tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90490163297092138102024-02-06T22:45:19.334-05:00The Clothesline ReportCaring for our Father's world and its most vulnerable children ...John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-71763922712314203192013-05-31T12:09:00.000-04:002013-05-31T12:12:25.112-04:00Richard Cizik: Climate Change and the 'Burn-it-all-Downers"<address style="color: #444444; line-height: 1.714285714; margin: 0px 0px 1.714285714rem;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Written by Rev. Richard Cizik. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/05/21/natural-disasters-climate-change-and-the-burn-it-all-downers/" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/05/21/natural-disasters-climate-change-and-the-burn-it-all-downers/" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;"><span data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: blue;">This article</span></a> first appeared in the Washington Post On-Faith blog on May 21, 2013. Content reproduced by permission of the author.</span></span></address>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0px;"><a data-mce-href="http://belovedplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/richard-cizik.jpg" href="http://belovedplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/richard-cizik.jpg" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Rev. Richard Cizik. OdysseyNetworks" class=" wp-image-1266 " data-mce-src="http://belovedplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/richard-cizik.jpg" height="149" src="http://belovedplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/richard-cizik.jpg" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border: 0px none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 4px; cursor: default; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="225" /></span></a></dt>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pastor Mark Driscoll, who ministers in Seattle, <a data-mce-href="http://www.realclearreligion.org/2013/05/14/is_mark_driscoll_the_new_pat_robertson_254185.html" href="http://www.realclearreligion.org/2013/05/14/is_mark_driscoll_the_new_pat_robertson_254185.html" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;">told a Catalyst gathering</a> a few days ago that “I know who made the environment and he’s coming back and going to burn it all up. So yes, I drive an SUV.” No joke. That’s what he said. Actually, Driscoll says it was all just a joke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of people didn’t get the humor. Maybe it was because last week <a data-mce-href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/05/10/atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-concentration-400-parts-per-million/" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/05/10/atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-concentration-400-parts-per-million/" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;">scientists declared </a>that CO2 levels had reached 400 parts per million (ppm), and 350.org released their film, <a data-mce-href="http://act.350.org/signup/math-movie/" href="http://act.350.org/signup/math-movie/" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;">“Do the Math”</a> on the crisis of climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reputable scientists in this impressive film say “civilization is in jeopardy.” [Disclaimer: I am in the film saying oil companies should be held liable.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Researchers at Columbia University, in a study published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, estimate deaths linked to warming climate may rise by some 20 percent by the 2020s, 90 percent or more 70 years hence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adverse health effects from rising temperatures will hit major cities, like New York and other urban areas, especially hard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Heat events are one of the greatest hazards faced by urban populations around the globe,” said coauthor of the study Radley Horton, a climate scientist at the Earth Institute’s Center for Climate Systems Research.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How Americans view these events is strikingly dissimilar, however.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to <a data-mce-href="http://publicreligion.org/" href="http://publicreligion.org/" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;">Public Religion Research Institute</a>, nearly two-thirds (65%) of white evangelical Protestants believe that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of what the Bible calls the end times. By contrast, more than six in 10 (63%) of Americans say the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of global climate change. Only half (50%) of white evangelical Protestants agree that the severity of recent natural disasters is evidence of global climate change, less than that of Catholics (60%) and religiously unaffiliated Americans (69%). In other words, there’s a big disconnect between how a lot of evangelical Protestants view the links between natural disasters and climate change and how most Americans see it. The consequence of this is all too apparent politically.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, Pastor Driscoll got some push-back and<a data-mce-href="http://m.christianpost.com/news/mark-driscoll-says-for-the-record-i-really-like-this-planet-95986/" href="http://m.christianpost.com/news/mark-driscoll-says-for-the-record-i-really-like-this-planet-95986/" style="color: #21759b; outline: none;"> tried to respond</a>: “For the record, I really like this planet. God did a good job making this planet. We should take good care of this planet until he comes back to make a new earth, like the Bible says he will.” Pastor Driscoll went on to say that his family’s green activities would make a “hippy happy,” which struck quite a few people as ridicule and got him into more trouble. But I’ll take the pastor at his word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Needless to say, the current political polarization over the environment and climate change has got to change if we are to ever slow the impacts of climate change and the escalating number of deaths already occurring. Evangelicals can be a source of societal healing and political action if they understand their Bible correctly. Alas, we evangelicals (I count myself among this tribe) are still way behind the moral curve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was speaking in chapel at a few years ago at Harden Simmons University, deep in the heart of Texas, a student walked to the main aisle in the middle of the chapel and shouted as loud as he could, “This [creation care] doesn’t matter, Jesus is coming back!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My audience went instantly quiet, waiting to hear how I would respond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Let me answer that question,” I said, as if he’d asked one, and went on to cite God’s command to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” Can you pollute your neighbor’s water, air, and land, and still say you love God? Of course not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those who subscribe to the “God-will-burn-it-all-down school” pop up everywhere. At a family wedding, an in-law asserted his knowledge of scripture, “Don’t you know it’s all going to be burned up?, citing as evidence <i>2 Peter 3:10</i>: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud voice, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The best translation of this passage (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12, Frank Gaebelein, General Editor) is “everything in it will be laid bare.” It could mean all human products will be destroyed or it could mean that all that man does will be known in the judgment. <i>(I Corinthians 3: 13-15).</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where some knowledge of Greek comes in handy. The word for “fire” in the Scriptures is a multivalent symbol and can mean both extinguished and refined, and the latter usage [Peter 3:10] is the best interpretation. The earth will be “refined,” not utterly destroyed. Besides, if God was going to destroy the earth as was insinuated by the “burn it downers,” why would the Apostle John in <i>Revelation 11:18</i> write that there will be a time “for destroying the destroyers of the earth”?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God, it seems, will hold polluters responsible. The grandfather of the creation care movement, Dr. Cal DeWitt, at the University of Wisconsin, once told me that he had asked Dr. Billy Graham about Revelation 11:18, but the greatest evangelist of the 20th century, possibly of all time, admitted he was unfamiliar with the verse, and replied, “I should preach on it some time.” Maybe his son, Franklin Graham, can be persuaded to do so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A kind of environmental skepticism is associated with the<i> Left Behind</i> series that taught a secret rapture of believers from this world prior to a final bloody battle between good and evil known as Armageddon. Dr. Tim LaHaye, the co-author of the book, a well-known conservative, nonetheless claimed no such warrant for apathy was justified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evangelicals, aided by good scholarship and biblical hermeneutics, are rejecting pre-millennial pessimism, which holds that the earth is going to hell in a hand basket, and there’s nothing we can do about it. One of America’s premier pre-millennial dispensational theologians, Dr. Charles Ryrie of Dallas Theological Seminary, author of the <i>Ryrie Study Bible</i>, told me over lunch at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida that he believes “we need to care for this earth,” much as he said he cares for his human body by daily exercise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About the general principle of creation care, Ryrie was very clear: “The Bible affirms that we must care for the earth as stewards.” That prestigious seminary, moreover, is leading the way in greening its facilities, as is another similar theological institution, BIOLA, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, which is now a liberal arts college with secular academic credentials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can even find a <i>Green Bible </i>in most Christian bookstores. There are so many “green” verses that call us to environmental stewardship, much like the red-letter Bible which put in red the verses uttered by Jesus, that any faithful Christian would have to be blind not to pay attention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a matter of fact, that’s exactly true about the skeptics. Larry Schweiger, head of the National Wildlife Federation, says you have to engage in “willful blindness” not to see what’s happening to Planet Earth. Turning a blind eye, so easily done just a few years ago, is no longer apparently tolerated even in conservative evangelical circles. And, Pastor Driscoll, it’s not about joining the “happy hippie” crowd. It’s about joining the most significant new recruits to the environmental movement — faithful Christians. No joke.</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #0000ff;" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Rev. Richard Cizik served for 10 years as vice president for governmental affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has been an advocate for bringing evangelicals and scientists together on climate change issues.</span></span></address>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-62306096050244196182013-05-22T11:34:00.000-04:002013-05-22T11:47:08.873-04:00The Racialization of Climate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I recently returned from several weeks in Kenya, where a
group of North American scientists, teachers and church leaders were examining the
impact of global climate disruptions on poor farmers in that country. We
travelers shared a profound commitment to creation care. We also shared a sincere
faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. </span></span>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As we met with farming and church groups, we heard dolefully
repetitious themes: the planting seasons are disrupted, often cutting harvests
from two per year to one or less; droughts are much more frequent; more intense
floods are washing away fertile soils; changing climatic patterns result in new
crop pests never seen before….</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At every visit, we took pictures of our new Kenyan friends.
