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Earth's Newsdesk
Biocentric Press/Social Media Releases emphasizing ambitious yet attainable ecological sustainability solutions, a project of Ecological Internet
Including critically acclaimed Earth Meanders biocentric essays
April 17, 2009
RELEASE: United States Starts Down Long, Difficult Road to Sufficient Climate Change Policy
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Earth) -- Ecological Internet (EI) welcomes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ruling today that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases "may endanger public health or welfare", a finding that opens the door to future regulation of such emissions under the Clean Air Act. EI continues to demand that emission cuts be fast and large, that Congress not weaken planned E.P.A. carbon regulation, and that Congress abandon cap and trade legislation for a simple, highly effective, carbon tax. And that the U.S. leads at Copenhagen or feel the consequences.
The E.P.A said in its proposed endangerment finding that "based on rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis of six gases � carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride � that... these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human emissions, and these high levels are very likely the cause of the increase in average temperatures and other changes in our climate." Human health and welfare was thus threatened by increased severity and intensity of storms; more frequent drought, heatwaves, and forest fires; rising sea levels; and harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.
April 9, 2009
EARTH MEANDERS: The Only Way Forward Is Back to Gaia's Garden
Geo-engineering madness will complete the destruction of the biosphere and human being(s). It is critical that we reject industrial geo-engineering, to instead embrace a program of sufficient global ecological protection and restoration.
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
Earth Meanders come from Earth's Newsdesk
Human Hubris
Gaia (or the Earth System if you rather) is not a science project, it is alive (albeit sick) and fully inhabited. To speak of geo-engineering the climate before having exhausted local, national and international efforts to reduce emissions, protect and restore old forests, reform industrial agriculture, and other ecologically sufficient policies to sustain being, is rash and foolhardy. Continued ill-conceived technological, industrial diminishment of naturally operating ecosystems can only hasten and ensure global ecological collapse.
Sadly, President Obama's new science advisor, John Holdren, has indicated the administration is investigating geo-engineering -- massive planetary alterations such as shooting aerosols into the upper atmosphere -- to 'solve' climate change and associated ecological crises. The Obama administration is clearly signaling it is going to take a compromising, technology heavy approach to climate change policy. Social change and personal transformation necessary to achieve global ecological sustainability have received nary a mention.
Obama's climate policies will not be guided by what science tells us is required to stop hazardous warming. Rather, the U.S. government will only pursue policies that do not threaten economic growth, and rely upon more industrial technologies at the expense of natural ecosystems. Given America's history of exceptionalism, I suppose such hubris -- going from doing nothing to address climate change, directly to seriously considering engineering the biosphere, completely skipping the stages of self-examination and national transformation -- is to be expected.
Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: The Only Way Forward Is Back to Gaia's Garden" »
April 6, 2009
RELEASE: Global Civil Society Opposes Charred Earth Policy
147 organisations from 44 countries warn against 'biochar' (large-scale charcoal) as a dangerous new false solution to climate change
TAKE ACTION: Tell Leading Climate Scientists, Industrialists and Negotiators to Stop Promoting Industrial Scale Biochar
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Earth) -- An international declaration was today launched by 147 organisations, including Ecological Internet, opposing the growing hype and political support for Biochar. The groups signing the declaration "strongly oppose the inclusion of soils in carbon trade and offset mechanisms, including in the Clean Development Mechanism.� The groups further assert that "the 'biochar' initiative fails to address the root causes of climate change.� [1]
Those issuing this warning range from small farmers associations and forest protection groups to international environmental networks and human rights advocates. Further organizations are being invited to sign the declaration. Ecological Internet has independently organized a protest alert questioning whether enough "waste biomass" and "degraded and marginal" lands exist to carry out geoengineering of the Earth's land and climate at the scale proposed, and without intensifying industrial tree plantations and all their attendant problems. [2]
Continue reading "RELEASE: Global Civil Society Opposes Charred Earth Policy" »
March 31, 2009
RELEASE: Ecological Internet Boosts Networking of Biocentric Thought and Action
EI commits to regular micro-blogging and social networking upon Twitter and Facebook, to promote ecologically sufficient policies adequate to achieve global ecological sustainability
(Earth) -- Ecological Internet (EI) has committed to furthering its leadership in use of the Internet to facilitate environmental conservation by establishing major new Facebook and Twitter presences[1]. While Ecological Internet's President, Dr. Glen Barry, is widely credited with inventing blogging[2] in 1993, a subject of his Ph.D. dissertation; until now EI has not embraced the large, commercial social networking sites. Supporters are asked to follow and recommend these efforts.
"Facebook's improvement upon public profiles made the time ripe to commit to these technologies to further biocentric thought and an ecologically sufficient policy agenda. The use of RSS/XML technologies has matured to the point where we can micro-blog in one place and have it replicate to all our sites and profiles. And Ecological Internet has long offered our own major RSS/XML newsfeeds of ecological media, alerts, and commentary which others are encouraged to share[3]," said Dr. Glen Barry.
