to be any kind of a consideration, but for me it’s not about showing off but an expression of my creative self. Do I really have to sacrifice my creative expression to be kind to the environment? I don’t honestly think so. I know there must be alternatives that I am overlooking in many areas of life, so I am turning to you to make suggestions that I (and hopefully others) can use.

These are a few things I can tell you I do now: I subscribe to Netflicks that gives me movies delivered to my mailbox so I don’t have to drive to the movie shop. When I sell stuff on E-bay, I get my postal carrier to pick it up from my doorstep instead of driving to the Post Office. I consolidate my errand runs so that I get several things done at one time when I go out shopping. I carpool with my girlfriends when we go sing karaoke on Friday nights so we only have one car driving around. I use the phone and internet as often as I can instead of a car trip. I grocery shop just once a week instead of going out every day. I re-use those indestructible plastic microwave dishes for feeding my dog and use the plastic grocery bags I get when I go to HEBs as my trash bags. I have a low-water use xeriscape garden. I am always on the look-out for ways to enjoy modern conveniences yet still apply conservation to my lifestyle.

This is just as short list so I am inviting you to add to it. What do you do to overcome the trade-off between enjoying modern conveniences and conserving the precious resources we have here on Earth to share? How do we achieve both a state of self enjoyment and convenience and also do our part as conscious world citizens? I look forward to hearing what you have to say and until next time, thanks for reading.

ri 7 Jul 2006

Top 10 Advances in Environmental Law 2005

http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/docs/earthjustice-2005-victory.pdf

#4 on this list is about addressing climate change as it affects the Inuit people in the Arctic. Climate change for this community is really a Human Rights issue, as their way of life is being decimated as global warming is changing their environment - ice melting, changing weather patterns, etc. They have filed a petition with an International Court to get the US to curb greenhouse gas emmisions, demanding that the US respect their right to life, health, culture.

While those of us closer to the equator feel the effects of global warming via stonger weather patters/storms, the Inuit are the first people experiencing the disastrous effects of climate change on a day-to-day basis.

'An Inconvenient Truth':
Here Comes the Sun

Trailer Audio may play automatically in duplicate . Sorry I am not sure how to fix it. Brian

by Patricia Chui

What It's About
When some politicians retire, they play golf. Well, former Veep Al Gore must have a miserable chip shot, because he's spent the years since his failed presidential bid lecturing tirelessly and articulately about global warming and its dire consequences. This documentary, a more elaborate version of Gore's presentation, uses video footage, charts, statistics, personal narrative and even cartoons to convey the alarmingly rapid rate at which rising temperatures are changing the face of the Earth -- and not in a good way.

Why You Should See It Energy issues are hot: Soaring gas prices have sent lawmakers scrambling to lessen our dependence on oil. But as Gore shows in his ardent call to arms, quick fixes are no solution to the potentially catastrophic dangers posed by carbon-dioxide emissions. You don't have to be a tree-hugger to come away from 'An Inconvenient Truth' convinced that we can no longer afford to bury our heads in the sand -- which makes this a film that everyone who cares about our future should see.

Breakout Star While he isn't anyone's idea of an ingénue, Al Gore -- Mr. I Won the Popular Vote and All I Got Was This Lousy Hanging Chad -- has seen renewed political life with the positive buzz surrounding 'Truth.' Will he run again? Who knows? But if Gore had been half as engaged, charming and passionate in 2000 as he is in this doc, we'd probably have a different president today.

Unforgettable Scene If you've seen the trailer, you can't get this phrase (and accompanying then-and-now photos) out of your head: "Within the decade, there will be no more snows of Kilimanjaro." It's just as sobering in the film, as are images of an Antarctic ice shelf crashing into the ocean, boats stranded in the desert that was once the Aral Sea, and a graphic showing the site of the World Trade Center flooded as a result of melting ice caps.

Buzz Meter The film premiered at January's Sundance Film Festival, where it sold out theaters and received standing ovations. It's an early favorite to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Plus, activist Laurie David ('Curb Your Enthusiasm' star Larry's wife) has been shilling the film everywhere she can, including promoting the website StopGlobalWarming.org, where more than 370,000 "virtual marchers" are registered.