But I can’t help noting: They all look so different from me. Their suffering
moves me. But at some level, it’s a bit harder to see their suffering as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> suffering. Would it be different if
they looked, spoke and dressed like me?</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is the question addressed by Albert Hamstra, a career
missionary with the Christian Reformed Church, and a member of our traveling
team.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">A Question</span></span></span></h3>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Written by: Albert Hamstra</span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What if the main people who were suffering from the effects
of environmental degradation and climate change were white? Would the reaction
to it be any different in the USA and Canada than it is today?</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhwwOHymfPr3-L9SN56OnpTa-mmI2371gbjQpnVWGrKox8PyN32sUz-quNalCTzor9tgUNk9QU6one7czuudIyqMF3FedCOb9Fnhs1zg3UQXmfh13my-xzcqpknJO5De4mpjaBmwBHugp/s1600/dsc_0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhwwOHymfPr3-L9SN56OnpTa-mmI2371gbjQpnVWGrKox8PyN32sUz-quNalCTzor9tgUNk9QU6one7czuudIyqMF3FedCOb9Fnhs1zg3UQXmfh13my-xzcqpknJO5De4mpjaBmwBHugp/s200/dsc_0063.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hamstra planting a tree near Nairobi</span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One of the reasons these problems are so difficult to
address is because they have been racialized. Whenever “the other” is of
another race, sustained empathy with them is extremely difficult and rare. It
becomes easier to find reasons for our indifference and inattention.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This scenario has been played out repeatedly in many
situations so that most, if not all, of our major social/ethical challenges are
racialized.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We Christians have been given the grace to escape from the
destruction of racialization and the racism that accompanies it. This is a
significant reason why the Church is especially qualified to address issues of
the abuse of creation. We know God the Creator; therefore there is no “other”
whom we can dismiss as having less value.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I encourage us to spend a few minutes imagining what it
would be like if the main people who were suffering from the effects of climate
change and environmental degradation today were white. What does that image say
to us?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www2.crcna.org/pages/crwm_alberthamstra.cfm">Albert Hamstra</a> serves
the CRC as its</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Global Impact Director. </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This post first appeared on May 1,
2013 in the <a href="http://volunteerblog.worldrenew.net/current-volunteers/kenyatour/question">CRC’s
World Renew volunteer website</a>.</span></i></span></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-73935487587653865912013-05-16T10:42:00.000-04:002013-05-16T10:46:37.858-04:00The Privilege of Skepticism<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Written by Kyle Schaap</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86wE62Mfl7AqgOzkyieebuwWXzKMGotn25ju4MGUpUXuS59Bhzk25gH_LmzT_v25Z11IaRhRtnyRnnwhS3sJyI__J1pzUoQfFXl1_4_lZ-VjLJObzw-NRPPlu_Br0mT3UHwLlhk1Si9nV/s1600/Kyle+Schaap+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86wE62Mfl7AqgOzkyieebuwWXzKMGotn25ju4MGUpUXuS59Bhzk25gH_LmzT_v25Z11IaRhRtnyRnnwhS3sJyI__J1pzUoQfFXl1_4_lZ-VjLJObzw-NRPPlu_Br0mT3UHwLlhk1Si9nV/s200/Kyle+Schaap+(2).jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kyle Schaap</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you are reading this and are from
North America (and perhaps even if you aren't), you are no doubt aware of just
how divisive the issue of climate change is in the US and Canada. Experts from
both sides of the issue are regular installments on the 24-hour news networks,
presenting the latest data in favor of or disputing the warming of the planet.
Policy experts offer the pros and cons of legislation aimed at cutting
greenhouse gas emissions. Law makers debate possible action steps. Facebook
posts supporting or refuting climate change turn into hotbeds of political (and
sometimes a little bit of personal) attacks. Friends bicker; family
relationships are strained. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is simply the reality of
the political climate in North America, but
the existence of such rigorous debate is no coincidence. If warming
trends continue the way that scientists are currently projecting (4 degrees
Celsius by the end of the century), things in North America won't look all that
different. We'll probably experience more droughts, our growing zones will
shift, and Michigan will have the climate of Tennessee. Even if
things do get bad in North America, we have the money and technology necessary
to adapt fairly well to any changes in weather patterns or growing seasons that
we might experience. In short: North America can afford not to worry about
climate change—at least for a while.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But what will happen to other parts
of the world if warming continues at the rate projected? The predictions are
staggering: the inundation of coastal cities; increasing risks for food
production, potentially leading to higher malnutrition rates; many dry regions
becoming dryer, and wet regions wetter; unprecedented heat-waves in many
regions, especially in the tropics; substantially exacerbated water scarcity in
many regions; increased frequency of high-intensity tropical cyclones; and irreversible
loss of biodiversity, including coral reef systems. A recent <a href="http://climatechange.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/Turn_Down_the_heat_Why_a_4_degree_centrigrade_warmer_world_must_be_avoided.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> commissioned by the World Bank Group
identifies some of the most vulnerable cities to be in Mozambique, Madagascar,
Mexico, Venezuela, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In short: utter catastrophe for much of the Global South.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So how do we explain the existence of
such ambivalence in North America toward climate change in the face of
such shocking predictions? I believe that part of the answer is that we have
the privilege of skepticism. We have been largely shielded from the effects of
a warming world. As such, we have the freedom to debate the existence of the
climate disruption that scientists are telling us about. "I don't see any
substantial changes to weather patterns. Are we sure this is really
happening?" </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Something I've been struck by during
my time here so far is that a changing climate isn't a debate in Kenya; it is a
daily reality. It is a daily reality for the farmers we talked to who can no
longer predict the rains and do not know when to plant their crops. It is a
daily reality for villagers whose centuries-long river-fed water supplies are
dwindling ever lower by the day. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05KXs-_O32Pv9cKxDYQt3MCPYBkzWBDgNgxnkAtPEY2O9ubd8AK1A1NcURP0G8ziwbf7jEi70nDSrTfbBXU2rMzoa4pEI4sza7AeVHG5STyTdHpSmW2JAeCGLEWVxyYL31PrcNNWL63Lx/s1600/2477719111_6b9daa5386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05KXs-_O32Pv9cKxDYQt3MCPYBkzWBDgNgxnkAtPEY2O9ubd8AK1A1NcURP0G8ziwbf7jEi70nDSrTfbBXU2rMzoa4pEI4sza7AeVHG5STyTdHpSmW2JAeCGLEWVxyYL31PrcNNWL63Lx/s400/2477719111_6b9daa5386.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Increasing severe drought drives a desperate search for water</i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is no doubt the debate over
climate change will continue to rage in North America for some time to come.
Figures will be cited, studies will be pointed to, voices will be raised. As
long as we continue to be largely sheltered from the effects of a warming
world, doubt will infuse our public discourse. But as we continue to exercise
our privilege of skepticism, people in Kenya—and in other vulnerable places
around the globe—will continue to pay the price of our ambivalence. Because
make no mistake: Inaction costs something. We just aren't the ones that are
paying for it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">Kyle Schaap</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"> is Policy Analyst/Advocacy Fellow for the
Christian Reformed Office of Social Justice. This post originally appeared at
World Renew's </span></i><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"><a href="http://volunteerblog.worldrenew.net/" target="_blank"><i>Volunteer Blog</i></a><i>. Kyle recently led a group of Christians to Kenya to witness the impact of climate disruptions on the poor.</i></span></span>John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-15606617455513970762013-05-08T06:33:00.000-04:002013-05-31T10:52:36.149-04:00Cooking Without Fire<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About ten days ago, a massive mudslide swept away three
little Kenyan girls in the small town of Kijabe. We arrived in Kijabe only a
few days after the flood, to find scores of local people cutting up fallen
trees, carting away mud and clearing roadways.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We reported on the <u><a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/2013/04/hope-and-crisis-climate-losses.html">Kijabe
mudslide</a></u> a few days ago. Recall that in one month alone, Kijabe has
received more rain than its annual average over the last three decades. On the
night of the disaster, 5.5 inches more fell in less than two hours. The
saturated soils simply could not absorb the torrent, and they gave way in a lethal
wall of clay-red African mud. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ADVG6FWunWKxYLgHTZmFBE87lNRhncpymwlj1s5cXVW-DapSlWEHNCTyczjIDInGD2J8mUiOg9rcYrCndGz0n3j0yQVZCXWD6RGiclntfsfUTTkhd-x2LJT0MJNPRhhQN1vItVn4qn_B/s1600/Picture5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ADVG6FWunWKxYLgHTZmFBE87lNRhncpymwlj1s5cXVW-DapSlWEHNCTyczjIDInGD2J8mUiOg9rcYrCndGz0n3j0yQVZCXWD6RGiclntfsfUTTkhd-x2LJT0MJNPRhhQN1vItVn4qn_B/s320/Picture5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kijabe forests couldn't keep mud from swamping the town</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It happens that Kijabe is home to one of the best medical
centers in East Africa, the <a href="http://www.kijabehospital.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=28">AIC
Kijabe Hospital</a>. The hospital treats more than 150,000 patients every year,
who wind their way up or down the Rift Valley escarpment to Kijabe, perched
midway between the clouds and the valley floor. But the narrow roads were rendered impassable by the mudslide, and the hospital’s water source was also cut, its
collection tanks now sitting idle and empty.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You may recall our lament at the cruel impact of climate
change on this key lifeline for so many vulnerable Kenyans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But assessing the impact of climate change can
be tricky business. Usually climate disruption creates the background condition
on which more proximate ills take their toll. The Darfur genocide, for example,
may have been predictable by anyone looking seriously at the desertification of
the African Sahel, driving migration of largely Islamic nomadic pastoralists in
search of water and grasslands into largely Christian farming communities. But
the news outlets mainly brought us images of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_al-Bashir">President Omar Al-Bashir’s
hordes</a> sweeping down on helpless villagers. What caused the Darfur tragedy?