Continue reading "RELEASE: Ecological Internet Boosts Networking of Biocentric Thought and Action" »
March 26, 2009
RELEASE: New Earth Rising as Global Ecological and Economic Threats Worsen
Ecological Internet's innovative environmental sustainability e-zine arrives as globally one quarter of land is being degraded, the Arctic is melting, rainforests are dying, and the economy collapsing. Gaia and her humanity's survival depend upon reaching a steady state economy and other biocentric policies adequate to achieve ecological sustainability
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry
(Earth) -- Ecological Internet is pleased to announce the second issue of their "New Earth Rising" e-zine, entitled "Ecological Sustainability, the Growth Machine, and the Financial Crisis". There, nearly a dozen authors explore the implications of the current economic crisis for the survival of the Earth and all her creatures, including humans.
In the lead article, entitled "New Green Deal or Not: Industrial Capitalism Is Assured Death", the e-zine's editor, Dr. Glen Barry, critically examines New Green Deal proposals that supposedly will solve climate change while providing jobs. He concludes their focus upon economic stimulus to promote more economic growth, without reining in consumption, human population, natural resource use and ecosystem destruction, will make things worse. The e-zine arose from his earlier critically acclaimed "Earth Meanders" essay series.
"Nothing grows forever. It is amazing how few recognize economic decline as the inevitable outcome of an economy based upon growth at the expense of natural ecosystems. Required green policies, such as ending the use of coal and old forest logging, must occur regardless if they create or destroy jobs, just to maintain being," says Dr. Barry.
Continue reading "RELEASE: New Earth Rising as Global Ecological and Economic Threats Worsen" »
February 22, 2009
RELEASE: Papua New Guinea Rainforests Deeply Threatened
- The nation's future carbon payments for avoided deforestation in doubt. As a global leader in promoting such payments, the PNG government would be well advised to focus upon better protecting its rainforests, if it wants to fully access carbon monies based upon their continued carbon storage
By Earth's Newsdesk and the Rainforest Portal, Projects of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- An important new study in the journal "Biotropica" finds that between 1972 and 2002, a net 15 percent of Papua New Guinea�s (PNG) rainforests [search] were cleared and 8.8 percent were degraded through logging[1]. The clearance rate of 1.1 to 3.4 percent/yr in commercially accessible forests is much higher than reported previously by the FAO.
PNG -- located in the South Pacific, northeast of Australia -- holds some of the world's largest and most important intact and contiguous forests. Their fate has important implications for local livelihoods and biodiversity, and both local and global climate change. The new study quantifies forest loss in PNG for the first time with a high degree of accuracy. And the findings are not good.
Some 36% of the accessible forest estate has been degraded or deforested. This finding raises the question of whether the PNG government -- as a welcome leader in promoting avoided deforestation payments -- is pursuing the necessary policies to ensure large rainforests continue to exist as the basis for their country to receive large and continuous international payments for their forest's carbon storage?
Continue reading "RELEASE: Papua New Guinea Rainforests Deeply Threatened" »
February 19, 2009
RELEASE: Ancient Forests Absorb 20% of Human's Carbon, Logging and Other Industrial Destruction of Old Forests Must Stop Now
The myth that primary and old growth forests should be "sustainably" managed is dealt a mortal deathblow. Members and funders of RAN, FSC and others greenwashing ancient forest logging called upon to withdraw support in protest
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- Ecological Internet welcomes the emerging science published today in "Nature" indicating tropical trees in undisturbed forest are absorbing [ark] nearly a fifth of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels[1]. This is in addition to the long-term carbon sequestered within old trees' wood and soils. This is the most recent of several major scientific studies indicating the need to fully protect all remaining primary and old growth forests as a keystone response to global climate, biodiversity and water crises.
"This is huge -- not only do ancient rainforests reliably store massive amounts of carbon, as we have known for sometime, but they continue to remove enormous amounts of carbon every day they remain standing and are non-degraded. The study partially solves the mystery of where human carbon pollution has been going, and in so doing supports the need for avoided deforestation payments," said Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet's President.
It was found that remaining tropical forests remove a massive 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions from the atmosphere each year. This includes a previously unknown carbon sink in Africa, which mops up 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. Over the past 40 years, each hectare of intact African forest was found to have annually trapped an extra 0.6 tonnes of carbon. This builds upon last year's studies that found old-growth forests are "carbon sinks" and continually absorb carbon dioxide, and that their first time logging releases 40 percent of their carbon[2].
February 16, 2009
RELEASE: President Obama Urged to Say No to Canada's Tar Sands
Canadian government wants special treatment for the world's dirtiest oil. In first international trip, President Obama must stand strong on clean energy and sufficient climate policies.
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- On February 19, President Barack Obama travels to Canada on his first international trip as President, where he will face pressure from the Government of Canada to support production of Alberta's filthy tar sands oil [search]. An international network of environmental groups has launched the "Obama2Canada" campaign[1] urging President Obama to stand strong on his new energy economy agenda and reject entreaties from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to shelter the dirtiest oil on earth from global warming regulation.
