environment Politics: copenhagen Desperation New York Times Pi***ng into the wind Todd Stern
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 16: The Gray Lady
The New York Times has a length limit of 150 words; I managed to get it down to 149. Tomorrow I’ll be out most of the day making calls for Coakley at a local phonebank. I hate doing it, but it’s not something I feel a lot of choice about. My voice will be wrecked by the evening…with luck I’ll recover before a full day of teaching on Sunday.
Another of the Times’ stipulations is that letters have to explicitly address an issue discussed in a recent article. Fortunately, a few seconds of searching their site found me a recent piece on the possibilities of post-Copenhagen progress on climate, and I framed my letter around that. It was fun getting it trimmed to fit a 150-word maximum; I’ll try again in another week or so.
If you have suggestions for other journals, papers, magazines or forums I can write to, I will be interested in hearing them!
American climate change negotiator Todd Stern’s is cautiously optimistic (“U.S. Official Says Talks on Emissions Show Promise” – John M. Broder, January 14). Unfortunately his caution is more reality-based than his optimism. Stern’s statements are full of conditionals, as witness the end of the first sentence: “…if countries followed through on its provisions.” The dilemma lies, as do so many of our problems, in the Senate, where a significant number of lawmakers have abandoned any notion of crafting policy around scientific consensus, basing it instead on poll numbers or ideological opposition to the current administration. And because our mass media has for years downplayed the threat posed by global climate change, the public has not grasped the terrifying reality of anthropogenic climaticide for what it is: a planetary emergency of unparalleled scale. Our failure to address this crisis with the requisite urgency may be the final failure of our species.
Warren Senders
environment Politics: Desperation glacial melt methane washington post
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 15: Chastising the Washington Post
Daughter announced this morning that she wanted to stay home, and “make up a school at home.” I agreed, with the caveat that she would have to spend a bunch of time alone, as I had work to do and some students later in the morning. In a minute or so I’m going to make some calls for the Coakley campaign. Today’s letter is a remix of several earlier items; I’m now at the point where I have enough material to dissect and reassemble my output in multiple combinations. It’s less work, or it would be if the prose wasn’t on such a harrowing topic.
Each day brings new news about the magnitude of the looming climate crisis; most recently we learn that the Pine Island Glacier, largest of the glaciers making up the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, has passed a “tipping point” and is now inexorably melting. Simultaneously levels of atmospheric methane over the Siberian Shelf in the Arctic Ocean now range between a hundred and a thousand times normal, indicating that gigatonnes of this powerful greenhouse gas which have been frozen under the tundra for tens of thousands of years are now starting to enter the atmosphere. The most significant thing about the predictions of climatologists is that they are without exception too conservative; tipping points projected for the end of this century now loom at the end of this decade.
The best-case scenarios for runaway global warming lead to terrifying dystopias, with millions of displaced climate refugees, worldwide food and water shortages, resource wars and devastatingly unpredictable weather patterns. The worst-case scenarios could lead to global temperatures soaring to levels inhospitable to any life at all. Venus, in short. And the scientific evidence (again, based on conservative projections) suggests that the probability of bad-to-worst-case outcomes is statistically significant. This country’s rush to war in 2002 was based on evidence far less robust than that for human causes of global climate change: if the evidence of Iraqi WMD’s was as strong as that for anthropogenic global warming, our troops would have found stacks of nuclear weapons freely sold in the bazaars of Baghdad.
And where is the Washington Post in all this? Firmly ignoring science and continuing to publish the glib (albeit erudite) misinformation propagated by George Will. The Post should correct this shortsighted policy immediately; there has never been a time in human history when enabling ignorance could have such devastating consequences.
Warren Senders
environment Politics: Desperation Ed Markey Pi***ng into the wind
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 14: Ed Markey Hears From Me Again
Last night I was doing bookkeeping for 2009, so I didn’t write anything. This morning I’m strapped for time, so this letter came out kind of blunt. I also included some footnotes for the first time. This was prompted by the scariest thing I have ever read, over at Daily Kos.