Climate disruption? Ethnic hatred? Or a genocidal ruler? Of course, it’s a
false choice.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m beginning to see Kijabe’s current predicament that way
too. Sure, floods like these have never happened before, and the story of
extreme weather is being repeated all over Kenya. But two men on the ground are
showing us another story too. Craig Sorley and Jeff Davis live and work in
Kijabe, and spend countless hours trying to defend the hillside forests from
illegal cutting for the charcoal trade. From a distance, these forests look
healthy, but venture inside, and you see a wounded landscape, with many tree
stumps and abundant signs of charcoal pits – the handiwork of illegal poachers.
It is this depleted forest that released the torrent of mud that wreaked havoc
on the town below last week.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4oFatPzJQfAMR9Pn54JwlG0WuwRXDzTPX6lP676R3bBIDd3u44LWtwqkOZNrqfv52S1oHgvzQoocvWCsRkJBAlywVQS8s7z13pwjnkPHmbQnc5p4W440elIg2HcY4jRgHdeDoIH_0G3o/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL4oFatPzJQfAMR9Pn54JwlG0WuwRXDzTPX6lP676R3bBIDd3u44LWtwqkOZNrqfv52S1oHgvzQoocvWCsRkJBAlywVQS8s7z13pwjnkPHmbQnc5p4W440elIg2HcY4jRgHdeDoIH_0G3o/s400/Picture1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sorley & Davis after Kijabe's mudslide: Was it the rain, or deforestation?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Craig and Jeff do some old-fashioned law enforcement to
protect this corner of the creation, tracking down poachers and hauling them
before the local magistrates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you
might be surprised at some of the simpler, sensible things they do to erode the
demand for the illegal cutting that now threatens their town. One of my
favorites is a simple contraption that you can make at home to cut your own
energy use. It’s called the “fireless cooker.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cJFdgxZeSqJ29G-EJ9VRjIMwdMjOHyG06rR3Xh0VU6yZe7uJcZBHGLtUQdZQZSvUQE07aqn6xAe2KI9nUODVdLG6inlDNIIg0EYX4zrhkMPnLVXu-miHHsy3CRgoYk1WqywSbXaHpzzw/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cJFdgxZeSqJ29G-EJ9VRjIMwdMjOHyG06rR3Xh0VU6yZe7uJcZBHGLtUQdZQZSvUQE07aqn6xAe2KI9nUODVdLG6inlDNIIg0EYX4zrhkMPnLVXu-miHHsy3CRgoYk1WqywSbXaHpzzw/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Davis' fireless cooker</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The fireless cooker is little more than a wicker basket,
sized to accommodate a cooking pot. The basket is lined with a thickly
insulated quilt, and the top is covered with a round pillow, sized to fit inside
the basket lid. That’s it. Nothing more. Now, you bring your beans, your rice,
your potatoes or stew to a boil on the stove in a lidded cook pot with only
short handles, and then plop it into the fireless cooker for the rest of the
cooking time. Come back in thirty minutes, and the rice is cooked. Come back in
a few hours, and your beans are ready.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It turns out that today’s Kenyan fireless cookers are nothing
new. Your great-great grandma knew about these things. She might have called
them “hay boxes” – named for their ability to deliver hot food to field workers
racing to bring in the hay while the weather held. Others were used by westward
travelers who couldn’t take the time to look for firewood at the noon meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our friends in Kijabe swear by it today. So yesterday, I
decided to test the idea. I boiled a pot of dried beans in a large saucepan on
the stove, and then turned the fire off. In a larger pan, I lined the bottom
with a few dish towels, and set the saucepan inside. I then wrapped the whole
thing with a small throw-blanket. A couple hours later, I came back to check my
“fireless beans.” Completely cooked!</span></div>
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</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusX7CC21GeyKXoUS9CmKsh3WK6icQ5Zvw6y959rtkz8wkP0KEJuqOHGWE55Wsmyb1xfwW7parjI0vCUL74xe65m6kGpfJBUjeaA-NYPoo1g1C8d-lcXrnco7jLB0_Qf0pQQDsgsMocjzn/s1600/badef75e_Hay-Slow-Cooker.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusX7CC21GeyKXoUS9CmKsh3WK6icQ5Zvw6y959rtkz8wkP0KEJuqOHGWE55Wsmyb1xfwW7parjI0vCUL74xe65m6kGpfJBUjeaA-NYPoo1g1C8d-lcXrnco7jLB0_Qf0pQQDsgsMocjzn/s320/badef75e_Hay-Slow-Cooker.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Other styles of cookers; same result</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, Craig and Jeff, I’m planning on joining up by making a
real fireless cooker of our own. Who knows, maybe one of our readers will
launch a cottage industry to save people millions in energy costs, and spare
the earth higher greenhouse gas pollution in the bargain. But in Kijabe, it is
one of many sensible initiatives that are coming together to save a threatened
forest, and protect the lives of vulnerable Kenyans and forest creatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’d bet you’ve come up with practical ways to care for God’s
injured world on your own. Why not share them with us, so we can pass on the
good news?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">More images from Kijabe</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVA-HyVNYiTPmOIH8Ekhh-WJjm1vHIFpfbtXwiWuszOYgZIYhi0pPpNyIXv42D9T3ENN2G6ZdZAJVwPiS0w6HP6dfTVa4o5MpjOyfG1kzyPgx_gPWouaTZRNrQ9cXF1T9btsejO0sxFo7G/s1600/Picture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVA-HyVNYiTPmOIH8Ekhh-WJjm1vHIFpfbtXwiWuszOYgZIYhi0pPpNyIXv42D9T3ENN2G6ZdZAJVwPiS0w6HP6dfTVa4o5MpjOyfG1kzyPgx_gPWouaTZRNrQ9cXF1T9btsejO0sxFo7G/s320/Picture3.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jeff Davis, forest-keeper in spare time</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowqnt6OsjsnnC_i0FJdUmLblBy-Zxn8l_Qed_YKA7RDF3uDu8jXxK3atIUMHAeCzAItn043mxs1z5K-P_vXfzHaHQyD2tUdT0Hwym-l_j8KBy8mqq1fz-UeAtMiYWWTB0n7b31MYxTd5o/s1600/Picture4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowqnt6OsjsnnC_i0FJdUmLblBy-Zxn8l_Qed_YKA7RDF3uDu8jXxK3atIUMHAeCzAItn043mxs1z5K-P_vXfzHaHQyD2tUdT0Hwym-l_j8KBy8mqq1fz-UeAtMiYWWTB0n7b31MYxTd5o/s400/Picture4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>AIC Kijabe Hospital's water tanks: disabled & empty</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd_2vngWSIVNa6YmZBc16SuU7rTxcrOu7AM2E3Kc4hCX58qiTq_xouvKp_Z7z8S82NNQ-8KAmk-cE2TCQbmdFjmxOaMOifVudurCfozlSIM65xaPK4AGpFEUmKGtQTUgQxV96Wd7Tcsx1/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd_2vngWSIVNa6YmZBc16SuU7rTxcrOu7AM2E3Kc4hCX58qiTq_xouvKp_Z7z8S82NNQ-8KAmk-cE2TCQbmdFjmxOaMOifVudurCfozlSIM65xaPK4AGpFEUmKGtQTUgQxV96Wd7Tcsx1/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cooking pot fits nicely inside Davis' fireless cooker</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sorley with one of many replanted saplings</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDO9oxkNnhfeWyAwdNnN_fHaVg_7JonMb5p7ETInOoRQ5XSt7u5YBbxLi1h-IGOBQvOWVNvsEIiwdhoezRQOP1FwFpV7B_jV-9yEqsLirtImOymmHcUqJi7PLvo_Y0urRiM6GugnPvoFV/s1600/Picture8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDO9oxkNnhfeWyAwdNnN_fHaVg_7JonMb5p7ETInOoRQ5XSt7u5YBbxLi1h-IGOBQvOWVNvsEIiwdhoezRQOP1FwFpV7B_jV-9yEqsLirtImOymmHcUqJi7PLvo_Y0urRiM6GugnPvoFV/s400/Picture8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Kijabe people clearing debris from mudslide</i></span></td></tr>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-85239584637661462632013-05-07T11:43:00.000-04:002013-05-07T16:06:43.908-04:00Give Us This Day Our Daily Toilet<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kibera. The biggest slum in Kenya. Second biggest in all of