Sun 2 Jul 2006

Venezuela plays heavy-oil card

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized

Multi-national energy companies are held to ZERO accountability when it comes to oil production/exploration. This day in age they are more powerful and exert more influence than most countries. That’s because $$$ buys power. So when a country like Venezuela decides to raise their taxes from 34% to 50% on profits in an attempt to discourage drilling, they’re not really scaring away the ExxonMobile’s or the ShellConoco’s. Really, these multinationals have no problem shaing their profits with the state so long as they are given access to the wealth that lays beneath their borders.

So what is it called when state and business interests merge together: oh wait, it’s called Fascism. Is this the new global economy we were promised? Where are the checks and balances on this kind of corporate perversion and dominance in the world? The answer is in the creation of free energy systems that will displace the archaic form of fossil fuel energy production that exists today. We need to shed light on those courageous enough to bring these existing technologies to market that will replace our current means of energy production that is polluting/killing our planet.

Sat 8 Jul 2006

Modern Convenience vs. Environmental Conservation: Does it have to be a trade-off?

Posted by Vicki under things we can do

I consider myself a modern environmentalist who lives a life of dichotomy. I am ok with cities growing and providing for their citizens but I also think we should preserve green space wherever we can. I am conscious of my energy consumption but I still love a good road trip once in awhile. And, I love modern conveniences. I have a great microwave, I live less than a mile from the grocery store, and I just like to have the stuff I want when I want it. I confess that I sometimes hit a wall of choice between my desire to conserve, recyle, and preserve the environment and my desire for modern conveniences. So, I ask you: how do you manage the trade-off between convenience and conservation? Do you believe these two ideas are mutually exclusive? What things can we do to fulfill both desires?

I ask this of you because sometimes I feel stuck in a dilema. You see, besides being a modern environmentalist, I am also a hard-core hedonist. I love abundant and delicious food, beautiful art, amazing smells, ease and flow in life, and objects of pure desire. I like wearing sexy heels out and about and frankly, they just aren’t that comfortable if you’re catching mass transit (and fancy dresses do not go with tennis shoes..). It might sound vain to consider what I wear to be any kind of a consideration, but for me it’s not about showing off but an expression of my creative self. Do I really have to sacrifice my creative expression to be kind to the environment? I don’t honestly think so. I know there must be alternatives that I am overlooking in many areas of life, so I am turning to you to make suggestions that I (and hopefully others) can use.

These are a few things I can tell you I do now: I subscribe to Netflicks that gives me movies delivered to my mailbox so I don’t have to drive to the movie shop. When I sell stuff on E-bay, I get my postal carrier to pick it up from my doorstep instead of driving to the Post Office. I consolidate my errand runs so that I get several things done at one time when I go out shopping. I carpool with my girlfriends when we go sing karaoke on Friday nights so we only have one car driving around. I use the phone and internet as often as I can instead of a car trip. I grocery shop just once a week instead of going out every day. I re-use those indestructible plastic microwave dishes for feeding my dog and use the plastic grocery bags I get when I go to HEBs as my trash bags. I have a low-water use xeriscape garden. I am always on the look-out for ways to enjoy modern conveniences yet still apply conservation to my lifestyle.

This is just as short list so I am inviting you to add to it. What do you do to overcome the trade-off between enjoying modern conveniences and conserving the precious resources we have here on Earth to share? How do we achieve both a state of self enjoyment and convenience and also do our part as conscious world citizens? I look forward to hearing what you have to say and until next time, thanks for reading.

Fri 7 Jul 2006

Architects, Designers, Engineers: Enter Competition to Build a mini-Utopia!

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
No Comments

Building A Sustainable World / Life in Balance
We here at An-Inconvenient-Truth.com have been contacted by The Royal Institute of British Architects about a really cool competition that is open to architects, urban planners, designers, engineers, and anyone else interested in participating in a project to create a sustainable community. We would like to urge anyone interested to participate, as it is one of many ways individuals and organizations can address the issue of global warming and take decisive action to create a peaceful and healthy society on Earth.

For more information and registration details, check out the following link: http://www.riba-usa.org/Competitions/index.htm

For those that enter, we would love to hear about your experiences. Good luck and have fun!

Thu 6 Jul 2006

Climate Change Fueling Wildfire, Study says

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
No Comments

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060706-warming-fires.html

As wildfires rage in the Western United States, experts point out that an earlier spring arrival is to blame. As a result of warmer weather, snowpack in higher elevations has been melting sooner, allowing for a longer dry season as the summer progresses. From Arizona north to Idaho, and Colorado west to California, the Western United States is being scorched and feeling the direct impact of climate change.