January 14, 2010
Dear Representative Markey,
Thank you for your work in the area of climate change and environmental protection. As we are now discovering, the predictions of climate scientists have been profoundly erroneous. Without exception, climatologists’ projections of the rate and severity of climate change are turning out to be too timid. The world is heating up faster than they expected. Much faster. Much, much faster.
The latest news reveals that we face what is surely the most pressing existential crisis in humanity’s history. The recent discovery of atmospheric methane levels over the Arctic ocean ranging between a hundred and a thousand times normal is a terrifying augury of things to come (see below). Once the gigatonnes of frozen methane locked in the tundra begin to melt, climatic tipping points are going to arrive faster and faster, and the best-case scenarios will look like dystopian nightmares. The worst-case scenarios can be summed up in one word: Venus.
Unless we can learn to set aside international and intra-national differences of opinion and personality conflicts, the outlook for coming generations is dire. Your leadership is needed now more than ever.
Thank you again for your efforts in this field.
Yours sincerely,
Warren Senders
1. “Scientists have uncovered what appears to be a further dramatic increase in the leakage of methane gas that is seeping from the Arctic seabed.”
2. “Fairbanks, Alaska—A team led by International Arctic Research Center scientist Igor Semiletov has found data to suggest that the carbon pool beneath the Arctic Ocean is leaking.
The results of more than 1,000 measurements of dissolved methane in the surface water from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf this summer as part of the International Siberian Shelf Study show an increased level of methane in the area. Geophysical measurements showed methane bubbles coming out of chimneys on the seafloor.”
environment Politics: cowering before the apocalypse Hillary Clinton secretary of state
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 13: A Letter to The Secretary of State
In over ten whole minutes of web searching, I could not find a fax number for the Secretary of State’s office, so this one is going off by snailmail.
Dear Secretary Clinton,
Over the long run, there is no issue more likely to contribute to profound global instability than runaway global warming. Projections of the sociopolitical effects of climate change include severe disturbances to farming economies caused by erratic weather, increased risk of near-apocalyptic fires in forested areas affected by severe heat, “water wars” triggered by drought and the elimination of glacial melt as a source for important rivers and aquifers, and, of course, the inevitability of millions of climate refugees, many in the world’s poorest nations.
Add to this the increasing likelihood that oceanic acidification will profoundly affect the food chain of much of earth’s life, and the terrifying prospect of gigatons of arctic methane being released into our atmosphere and bringing a greenhouse effect of unimaginable magnitude, and the possibility of a planetary enactment of a Biblical apocalypse becomes disturbingly likely. While some Dominionists may view this as desirable, hoping for the Rapture is not a valid environmental policy.
As the leader of the free world, the United States needs a diplomatic strategy that simultaneously fosters long-term thinking among the world’s governments (because a multi-decade gap between cause and effect is inherent in the processes of climate) and prompt and vigorous action (because the window of time in which our actions can make a difference to our descendents is rapidly closing). It is absolutely crucial that we take the initiative to bring about a worldwide agreement to reduce atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm or less, as recommended by Dr. James Hansen and other climatologists.
Please make sure the world knows that America is ready to lead, both in finding ways to mitigate the unavoidable effects of climate change and in preventing further catastrophic changes from coming to pass.
Failure in this area is a guarantee of failure for all of us — all six billion of us.
Thank you,
Warren Senders
A little long, but what the hell. Writing a shorter letter would have taken an extra fifteen minutes or so.
environment Politics: John Kerry Lisa Murkowski Paul Kirk
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 12 (a): a Quick Fax to Senators Kerry and Kirk
There’s some excitement about Lisa Murkowski’s proposed amendment to an upcoming bill dealing with raising the national debt ceiling, and CREDO sent out an email blast asking us to tell our Senators to oppose it. Her amendment will weaken the enforcement abilities of the EPA, making the Clean Air Act a hollow shell of its former self. Needless to say, that’s a bad thing, and Murkowski’s a bad influence.