"Tar sands oil is the dirtiest form of energy in the world. It has no place in President Obama's plans for a clean energy economy," said Sierra Club Dirty Fuels Campaign Coordinator Pat Gallagher. "Tar sands oil accelerates global warming. It destroys forests. It endangers public health. Instead of importing this expensive, dirty oil, we can invest in clean energy that will create millions of much-needed, sustainable jobs."
Continue reading "RELEASE: President Obama Urged to Say No to Canada's Tar Sands" »
February 10, 2009
RELEASE: World Outraged by Finland's Continued Old Growth Logging
Supposedly "Green" Finland's unprotected intact old growth forest landscapes, including 300 year old trees in Northern Forest Lapland, continue to be destroyed to make throw-away paper products
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- Finland's last unprotected intact old growth forest landscapes [search] continue to be destroyed by the Finnish government and timber industry. Trees more than 300 years old are being industrially destroyed by the government's logging body Mets�hallitus, ending up in timber giant Stora Enso's pulp [search] wood piles. Less than 5% of Finnish forests have remained untouched by modern forestry.
Ecological Internet's Earth Action Network is supporting Finnish NGO demands that Northern Forest Lapland's natural treasures are fully protected. Some 1,630 people from 66 countries have sent 345,578 emails in a peaceful protest intended to put international pressure on the Finnish government and Stora Enso [1].
"There are too few large, connected and relatively intact terrestrial ecosystem habitats globally to sustain the Earth system," explains global forest protection expert Dr. Glen Barry. "Finland and the World's old-growth must be strictly protected and restored to sustain the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem processes including climate, water and biodiversity upon which all life depends."
Continue reading "RELEASE: World Outraged by Finland's Continued Old Growth Logging" »
January 20, 2009
RELEASE: Rogue German Ship Fertilizing Southern Ocean in Dangerous Climate Geo-Engineering Experiment
PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE
Precedent set that researchers can experiment on Earth's shared biosphere without oversight. Protests highlight oceans are not carbon dumps, a biosphere cannot be engineered.
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- RV Polarstern, a German research ship from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, is to dump twenty tons of iron sulphate over 300 square kilometres of the Scotia Sea, off Chile's coast, near the Antarctic Peninsula. The chemical cargo -- normally used to treat lawns and sewage -- is likely to provoke a massive algal bloom big enough to be seen from outer space.
German and Indian scientists are hoping the experiment will show that such manmade algae blooms can provide a quick fix to climate change by absorbing carbon into the sea. In fact, it is a desperate attempt to put off hard climate change policies by using technology to further create a human dominated "Frankensphere". Along with other geo-engineering proposals such as space mirrors and aerosol release, seeking to engineer the biosphere holds great risks of unintended consequences such as further climate destabilization and global ecological damage.
January 4, 2009
Earth�s Leading Climate Change Portal Turns 10 Years Old
PRESS/SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE
Climate Ark celebrates with something old, something new
By Earth's Newsdesk, a project of Ecological Internet
CONTACT: Dr. Glen Barry, [email protected]
(Seattle, WA) -- The Climate Ark Climate Change Portal at http://www.climateark.org/ turned ten years old this New Year. Tens of millions of users have and continue to enjoy the Internet's best climate search, news feeds, blogging and action alerts. Ecological Internet has been campaigning for sufficient climate policies and been a critic of global environmental policy since Al Gore actually had the power to do something about climate change.
To mark the event, Ecological Internet's President, Dr. Glen Barry, has recommenced writing biocentric, deeply thought provoking and critically acclaimed "Earth Meanders" essays at http://www.ecoearth.info/earthmeanders/. "There is a real hunger for truthful and ambitious solutions to climate change and the many other global ecological crises that threaten planetary annihilation," notes Dr. Barry.
Continue reading "Earth�s Leading Climate Change Portal Turns 10 Years Old" »
December 25, 2008
EARTH MEANDERS: Earth Bailout and the Stewardship Revolution
Global citizens together committing to a revolutionary spirit of action are the Earth and humanity's last best hope
EARTH MEANDERS
By Dr. Glen Barry, Ecological Internet
From Earth's Newsdesk
Oceans on acid, certifiably crazy ancient forest logging, carbon markets paying to log and pollute -- the global ecosystem is failing and the world has gone mad. The disease of too many humans, each wanting to forever consume more at the expense of liquidating life-giving ecosystems, must be decisively cured before being ends. It has become apparent that changes of the magnitude necessary to ensure humanity's shared survival are not, indeed cannot, occur without transformative revolutionary action. What hope remains for the Earth and humanity lies in a global people's movement to topple polluting industries and usher in an era of stewardship.
Global citizens could choose to commit ourselves to planetary, bioregional and personal stewardship by pursuing mass protest and if necessary revolutionary insurgency to bailout the Earth. There is virtually no chance of saving the Earth and all her inhabitants without overthrowing speculative, industrial capitalism. To maintain a livable Earth, it may be that an unprecedented Earth Revolution waged by global citizenry -- first through mass protest and political means, and if need be through sabotage, insurrection and violent revolution targeting the Earth destroyers -- must commence immediately.
Continue reading "EARTH MEANDERS: Earth Bailout and the Stewardship Revolution" »