Simply thinning out the forests (forest management) does not alleviate the situation. This problem is anticipated to continue for years to come because temperatures are rising and brush (fuel) is drying out all across the West. Rivers run low and so the Earth cannot extinguish these fires and regulate herself. This is direct proof that Global Warming is real. It’s time to take action.

Mon 3 Jul 2006

Great Websites/Projects involving new technologies

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
[2] Comments

Feel free to add any others you may have come across. I think the genius behind many of
these technologies and projects is most are open-source, or at least should be, meaning
anyone can add to it their own research. Transparency is vital because keeping these
technologies a secret allows control and manipulation of the masses.

SEAS Power (http://seaspower.com) - “SEAS has adatabase of hundreds of systems. Alas, we
have yet to find one that is a) built and operational b) available for independent verification and reproducibility and c) therefore worth bringing forward in the world. We remain hopeful such a device/system may yet beextant somewhere on earth.” — StevenGreer (Sept. 28, 2005)

http://pureenergysystems.com/
Description: Featuring, promoting and fostering energy technologies that are on the
cutting-edge, clean, super-efficient, non-depleting, reliable and affordable; which
have not yet been introduced to the mainstream,facilitating their emergence as legitimate
modalities.

A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy
- Erich J. Knight points to the areas of new energy research that he deems to be the most fruitful,
including nanotechnology, thermionics and fusion.(ZPEnergy; Sept. 21, 2005)

World Energy Engineering Congress (http://energycongress.com/) - Annual convention
of theAssociation of Energy Engineers. “The Association’s more than 8,000 members include
energy engineering and management professionals from throughout the U.S., as well as 71
nations abroad. AEE is dedicated to providing industry information, conference and
seminar programs, reference books, marketplace surveys, and professional certifications
including Certified Energy Manager, Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional, Certified
Energy Procurement Professional, Certified Power Quality Professional and others.”
World Renewable Energy Congress / Network (WREC/WREN) (http://www.wrenuk.co.uk/) - “A
major institution for renewable energy promotion.”

World Energy Congress
“Widely recognised as the premier global all-energy event on the calendar, and has been
running since 1924.”20th World Energy Congress - Rome 2007 (http://www.rome2007.it/)World Renewable Energy
Congress 2005
- Connect
Scotland’s business network provides technology start-up companies with financial and
networking opportunities through its events.

Mon 3 Jul 2006

Meerut youngsters claim to have invented new source of energy

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
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http://in.news.yahoo.com/060624/139/65ctd.html

It’s always the youth that lead the way. Hopefully these young men can turn their invention into a practical energy device for their country (India) and the world at-large. If only I were a venture capitalist…

Mon 3 Jul 2006

New Energy Congress: Top 100 Technologies

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
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http://Top100Energy.com

I think it would be cool if anyone would want to post their favorite or most promising new technologies from this website. This is 21st century stuff here! Anything to get us off the fossil fuel grid!

For me personally, I am inspired by the work of Nikola Tesla. I think electromagnetics has the potential as a HUGE new energy source. Like Tom Bearden’s work: Bearden’s MEG - Electromagnetic generator without moving parts which includes a permanent magnet and a magnetic core. (http://cheniere.org)

or for fuel efficiency: 330 MPG Aptera Hybrid (http://pesn.com/2006/01/21/9600227_Accelerated_Composits_330MPG_car/) - The Aptera prototype, which is halfway to completion, will go for up to 330 miles on a gallon of gas thanks to an aerodynamic design and the lightweight composites that make up the chassis. (http://www.acceleratedcomposites.com

Also, the implications of moving away from fossil fuels will create a geo-political vortex. On the other hand, it will empower 3rd world countries because they will bypass the industrial revolution that western civilization went through. Imagine skipping the telegraph and telephone and going straight to today’s cell phones/modern computers. I think this is an important discussion to have as far as how new technologies will change the world. Any thoughts?

Mon 3 Jul 2006

New Energy Sources and Inventions

Posted by Jeff under Uncategorized
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Article with commentary regarding the near impossibility of bringing new technologies to market as a result of special interests in burning fossil fuels. Very thought-provoking.