Africa.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From all over Kenya, they pour into this place, a sprawling
community in southeast Nairobi, home to as many as one million living souls. Many come here from family farm plots that
have become too small from subdivision; others are driven off the land by failing rains, extreme
floods and erratic seasonal patterns; some are the victims of soil depletion from
unsustainable farming practices. Whatever the reason, they are here looking for
a better life.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndnNWlKPrFGvkV3G4KWvb7z9d2997yUeIuFq8ER1Rn2BqWq6IhIvqx6sCLW0g0lW-crkP2dlNmVl-m3nRJoyBpbyFmTQ8xfWJGPxH5iW-VEzJJ4gT4Scze3HlPne3s72DHF_ZpEXkqePQ/s1600/life_in_kibera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndnNWlKPrFGvkV3G4KWvb7z9d2997yUeIuFq8ER1Rn2BqWq6IhIvqx6sCLW0g0lW-crkP2dlNmVl-m3nRJoyBpbyFmTQ8xfWJGPxH5iW-VEzJJ4gT4Scze3HlPne3s72DHF_ZpEXkqePQ/s320/life_in_kibera.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kibera: Last stop in Kenya's urban migration</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A better life? It’s hard for me to imagine what a worse life
might look like. An uncountable throng in a continuous stream up and down muddy
alleys, paths and narrow clay-red streets; unbroken ranks of tin and mud shacks
crowding against each other and squeezing into serpentine pathways;
vendors selling plastic sandals, maize, charcoal or other essentials at
virtually every hut; open cooking fires everywhere; trash mixed with mud and
sewage underfoot; and the air above choked with acrid smoke.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And what am I doing here? I’m the only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mzungu</i> in sight among thousands and thousands of residents going
about their daily routines – my alien skin and gray hair a neon presence amidst
an ocean of beautiful African humanity. I am accompanied by Rahab Mbochi, an
irrepressibly cheerful spirit, who finds friends at virtually every turn in the
winding alleys of mud and waste. And by David Quest, another Kenyan working
with a waste-management NGO. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And – of
supreme importance – by Jeshua, our giant local guide and keeper, a guarantor of
safety for a helpless outsider like me.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o23dIaCAu2djaG2oYoa-uXECmatN0IfzsTV6KudD6rNd4V5zaf75w6GcJyV_jLcLcmuYD_wj0_Dg_Yy7iEzTASyFRrXlUm1CQpSEs26nNLK4YtBqXMp9kvT0CalibTmVApmsVvoZymlN/s1600/kibera-nairobi-kenya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o23dIaCAu2djaG2oYoa-uXECmatN0IfzsTV6KudD6rNd4V5zaf75w6GcJyV_jLcLcmuYD_wj0_Dg_Yy7iEzTASyFRrXlUm1CQpSEs26nNLK4YtBqXMp9kvT0CalibTmVApmsVvoZymlN/s400/kibera-nairobi-kenya.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tin and trash: the constants of life in Kibera</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Think of the names: Rahab, the redeemed harlot whose progeny
includes the one called Savior by Christians; David, the man after God’s heart;
Jeshua, the real name of Jesus of Nazareth; and even John, the disciple whom
Jesus loved. All winding our way into the heart of the largest – and perhaps
foulest – slum in East Africa. Rahab confidently strides out in front. The stranger
makes sure he stays within reach of Jeshua.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Did I mention what I’m doing here? Primarily, to visit <u><a href="http://www.peepoople.com/">Peepoople</a></u>. That’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pee-poop-le</i>. Pee, as in pee. Poop, you know. Add the last syllable,
and I imagine you’ve got something like this: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The people who have devised a way to help deal
with all this filth you live in.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
it’s brilliant. Let me explain.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kibera has no sewage disposal system. The huts have no
toilets; the roads have no drains. Imagine a city of maybe a million
tightly-packed people, all looking desperately for somewhere to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">go</i>. Of course, they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> go. People use a small tin bucket, and dispose of the waste
outside, where it finds its way into the grayish-brown rivulets that trickle
down every path and alleyway. This isn’t just where we’re walking; this is
where the children play. Admittedly, there are a few toilet stations here and
there, but they cost five shillings – about six cents U.S. – and money is oh-so-scarce
here.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYksWX-3W3RvJywNg3K3IiCSijDBeOcNZRvLTqIPLfwbkZQgDNhGM8-_JP1b5v6hI2qpHdaqxn9LJRLhYBrNTXAkuRqoLa7DDZqCBaFPwds0x_2Dv74dxPhpNtC919n08q7aIdpUsdAWn/s1600/world-water-day-drought-kenya_17413_600x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYksWX-3W3RvJywNg3K3IiCSijDBeOcNZRvLTqIPLfwbkZQgDNhGM8-_JP1b5v6hI2qpHdaqxn9LJRLhYBrNTXAkuRqoLa7DDZqCBaFPwds0x_2Dv74dxPhpNtC919n08q7aIdpUsdAWn/s320/world-water-day-drought-kenya_17413_600x450.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Children and sewage don't mix</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And – if you’ve resisted the impulse to stop reading in
disgust – there’s another thing: At night, it’s unsafe to step out of the hut.
So the waste is collected in plastic bags which get hurled into the black sky –
Kibera’s infamous “flying toilets.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">America’s attention was riveted a couple of months ago by
the ordeal of a stricken cruise ship whose passengers had to make it a week or
so without working toilets. I’m afraid Kibera is like a thousand of those
ships, with no port anywhere in sight.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And that’s where Peepoople comes in. They have developed an
ingenious solution. It’s a waterproof single-use bag made of a compostable organic
material, with a bit of granulated urea inside. The bag – a PeePoo bag – is placed
like a liner inside a small plastic pail, which together form a sanitary
toilet. After use, the bag is tied off in a tight seal enclosing everything,
including soiled tissue, and the urea goes to work destroying the pathogens by
which human waste spreads so much disease. The used bags are returned to
collection centers, where they are composted to provide fertile garden soils
and to grow trees.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_RRy-5l3KLxGaQGyvhk8csi3YEpcls44Be_WtZVe-_XPVVyUr2EoqpcLyBneV7_XL_RZwHL9h8196pmeeadZzsCDC9tdfPd2oCmJxouSFSIQQ91PIoN1RgmjC4LtJEvPa9rBS4IoqJay/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_RRy-5l3KLxGaQGyvhk8csi3YEpcls44Be_WtZVe-_XPVVyUr2EoqpcLyBneV7_XL_RZwHL9h8196pmeeadZzsCDC9tdfPd2oCmJxouSFSIQQ91PIoN1RgmjC4LtJEvPa9rBS4IoqJay/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PeePoo bag ready to return for composting</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And for most of Kibera’s people, the cost isn’t overwhelming.
The Peepoo bag costs two shillings. But upon return to the collection station,
the user gets a one-shilling refund. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
the overall cost per use is just a little more than a U.S. penny. In the
bargain, streams of sewage are reduced, potentially lethal pathogens are
destroyed, and fertile soils are developed for local gardens. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, solutions to vexing problems are seldom as simple as
they sometimes sound. Peepoople is in its infancy. Adoption rates are still low
in Kibera. There are five or six collection stations, and Kibera needs hundreds.