This came concurrently with 1Sky’s “Day to Call the Senate” or whatever it was they called it, so I dashed off a quick fax covering both issues to my Senators, Kerry and Kirk.
Dear Senators Kerry and Kirk,
Please vote against the Murkowski amendment on the debt ceiling bill scheduled to come to the floor on January 20th. We need robust enforcement of the Clean Air Act!
Also, now is the time to move forward on meaningful environmental legislation to deal with the threat of global climate change. Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey are good starts, but we need to reduce atmospheric CO2 to 350 ppm, not 450 as these bills stipulate.
Thank you,
Warren Senders
Not eloquent, but it said what needed to be said. Faxed to both of Kirk’s offices and all of Kerry’s, with the exception of the Springfield office, which appears to have been decommissioned.
Oh, and I also called Kerry’s offices and basically read this to his staffers over the phone.
Need I say that it is a terrifying thought that Republican buffoon Scott Brown is as close as he is to gaining control of Ted Kennedy’s old Senate seat? WTF?
environment Politics: Desperation letters Pi***ng into the wind
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 10: To a Local Paper
Very tired; very spaced out. Wife & kid were on their way out to a dance class and the car battery died, so this one was composed in the short interval between scrambling around with jumper cables and the arrival of a student.
Anyway, it went off to the Arlington Advocate, a local newspaper. We’ll see.
UPDATE: They’ll only publish letters from Arlington residents or businesspeople. So I’ll send it along to the Boston Globe this evening.
Polls suggest that a significant proportion of the American people “don’t believe in global warming.” This represents a tragic failure in education and a tragic failure in communication. In the wake of Sputnik, science education in America became a national priority and we collectively accomplished wonders; in the wake of Reagan and the rise of the evangelical movement, science has been downgraded and degraded, and we collectively remain oblivious to a looming disaster. Our inability to understand the scary facts of global climate change is also a failure of imagination: surrounded by exhortations to “live for the moment” and reminded daily that “it’s all about YOU,” Americans cannot conceive of a multi-decade interval between cause and effect, cannot imagine that the tragedy of climaticide will affect them in any way. Our politics, our media, our educational system and our economic system are all contributors; this is a perfect example of a systemic problem.
Unfortunately, we are running out of time. The failure to achieve a meaningful climate treaty in Copenhagen and the unwillingness of science-ignorant senators to act on climate-change legislation may be the precursor to a “perfect storm” of devastating magnitude.
Warren Senders
environment Politics: Barack Obama Desperation Pi***ng into the wind
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 9: Happy birthday!
She got up this morning and opened presents; this afternoon we’re having a party for the five-year-old birthday girl. Mid-morning she had a swim class, and while she was splashing around, I wrote a fax to the White House:
Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on nearing the end of your first year in office. I hope that among your accomplishments you can also recognize the extraordinary degree to which your political opposition has dedicated itself to frustrating and hindering your political and legislative agenda. You have bent over backwards to accommodate the Republicans, and over and over your readiness to accommodate has been treated as a weakness, leading to a dilution of your policy initiatives.
In the long run, the looming climate crisis is without doubt the single most important problem that you (or any leader) will be called upon to address. It is imperative that you use your communication skills to educate the public on this subject; there is no time left for us, for our culture and civilization, for the web of biodiversity upon which all planetary life depends. I beg of you, sir, to publicly acknowledge the importance of Dr. James Hansen’s work — and to vigorously promote the absolute necessity for America to lead the world in the reduction of atmospheric CO2 to 350 parts per million.
Time is running out, and the Republican strategy appears to be, simply, to wait for the Rapture. We can’t afford inaction.
Thank you,
Warren Senders
Have you contacted your President today?
environment Politics: Desperation Ed Markey New Year's Resolution Pi***ng into the wind
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 6: A Fax to Ed Markey
I woke up ahead of the alarm this morning, with thoughts of Arctic methane bubbling in my head. The notion of planetary life being extinguished by a massive global fart banished sleep entirely. (Warning: if you wish to retain peace of mind, do not click on that link.)