New Energy Sources and Inventions
By Peter Lindemann, D. Sc. (Summary by Fred Burks)

In the late 1880’s, trade journals in the electrical sciences were predicting “free electricity” in the near future. Incredible discoveries about the nature of electricity were becoming commonplace. Within 20 years, there would be automobiles, airplanes, movies, recorded music, telephones, radio, and practical cameras. For the first time in history, common people were encouraged to envision a utopian future filled with abundant modern transportation and communication, as well as jobs, housing and food for everyone. So what happened? Where did the new energy breakthroughs go? Was this excitement about “free electricity” all just wishful thinking that “real science” eventually disproved?
Current State of Technology. The answer is NO. Spectacular new energy technologies were developed right along with other breakthroughs. Since then, multiple methods for producing vast amounts of energy at extremely low cost have been developed. None of these technologies have made it to the “open” consumer market, however. Why this is true will be discussed shortly. First, here is a short list of new energy technologies. The common feature connecting all of these discoveries is that they use a small amount of one form of energy to control or release a large amount of a different kind of energy.

Radiant Energy. Nikola Tesla’s Magnifying Transmitter, T. Henry Moray’s Radiant Energy Device, Edwin Gray’s EMA Motor, and Paul Baumann’s Testatika Machine all run on Radiant Energy. This natural energy can perform the same wonders as ordinary electricity at less than 1% of the cost. It does not behave exactly like electricity, however, which has contributed to the scientific community’s misunderstanding of it. The Methernitha Community in Switzerland currently has 5 or 6 working models of fuelless, self-running devices that tap this energy. [More]
Permanent Magnets. Dr. Tom Bearden has two working models of a permanent magnet powered electrical transformer. It uses a 6-watt electrical input to control the path of a magnetic field coming out of a permanent magnet. By channeling the magnetic field, first to one output coil and then a second repeatedly and rapidly, the device can produce a 96-watt electrical output with no moving parts. Multiple inventors have working mechanisms that produce torque from permanent magnets alone. [More]
Super-Efficient Electrolysis. Water can be broken into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. When water is hit with its own molecular resonant frequency, it collapses into hydrogen and oxygen gas with little electrical input. Hydrogen fuel can drive engines (like in your car) for the cost of water. [More]
Cold Fusion. Though initial claims were debunked, cold fusion is very real. Not only has excess heat production been repeatedly documented, but also low energy atomic element transmutation has been catalogued, involving dozens of different reactions! [More]

There are dozens of other systems. Many are viable and well tested. But this short list is sufficient to make the point: new energy technology is here. It offers the world pollution-free energy abundance for everyone, everywhere. It is now possible to stop the production of “greenhouse gases” and shut down the nuclear power plants. Transportation and production costs for just about everything can drop dramatically. Yet all these wonderful benefits that can make life on this planet so much easier and better for everyone have been postponed for decades. Why? Whose purposes are served by this postponement?

The Invisible Enemy. There are four forces that have worked together to create this situation. The wealthiest families and their central banking institutions are the first force. Their motivations are greed and the need to control everything except themselves. Their plan is to eventually control all of the resources of the world, and thereby control everyone’s life through the availability of all goods and services. An independent source of wealth (new energy device) in the hands of every person in the world ruins their plans for world domination. They don’t want any competition. The weapons they have used to enforce this include intimidation, “expert” debunkers, buying and shelving of technology, and murder of inventors. They have also promoted the scientific theory that states free energy is impossible (laws of thermodynamics).

The second force is national governments. The problem here is related to the maintenance of national security. There is a constant jockeying for position and influence in world affairs, and the strongest party wins. In economics, it’s the golden rule, which states: “The one with the gold makes the rules.” Unlimited energy on this planet will lead to an inevitable reshuffling of the balance of power. Everybody will want it, and at the same time, want to prevent everyone else from getting it. So, national governments’ motivations are self-preservation. Their weapons include preventing the issuance of patents based on national security grounds, harassment of inventors with criminal charges, tax audits, threats, phone taps, arson, theft, and a host of other intimidations which make the business of building and marketing a new energy machine impossible.

The third force consists of deluded inventors and con men. On the periphery of the extraordinary scientific breakthroughs that constitute real new energy technologies, lies a shadow world of unexplained anomalies, marginal inventions and unscrupulous promoters. The first two forces have constantly used the media to promote the worst examples of this group, to distract the public’s attention, and to discredit real breakthroughs by associating them with the frauds. So, the third force is delusion and dishonesty. The motivations are self-aggrandizement, greed, want of power over others, and a false sense of self-importance. The weapons used are lying, cheating, self-delusion and arrogance combined with bad science.