Composting and pathogen testing is ongoing, before Kenyan authorities will
permit compost use in sensitive areas. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But Kibera today is a picture of much of the world tomorrow.
We know that climate disruptions are driving a tsunami of human migration, as
farming systems stagger under the burden of unseen challenges like today’s
extreme weather events. Whether in Karachi, Johannesburg, Dhaka, Bangkok or Los
Angeles, cities will have to deal with an influx of migrants struggling to
survive and unable to afford basic services like clean, safe sewage systems. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy24x1QYhuG428TVSkS1xJQy_Z7yIOt8sU-OddSqZvvPBsJrBe_HdtLBMa953rBtny81Xk2SwzS5RXrxqHO6zLrvuA-m8GZeD7ymF7q0cxO2l8aAH-00FI4UVq_RUWfdvSsUKTD1xoJkhC/s1600/Rahab+and+Japheth.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy24x1QYhuG428TVSkS1xJQy_Z7yIOt8sU-OddSqZvvPBsJrBe_HdtLBMa953rBtny81Xk2SwzS5RXrxqHO6zLrvuA-m8GZeD7ymF7q0cxO2l8aAH-00FI4UVq_RUWfdvSsUKTD1xoJkhC/s320/Rahab+and+Japheth.png" width="246" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Peepoople's Rahab Mbochi, with Japheth</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hats off to Peepoople, to Rahab, to Jeshua, and to the
thousands of Kiberans working to provide basic human services where none exist
today. If you’d like to learn more about Peepoople, take a look <u><a href="http://www.peepoople.com/">here</a></u>. And if you’re ever in the
neighborhood of Good Hand Farm, and feeling really adventurous, I’ve bought
fifty Peepoo bags, and would be glad to share one with you. If you bring it
back after use, it’ll only set you back one Kenyan shilling.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-75735941232167564392013-04-28T14:22:00.000-04:002013-04-28T15:50:58.192-04:00Hope and Crisis: Climate Losses & Perseverance in Kenya<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we witness the relentless onslaught of extreme weather in
Kenya, we’re tempted to wonder about how to hang on to hope. The deck looks impossibly
stacked against Kenyans for whom drought, flooding and changing disease and
pest vectors are spreading hunger and poverty.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But in the last few days, we’ve seen some examples of amazing
resiliency and initiative. Community self-help organizations are terracing hillside
fields to conserve water and prevent erosion. They are adopting Farming God’s
Way, a gospel-based form of conservation agriculture that enhances soil health
and conserves moisture. They are planting indigenous trees in many places to
restore ecosystems and resist desertification. They are building remarkable
sand dams, which turn seasonally-dry rivers into year-round water sources, and
raise the water table. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where these initiatives are being implemented, parched
communities are showing marked improvement. Women walk fewer kilometers to
carry water home for their families. Children’s clothes are washed more
frequently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crops flourish in the shade
of the replanted tree canopy. Biodiversity is returning, with a wonderful
assortment of birds, lizards and others of God’s creatures. And all this,
despite indisputable evidence that the climate is becoming harsher, hotter, and
more extreme.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We read Psalm 104 in our morning devotions together, and we
think of these Kenyan communities – “You make springs gush forth in the
valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the
field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.” For the moment, our hearts sing.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But then, in a cruel reminder of this harsh new world, we
hear the <a href="http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/2013/04/kijabe-mudslides-april-2013.html">news</a>
from our friends – Scott and Jennifer Myhre – in nearby Kijabe. More than five
inches of rain the night before last pummeled the surrounding area in only two
hours. The road into Kijabe was rendered impassible. The mission hospital and
the Rift Valley Academy were cut off. Water supplies were threatened.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxnfsI3drjrXj-BeYxwotSeaGUwbs3e7Pkf4P1FSQp1ywHIBkIeljv4ABBowyEU9Ws8SJAG4NTH89cOpzz0trvNPRXP6GW5QXJ4pDDmfqip7vUYVXl_N4KXGrm303rTRFvvhPXCz9PAyK/s1600/397935_10200334122010549_2107325540_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxnfsI3drjrXj-BeYxwotSeaGUwbs3e7Pkf4P1FSQp1ywHIBkIeljv4ABBowyEU9Ws8SJAG4NTH89cOpzz0trvNPRXP6GW5QXJ4pDDmfqip7vUYVXl_N4KXGrm303rTRFvvhPXCz9PAyK/s320/397935_10200334122010549_2107325540_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Record rains sweep away Kenyan hillsides</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then last night, another 1.5 inches fell. Mudslides
again closed the roads. Water supply pipes to the Kijabe Hospital have been
destroyed, rendering this vital community lifeline almost useless. Many homes,
businesses and schools have been seriously damaged. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And worst of all, three little girls have been killed in the
mudslides.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Already this month, Kijabe has had more rain than normally
falls in an average year, according to local ecologists who monitor these
patterns. The community has planted many trees, but those trees can only do so
much to hold the soil in place, in the face of such a torrent. And with the
mudslides go valuable topsoil, young trees, this year’s crops, access to the
hospital, and yes – three precious little girls.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let me acknowledge the Christian Reformed Church (CRCNA) in
all this. Last year, the Synod adopted the <a href="http://network.crcna.org/content/synod/creation-stewardship-task-force-report">Creation
Stewardship Task Force Report</a>. The key findings of your church were these:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Climate change is occurring and is very likely due to human
activity </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human-induced climate change is a moral, ethical, and
religious issue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human-induced climate change poses a significant threat to
future generations, the poor, and the vulnerable</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human-induced climate change, as a global phenomenon, poses
a significant challenge to us all</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Urgent action at the personal, communal, and political
levels is required to address climate change.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But you didn’t stop with the science, or with broad ethical
statements. You sent your own people to vulnerable communities to see for
themselves, and to report back to you. That’s a major reason why we’re here in
Kenya, and that’s why we’re sending these messages back to you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We all hope you’re getting an up-close sense of the harm that
our treatment of the earth and its atmosphere are doing to our brothers and
sisters in these distant lands – and to God’s countless other beautiful
creatures. We hope that it gives rise to a gospel-infused, grace-filled
discussion within our North American family. And we pray that many of you will
hear the cry that we’re hearing from God’s injured creation – and his precious
little Kenyan girls.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<![endif]-->John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-3759685575531790122013-04-25T14:29:00.001-04:002013-04-25T14:30:07.321-04:00A Message to America from Kenya’s Church Leaders<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friends with A Rocha and World Renew (both excellent
Christian NGOs) managed to get us an extensive meeting yesterday with top
leaders of the Kenyan National Council of Churches. It’s hard to say what a
privilege it is to meet with Peter Karanja, General Secretary, and Chris Kamau,
Sr. Officer for Social Services. These men are top leaders representing the
biggest church denominations in Kenya. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the end of a wide-ranging discussion about creation care
and environmental challenges, one of our fellow North Americans asked our
Kenyan hosts: “We want you to be totally candid with us. Please don’t pull any
punches. What should we tell our churches back in North America?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They paused for a brief moment. I had the sense that they
were torn between Christian hospitality and the Christian honesty we were asking for. But they chose – I think – the route of candor. I wasn’t taping
their narrative, but scribbled in my notebook like mad. Here’s a smattering of
what they said:</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We are very concerned, especially
about America. They are the most obstinate country when it comes to climate
change. We don’t know where it comes from. Maybe it comes from industry money,
or maybe people just don’t know about climate change. They are not willing to
reduce anything, and they’re not at all willing to finance the cost of
adaptation (to climate change in affected poorer countries).</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .2in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The message needs to get to the
American people. You need to tell your leaders: ‘We are the ones who put you in
office. You have a responsibility to reduce your greenhouse gases which are
harming the rest of the world.’ </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .2in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We have these international
conferences on climate change. But at the end of the day, the U.S. always comes
up with something to make them collapse. We come away with nothing, and no
hope. Because Christians are one family, they must be the ones to pressure
their governments to act responsibly.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .2in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“There are a lot of people who have
no idea about the impact of their lifestyles on other people. Long after your
life is over, your actions will have consequences on us. Many of them will be
harmful consequences.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I just thought you’d want to know how some of the most
senior leaders among your global brothers and sisters feel about you and me. If
you’re angry at them, let yourself cool off for a bit, and read this again
tomorrow. If you’re still angry, consider this: The average Kenyan emits 0.33
tons of CO2 per year. The average American, on the other hand, emits 19.3 tons.