After I dropped my daughter off at preschool I came home and started to write a note to my Representative, Ed Markey. Here’s what scrolled through his fax machine this morning:
Dear Congressman Markey,
I live down the street from your Medford Square office; a few days ago my daughter and I walked past, and I pointed out your name on the window. “That’s Mr. Markey’s office,” I told her, “he’s a good man and he works to help people and the planet. She nodded her not-quite-five-year-old head solemnly, and resumed her happy chatter a moment later.
And yes, I do want to thank you for your leadership on the critical issue of global climate change. But it is a sad commentary on the state of American public discourse that the most visible political leadership on the most crucial issue facing our country and our planet is building arguments based on science that is over a decade out of date. Waxman-Markey, if I understand it correctly, would aim to stabilize atmospheric CO2 at 450 ppm; as I’m sure you’re aware, the current scientific consensus is that the absolute maximum target needs to be 350 ppm. Furthermore, I have waited in vain for you, or any elected representative, to address the grave threats posed by the impending melt of megatons of arctic methane due to higher temperatures — and the terrifying consequences of ocean acidification. Is confronting scientific truth more than We The People can deal with? I hope not.
Yours Sincerely,
Warren Senders
Washington, DC office: 202-226-0092
Medford, MA office: 781-396-3220
Framingham, MA office: 508-370-8165
I’ll put the fax in an envelope and mail it to the DC office later today. I tried to email the damn thing, but Markey’s email form just gave me a 404 error. Grumble, grumble.
environment Politics: Desperation John Kerry Pi***ng into the wind
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 5: A Fax to John Kerry
Dear Senator Kerry,
I’ve lived in Massachusetts all my life, and I’m proud to have you as my senator. Thank you for your efforts in the area of global climate change, which is surely the most important issue facing America and the world. I wish I could say that America’s response to the climate crisis has been adequate and admirable; alas, that is not the case. We need to have administrative and political recognition that a meaningful policy on atmospheric CO2 is one that reduces atmospheric ppm to 350 or below; it is my understanding that both Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey set a target of 450 ppm. Not enough; not enough; not enough. I am sufficiently cynical that the debacle in Copenhagen did not surprise me; I am sufficiently naive that I continue to believe that our system of government may be able to address this terrifying problem competently in the years to come. It had better; time is running out for all of us.
Yours Sincerely,
Warren Senders
I write my faxes out longhand, on the back of previously used paper. Fortunately I developed legible handwriting many years ago.
After I finish typing out the text for this post, I’ll copy it into Kerry’s email form, so he’ll get it digitally…and of course I’ll put the original hard copy in the mail to him. I got through to fax machines in all his offices except for Springfield, where it just rang and rang.
Kerry’s Fax numbers:
Washington D.C.:(202) 224-8525
Boston: (617) 248-3870
Springfield: (413) 736-1049
Fall River: (508) 677-0275
Why don’t you write to your senator?
environment Politics: Barack Obama climate change Pi***ng into the wind Things to do
by Warren
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Year 1, Month 1, Day 4: A Fax to the White House
Dear President Obama,
The urgency of the climate crisis is without a doubt increasing by the day. Yet our national media persists in fostering the misconception that there is doubt about the causes, effects and possible remedies for anthropogenic global warming. And (tragically) they appear to be succeeding.
If meaningful climate-change treaties are to be ratified, if meaningful legislation is to be passed, it will be because
you fought for it in the arena of public opinion. Please, sir — use the presidential “bully pulpit” to make the case for America’s full participation in global efforts to combat catastrophic climate change. We must lead; if we cannot lead, at least let us lend a hand, rather than hinder the efforts of others.Thank you,
Warren Senders
This was handwritten on the back of a previously used piece of paper and faxed at around 10 am this morning. I’ll email it in a couple of minutes.
The White House FAX number is: 202-456-2461
The White House web page is:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Go tell them something. Keep the pressure on.