The fourth force operating to postpone the public availability of new energy technology is all of the rest of us. It may be easy to see how narrow and despicable the motivations of the other forces are, but actually, these motivations are still very much alive in each of us as well. Like the wealthiest families, don’t we each secretly harbor illusions of false superiority and want to control others instead of ourselves? Also, wouldn’t you sell out if the price were high enough? Or like the governments, don’t we each want to ensure our own survival? Or like the deluded inventor, don’t we trade a comfortable illusion once in a while for an uncomfortable fact? Or don’t we still fear the unknown, even if it promises a great reward?

All four forces are just different aspects of the same process. There is really only one force preventing the availability of new energy technology, and that is unspiritually motivated behavior. New energy technology is an outward manifestation of divine abundance. It is the engine of the economy of an enlightened society, where people voluntarily behave in a respectful and civil manner toward each other. Unspiritualized humans cannot be trusted with new energy. They will only do what they have always done, which is to take merciless advantage of each other, or kill each other and themselves in the process.

The Opportunity. What is new is that you and I can communicate with each other now better than at anytime in the past. The Internet offers us, the fourth force, an opportunity to overcome the combined efforts of the other forces preventing new energy technology from spreading. What is starting to happen is that inventors are publishing their work, instead of patenting it and keeping it secret. More and more, people are “giving away” information on these technologies in books, videos and websites. While there is still a great deal of useless information about new energy on the Internet, the availability of good information is rising rapidly.

All of us constitute the fourth force. If we stand up and refuse to remain ignorant and action-less, we can change the course of history. Only mass action can create the world we want. The other three forces will not help us put a fuelless power plant in our homes. New energy technology will change everything about the way we live, work and relate to each other. It obsoletes greed and fear for survival. But like all exercises of spiritual faith, we must first manifest generosity and trust in our own lives.

New energy technology is here. It has been here for decades. Communications technology and the Internet have torn the veil of secrecy off of this remarkable fact. People all over the world are starting to build new energy devices. The bankers and governments don’t want this to happen, but can’t stop it. Tremendous economic instabilities and wars will be used to distract people from joining the new energy movement. There will be essentially no major media coverage of this aspect of what is going on. It will simply be reported as wars and civil wars erupting everywhere.

Western society is spiraling toward self-destruction due to the accumulated effects of greed and corruption. The availability of new energy technology cannot stop this trend. If, however, you have a new energy device, you may be better positioned to survive the transition that is underway. The question is, who will ultimately control the emerging world government, the first force, or the fourth force? Some who refuse to fight will survive to see the dawn of the world of new energy. I challenge you to be among the ones who try.

source: http://www.wanttoknow.info/newenergysources

Mon 3 Jul 2006

The Truth Isn’t So Inconvenient for Kids

Posted by Molly under film , things we can do
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Dian Fossey, the anthropologist who dedicated her life to (and was murdered for) studying the gorillas of Zaire, has been honored by an 8th grader in New York State.

Johnathan Chase, a social studies teacher in Central New York, wrote to tell us about his student’s project, which you can also see here:

http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/gallery.htm

The dedication song for Dian Fossey’s memorial was Megadeth’s “Countdown to Extinction”. Sigh.

Mr. Chase tells us that many song lyrics are inspired by social issues, including the environment. He and his students have compiled some interesting facts here:

http://www.learningfromlyrics.org/

Thanks to teachers like Mr. Chase, who keep children thinking about these issues all the way through school (he teaches 7-12th grade). They’re simplified view of the world - that we can’t keep going on like this - is the one we adults need to adopt in order to actually reverse the harm we’re doing to the environment.

What is Global Warming?

Global warming taking center stage

Audio

What are positive feedback loops and how are they connected with global warming?

Breakup of the Arctic sea ice

Greenland's melting ice cap

The Education program includes:

Bush offers alternative environmental plan

Learn More

What is Global Warming?

Environmental Destruction

Catastrophic Weather

An Inconvenient Truth

Other ways you can help

Five Things We Can All Do

'An Inconvenient Truth': Here Comes the Sun

Headlines: All

'An Inconvenient Truth':
Here Comes the Sun