It would take 58 Kenyans to generate as much carbon pollution as one of us. But
unlike most of us, they’re suffering exactly the droughts, floods and crop
failures that climate science has been projecting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Are you still mad? If not, then maybe you’ll consider
passing your thoughts on to your congressional representative. It’s easy and
you can do it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><a href="http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/">here</a></u></b>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-47719465284609761222013-04-24T16:23:00.000-04:002013-04-24T16:25:21.048-04:00Why EPA Gave the Keystone XL a Failing Grade<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you may know, I’m far away listening to harrowing
accounts from East Africans whose families and lives are being threatened right
now by the impact of climate change. We are stunned at what we’re hearing. But
this morning at breakfast, all the buzz among my fellow creation care advocates
was about news from 7,500 miles away. In Washington, the EPA had just released
their environmental report card on the Keystone XL pipeline. They gave the
project a failing grade. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The way the law works, the State Department first has to
produce an environmental impact statement (EIS) on this pipeline. The EPA is
then required to review the EIS, and give it the expert thumbs up, or a failing
grade. 95% of the time, the EPA has only minor comments on EIS reports produced
by other agencies. But this one flunked: “Environmental Objection,” was the
grade; they called the EIS “insufficient.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But we also learned something new about what democracy looks
like. More than <a href="http://ecowatch.com/2013/one-million-comments-urge-obama-reject-keystone-xl/">one
million messages</a> to the President and Secretary of State were submitted from
members of various organizations concerned about environmental protection and climate
change. And that doesn’t count messages directly sent by private citizens like
the readers of the Clothesline Report. I wonder how many issues have drawn one
million objections from Americans. Not many, I’d bet. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, it’s one thing for you or me to write the President.
But what about the EPA? Why have they panned this EIS report? Here’s a short
list of their objections:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The EIS began with an almost incredible assumption: Up or
down, this pipeline decision won’t affect tar sands production and CO2
emissions virtually at all. The EPA pointed out that the Keystone XL would
deliver from Canada some of the dirtiest oil in the world, resulting in 935
million metric tons more CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere than would result from
producing an equal amount of ordinary U.S. oil. How much would those extra greenhouse
gases cost the people of the world? At the low end, <a href="http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/the-social-cost-of-carbon-how-to-do-the-math/">U.S.
government agencies</a> today would set the price tag at $19.6 billion dollars.
At the high end, a <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13412-012-0087-7">study</a>
in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences would put the cost at mind-boggling
$235 billion – a $34 tax on every human living on earth today, falling unequally
on poor people like the Kenyan farmers whose struggle we lament in these pages.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The EIS assumes that greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands
crude are only 17-percent higher than conventional crude. The EPA thinks that
"the difference may be even greater depending on the assumptions
made." The real result is very possibly much worse. And that means the
costs to you might also be much worse.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The report underestimates the difficulty of cleaning up
heavy tar sands spills. Tar sands don’t act like normal oil spills. Large
portions of them spilled in waterways sink to the lake bottoms and riverbeds,
rather than floating on the surface where it’s comparatively easy to clean up;
and they just don’t biodegrade. Americans on the Kalamazoo River in Michigan
and Mayflower, Arkansas are figuring this out to their sorrow.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, if you already joined the one million of us who wrote
the President, this is a day to celebrate a small victory for creation care. If not, don’t worry! It’s definitely
not too late. Obama hasn’t made any decision yet, and your email may be the one
that convinces him that enough is enough. You could just click <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments">here</a></b>,
and send him a short note. And you could remind him of the first job that the
God of his faith gave to us after he made our race: “The Lord God took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden to serve it and keep it.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Genesis 2:15)</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">J. Elwood<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</i></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-30444180329702148242013-04-23T16:08:00.000-04:002013-04-23T16:41:53.889-04:00We’re Disrupting Creation? How Do You Know?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We creation care advocates, we’re pretty sure of ourselves,
aren’t we? Let’s face it. We’ve listened to the National Academy of Sciences.
We’ve read the research on global changes. We know all the “parts-per-million”
data. We’ve seen the melting glaciers, and the shrinking ice cover. We know about
sea levels, ocean acidification, and runaway species extinctions.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But let’s face it: most people out there aren’t nearly as
alarmed as we’re pretty sure they ought to be. After all, some say, scientists
have been wrong before, no?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then we talk to field workers on the ground, as we did
yesterday in Nairobi. World Renew leaders in Kenya told us story after story of
escalating climate shocks and related human suffering. It’s pretty credible stuff,
and deeply alarming. But still, NGOs are in the crisis business, aren’t they? Maybe
they’re dressing things up a bit for the visitors from North America?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So today, we got a totally different perspective, and I hope
you’ll stick around to hear it. We took a long, muddy bus ride to one of the
300 churches in the Mount Kenya South Diocese of the Anglican Church here.
Where I come from, Anglican churches are all granite and stained glass. This
one, home to a rural Kikuyu congregation, let the daylight shine in through plastic
panels in a rusted tin roof. It was pretty humble, to my Western eyes. But I
thought it was a perfectly lovely place.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More lovely still, however, were the 17 Kikuyu women who run
farms in the Diocese, and who had put their busy farm lives on hold to teach a few
North Americans about the new challenges they face – trying to raise food in a broken
climate system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adorned in brilliant
dresses and head scarves of every color, they told us their stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We promised them we’d tell them again back
home. Here are a few, based on my scribbled notes:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Isabelle</u>: There
used to be two planting seasons in the year. One was longer, and we called it
the “lablab bean season.” The other was shorter, and it was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>called the “millet season.” But now, we don’t have
any planting seasons. We only plant when we see the rain. We used to be sure of
the harvest, but not anymore. You plant, but you don’t have a harvest.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Sarah</u>: Last
year, we planted, but we never harvested – except for a few beans and potatoes.
We are confused. Water is a problem for us.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Grace Dodo</u>: We
used to fill a granary plus more stored outside. Now, we can’t even fill the
granary. The rains have changed, and the soil has been depleted.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Eleanor</u>: Pests and diseases have increased. I’m not very old, but spider mites were
never here before. When the spider mites come, we don’t get a crop. The pests
force us to sell crops earlier than before.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Another woma</u></i><i><u>n</u></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: We always talk to each other about the
rain. You can’t depend on the short rain anymore. Thank God for the technology.</i></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The technology? That’s right. These women aren’t just taking
what this harsh new world is dishing out. Others will tell this story better
than I – but with the help of World Renew, Care of Creation, and others, the
farmers are adopting “Farming God’s Way” – what we’d call conservation
agriculture. They mix crops together in the same plot, heavily mulch their
fields with leaves and branches to conserve moisture and suppress weeds, plant
with minimal disturbance to the soil, add manure and wood ash to enrich the
soil, plant under-crops to enhance fertility, and maintain trees to shade crops
from excess heat. Some have bought into Farming God’s Way entirely, and others
are testing plots side-by-side to see for themselves. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They’re remarkably resourceful people, and they’re doing
everything possible to feed their families. But the changing climate is making
it awfully hard.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And there’s another irony: Here in this tin-roofed country church,
the topic of climate change isn’t even slightly controversial. It’s not a
debate. It’s staring them in the face everywhere. It’s a fact. But almost every one
among our company of Westerners knows that in our churches back home, you talk
this way at your own risk.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But now, we’re talking. We promised these Kenyan women that
we would. And maybe you’ll find a way to join the conversation? Maybe an African
family farmer is what Jesus would call “my neighbor?” Things are changing, and to
us, it’s clear that we’re deeply involved.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-89184070964253683722013-04-22T15:46:00.001-04:002013-04-22T15:48:02.949-04:00Climate Change in Kenya: It Didn’t Used to Be This Way<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We enjoyed generous hospitality this morning from the staff
of World Renew in Nairobi, an NGO affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church. At their offices this morning, we listened to leading authorities on agriculture, forest management, food
security, development and disaster relief tell us the new reality of
life in Kenya: Things are changing, and mostly not for the better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m traveling with new friends from Canada, the U.S. and Uganda
who share a deep commitment to caring for God’s creation. Some of us focus our
efforts on the ravages of human-induced climate change. But our Kenyan friends
are dealing with the facts on the ground, serving the victims of drought,
flooding and soil degradation. They’re not fighting for a cause; they’re
fighting for people.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The stories they tell all have a common theme: The systems
people once relied upon to sustain their communities are increasingly unreliable.
Droughts are increasing in frequency; so are floods, such as the ones ravaging
Kenyan crops at present; and increasingly degraded soils are undermining the
ability of farmers to rebound after severe weather shocks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is increasing hunger, poverty and insecurity.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Climate events are forcing us to fundamentally rethink how
we work,” said Jacqueline Koster, World Renew’s director of disaster response
for large swaths of the African continent. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For my part, I’m looking for the data: Prove to me that
extreme weather is worse now than it once was; show me the data beyond any
dispute. It happens that there is good data, but it only goes back a few
decades – not long enough to persuade the most skeptical observers. But
skeptics should have heard what we heard today from these experts on the ground.
Here are some examples:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World Renew program consultant Stephan Lutz traced the
trajectory of East African drought over the last forty years. There was one
major drought in the mid-1970s that captured the world’s attention. Another
came along a decade later. In the 90’s the pace increased to two. Two more hit
in the 2000’s. And already, there have been two more crippling droughts since
2010, only 3 years into the new decade. Today, Lutz speaks of nearly “perpetual
drought” conditions. It didn’t used to be this way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World Renew formerly viewed its development work in terms of
periodic interventions to help communities recover from occasional setbacks on
the road to greater stability. But Koster doesn't talk that way anymore. Climate
shocks come so frequently that she speaks instead of helping communities to “build resiliency”
in light of the inevitably frequent climate shocks. It didn’t used to be this
way.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Disaster Response Manager Chris Shiundu told us that farm planning
has become much more difficult. Kenyans recall that in the past, on Christmas,
they would feast; the following day, they would eat the leftovers; and the next
day they would plant crops. You could count on the rains within a day or two. Now,
no one knows when the rains will come, and planters must watch and wait for
erratic rains. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Team leader Davis Omanyo put the routine planting date at
February 15 in another region, now abandoned because of erratic rains. And he
reported that many farmers must purchase twice the normal amount of seed, so
that the crop can be replanted after erratic rains cause the first planting to
fail. You used to be able to plan your farming calendar. No more.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And while drought conditions have taken their toll on food
production, Shiundu told us that excess moisture from erratic rains has also
caused maize (field corn) to rot on the stalk, resulting in the total loss of
crops in some regions. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Project Manager Geoffrey manages disaster relief in Mbeere
district, where the maize and cowpea harvests have been reduced by 70% this
year due to flooding from extremely heavy rains, and the arrival of a pest caterpillar
never known before in that region. “People who are 70 years old tell us that
this never happened before in their lives,” said Geoffrey, “nor in the prior
generation.”</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For those of us from carbon-heavy North America, these
accounts prompt some serious soul-searching. We know what our greenhouse gases
are doing to the climate in general, global terms. We know it’s driving extreme
weather, melting ice caps, raising sea levels and acidifying the oceans. Now we’re
listening to our fellow Christians tell us of the impact on God’s beloved in
Kenya. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thank you for your accounts Chris, Davis and Geoffrey. Thank
you Jacqueline, Stephan and your many co-workers. We will do our best in the coming
weeks to tell your story to our fellow North Americans, and especially those in
our churches. At a minimum, we are one body with those who suffer in the harsh
new world faced by many Kenyans today. And if our life patterns back home are
responsible for suffering in this distant land, we will do everything we can to
bring about the changes you deserve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">J. Elwood</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-83159112982234114052013-04-03T10:01:00.000-04:002013-04-03T21:46:22.810-04:00Tar Sands Pipeline: Don’t Worry, It’s Safe! <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s been more than a year since I visited the People’s
Republic of China. Among many things that struck me was this: It appears as
though people don’t expect to be told the truth by officials. Remember the dead
pigs in the Shanghai River last month?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>16,000 bloated corpses rotting in the drinking water for Shanghai’s 23
million citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the government
assured the people that their <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/22/mystery-dead-pigs-shanghai-grows-16000/#ixzz2PKASbJFm">tap
water was safe to drink</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or how about the toxic smog in Beijing? Government
officials insisted that there were <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/world/asia/internet-criticism-pushes-china-to-act-on-air-pollution.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">286
“blue sky” days in 2011</a>, until private citizens (and the U.S. embassy)
began measuring air quality on their own and posting the results. It turns out
that nine of China’s 13 largest cities failed more than half the time to meet
even the lowest WHO standards for air pollution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But who expected to be told the truth?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Perhaps things are different, however, here in the U.S. For the most part, we
expect our officials to level with us, don’t we?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two months ago, the <a href="http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/205719.pdf">State
Department produced its environmental impact statement</a> (EIS) on
TransCanada’s controversial Keystone XL pipeline proposal, and gave it a clean
bill of health. I admit, this shook my faith in our officials a bit, especially
since I come from a State Department family. I have already reviewed the EIS
briefly, focusing on its highly-suspect treatment of the pipeline’s <a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/2013/03/keystone-xl-did-state-department-level.html">risks
related to climate change</a>. But I hardly looked at what they said about
contamination from oil spills. I figured that was the least of our worries.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnm7IR5eghFUhUZgNxgmM8V09wbKpnmbdUYpdX4a2dVMBzKW3KYokyTI3V1QjxG79AWywmt9ls0Iinlz1eIZX2s26pF0F1VwFBUihHfTLG-hwrZ_c1VsxSvSSuoiTfiM_w1o_MO_ytFVH/s1600/45283_608923342469399_106063063_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnm7IR5eghFUhUZgNxgmM8V09wbKpnmbdUYpdX4a2dVMBzKW3KYokyTI3V1QjxG79AWywmt9ls0Iinlz1eIZX2s26pF0F1VwFBUihHfTLG-hwrZ_c1VsxSvSSuoiTfiM_w1o_MO_ytFVH/s320/45283_608923342469399_106063063_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then came the tar sands pipeline spill last week in
Arkansas, releasing 84,000 gallons of Canadian heavy tar sands crude laced with
toxic benzene into the <a href="http://ecowatch.com/2013/american-taxpayers-foot-bill-tar-sands-cleanup/">small
town of Mayflower</a>. You’ve seen the pictures on the news, and it’s a
remarkable sight. But it turns out that it’s not nearly as rare as we might
have imagined:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oil Change International reports that there were <a href="http://ecowatch.com/2013/american-taxpayers-foot-bill-tar-sands-cleanup/">364
pipeline spills</a> in the U.S. last year, releasing 54,000 barrels of crude
into our soils and waterways. That's 2.3 million gallons of oil spilled from pipelines in America in a single year. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Just last week, a train carrying tar sands crude derailed <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/28/us-usa-derailment-oilspill-idUSBRE92R02V20130328">in
Minnesota</a>, spilling 15,000 gallons.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A week before that, a Chevron pipeline leaked more than
25,000 gallons of diesel fuel into a <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/us/pipeline-spills-stir-new-criticism-of-keystone-proposal.xml?f=25">Utah
wetlands</a> area about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. That followed <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/us/pipeline-spills-stir-new-criticism-of-keystone-proposal.xml?f=25">two
other Chevron spills</a> totaling of 54,000 gallons of crude near Salt Lake
City in 2010 and 2011. (Note: Chevron was fined less than $13 per gallon.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 2011, Exxon fouled the once-pristine <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-26/business/chi-exxon-fined-17m-over-yellowstone-river-oil-spill-20130326_1_exxon-s-silvertip-oil-spill-yellowstone-river">Yellowstone
River</a>, leaking 1,500 barrels – that’s 63,000 gallons – of tar sands crude from
a pipeline in Montana. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note: Exxon
ultimately paid a token fine equal to $26 per gallon spilled into the Yellowstone.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 2010, another Canadian pipeline operator spilled whopping
819,000 gallons of tar sands crude into Michigan’s <a href="http://www.epa.gov/enbridgespill/">Kalamazoo River</a>, polluting it over
a 39-mile stretch and into Lake Michigan. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But the Keystone XL folks are totally unfazed. <a href="http://keystone-xl.com/about/environmental-responsibility/?gclid=CJD_lo7UrLYCFeRxOgodvksAWw">Their
website</a> pronounces all oil pipelines to be “safe and environmentally
favorable.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, theirs is the best,
newest and most technologically advanced. They have even voluntarily – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">voluntarily</i>, mind you – agreed to 57
special conditions to enhance safety even more.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWTTeMfzi-2a5I6WufrkArHpX2NTJ93qlI7czRLPg8TLzGJTEtSs27-L_1o36ZsBYE9LxEcWMSA6fMhnhEQTQB_TdlY6Yt9gXlL9E3nr6RzsbfadnlFAMbrf48depDmvI439Uzl86LMIh/s1600/spill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWTTeMfzi-2a5I6WufrkArHpX2NTJ93qlI7czRLPg8TLzGJTEtSs27-L_1o36ZsBYE9LxEcWMSA6fMhnhEQTQB_TdlY6Yt9gXlL9E3nr6RzsbfadnlFAMbrf48depDmvI439Uzl86LMIh/s400/spill.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We’d expect a rosy picture like this from them, of course.
No point in advertising all those dirty spills on the website they’re paying
for. But what about the U.S. State Department – our country’s protector in all
this? </span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, I’m afraid that the Chinese would know just how we feel. First the <a href="http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/205719.pdf">EIS
tells us</a> that only 4% of all pipeline spills release more than 42,000
gallons into the surrounding habitat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And sure enough, TransCanada has agreed to those 57 special conditions
that result in a “reduction in the likelihood of a release occurring.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So cheer up, American friends: there are 96% odds your Canadian
tar sands pipeline spill will be less than 42,000 gallons of crude. And just
like the website tells you, there are 57 items in their operating manual that
will reduce your risks even further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So don’t worry!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes, it does a world of good to see things with your
own eyes. Our Chinese friends watch those pigs floating slowly by, and they’ll stick
with bottled water for the present. And now you’ve seen what tar sands oil
looks like when it’s flowing through the back yard.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I suspect that our Chinese brothers and sisters don’t have
an easy time telling President Xi Jinping just exactly how they feel about
rotting pigs and toxic air. But for you, it’s easy to tell President Obama what
you think about the tar sands pipeline. Why not do it? Just
click <b><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments">here</a></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In sixty seconds, you can make a real
difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-26047592399679376112013-03-28T13:44:00.000-04:002013-03-28T14:32:47.866-04:00Christians Pray for a Sensible Arms Trafficking Treaty<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: blue;">Currently there are more laws governing the international sale of bananas and iPods than grenade launchers and AK-47s</span>. - National Association of Evangelicals -</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Clothesline Report is about creation care and climate justice, right? So what are we doing wading into the sordid world of international arms dealers who get rich off the slaughter of villagers in Congo and Sudan?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The answer isn't really all that complicated: Christians pray daily the Lord's prayer: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." That prayer leads some of us to work for an end to human slavery and child labor; some work for redemptive immigration policies; some advocate for living wage standards; others care for aging parents and vulnerable children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the Clothesline, we encourage our friends to protect the increasingly threatened natural systems that all God's creatures rely on for food and habitat -- including seven billion humans. But we care about God's justice and mercy toward all things, whether or not they fall into our specific "silo" of focus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's why I decided to spend a few hours yesterday at the Salvation Army in New York City with Galen Carey of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). We met to pray for the success of a new global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The ATT would establish common binding
standards for international weapons transfers. It would stem the flow of illegal weapons and ammunition to warlords,
dictators and terrorists. In short, it would help dry up the flow of machine guns and grenade launchers into conflict zones where warlords use them to terrorize and control civilians.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I thought it was great that the <a href="http://www.nae.net/government-relations/for-the-health-of-the-nation/peace/arms-trade-treaty/att-about"><b>NAE</b></a> -- the main voice of evangelicals in America -- was leading the effort. So imagine my surprise at this lineup participating in the prayer meeting: the World Evangelical Alliance, representing 600 million evangelicals in 129 nations; the National Latino Evangelical Coalition; the Salvation Army; New York Divinity School; and the New York City Intercessors. All joined together to pour out prayer for a treaty to help the most vulnerable in conflict zones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/hTx_FKbAjSU/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hTx_FKbAjSU&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/hTx_FKbAjSU&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You might think that such a treaty would be universally supported in America, which already has the world's toughest laws regulating the import and export of weapons. Sadly, it's not. The NRA has turned this into another 2nd Amendment fight, which is an almost incomprehensible argument. So people of goodwill will have to <b><a href="http://www.nae.net/government-relations/for-the-health-of-the-nation/peace/arms-trade-treaty/att-about">speak up</a></b> if the countries of the world are going to act to protect the most vulnerable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For starters, you've got to take two minutes and watch the fabulous little film (above) on the ATT. If you think it's worth an extra moment of your time, then consider reading a bit more on<b> <a href="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/current-events/op-ed-blog/24741-the-most-important-treaty-youve-never-heard-of">why evangelicals are so strongly supporting it</a></b>. Finally, remember how easy it is to <b><a href="http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/">write your congressional representatives</a></b> expressing support.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You already care for God's creation. Now take a moment to act on behalf of some of His most vulnerable creatures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for your love and concern.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>J. Elwood</i></span><br />
<br />
<br />John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-34888484322854603092013-03-11T12:01:00.001-04:002013-03-11T12:06:25.322-04:00The Washington Post is Wrong on Keystone XL<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reposted with <span style="font-size: x-small;">permission</span> from <b>Sojourners</b>, March 7, 2013 </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Catherine Woodiwiss</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few days ago, the Washington Post dismissed the movement resisting the proposed tar sands pipeline from Canada to the Gulf as "missing the climate-endangered forest for the trees,” Sojourners published this excellent response.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Washington Post ... dismisses the protests against it as nothing more than “knee-jerk” “distractions”. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In this, the
editors join the cadre of Keystone shruggers – folks whose response to
developing events around the pipeline is a cynical “meh,” tinged with
frustration at protesters.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A prevailing sentiment among these shruggers
is acceptance: it’ll get passed anyway — there’s no way it won’t. And
scolding: Come on guys — it won’t be that bad. Stop the silly stuff and
go do something important.</span></i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLTPKtdrzlAYbrmtSbfkZiNowtXgrotK-NUVCKa7O2nqSxEvF1fho4GGcqD0x04OiQBvSn4jgiFeP_lG9knAL9tzuR59jLTrsMbGXlVJ_5WEynhNjaN84REpbjZHwiiVodcgm6rSkr39I/s1600/Sojourners+article.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglLTPKtdrzlAYbrmtSbfkZiNowtXgrotK-NUVCKa7O2nqSxEvF1fho4GGcqD0x04OiQBvSn4jgiFeP_lG9knAL9tzuR59jLTrsMbGXlVJ_5WEynhNjaN84REpbjZHwiiVodcgm6rSkr39I/s320/Sojourners+article.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of Rena Schild, Shutterstock.com</span><b><br /></b></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The arguments in favor of the pipeline are dubious at best. For example, it’s estimated that harmful tar sands extraction would fall flat by 2020 if not for the pipeline – which would more than double extraction and establish a harmful precedent for pulling oil from the earth. Serious potential risk to communities and environments along the pipeline’s route have been well documented. And even the State Department’s controversial report estimates the pipeline will have “negligible” impact on the jobs market.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But what really bothers me about this piece from the Post is the degree of resignation, coming from a leading journal, to the politically inevitable. Frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of hearing that climate activists need to be realistic on Keystone. I’m tired of the media’s willingness to publish small vision and run pieces of least-resistance when it comes to climate issues. I’m tired of otherwise politically active, deeply soulful, justice-minded colleagues and friends adopting a posture of disinterest when someone challenges conventional Washington wisdom.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Focusing on the pipeline alone is a narrow vision — and ironically, it’s the shruggers more than anyone who have mistaken the pipeline for the real story. For those protesting Keystone XL, the pipeline is a symbol of inevitability in action....</i> <a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/03/07/washington-post-wrong-keystone-xl"><b><i><span style="color: blue;">Read the whole story.</span></i></b></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>J. Elwood </i></span>John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-51311058470568258352013-03-05T12:09:00.000-05:002013-03-05T12:10:53.730-05:00<div class="rpuEmbedCode">
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-79298911808192204962013-03-04T21:00:00.000-05:002013-03-04T21:09:52.868-05:00Keystone XL: Did the State Department Level with Us?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last week the U.S. Department of State released its
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. The
Keystone XL (or KXL) is a huge proposed pipeline capable of pumping 830,000
barrels of Canadian tar sands bitumen per day across the country and down to
the Gulf of Mexico for refining and export. Two years after pulling back their
first EIS due to lack of transparency, the State Department has finished a <a href="http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/205719.pdf">new
improved version</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ve read a lot of it, and as far as I can tell, there’s
virtually no change from the first one, which seemed to be gift-wrapped for a polluting industry. The KXL, they tell us again now, will have no significant
environmental impact.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How could that be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In light of all that’s been learned about climate and the
tar sands in the last two years, I really wondered. So I read the thing, or
large chunks of it. And I’m troubled at what I see. I mean no disrespect to the
good people from the State Department who worked on this, but it looks to me like they had
their answer before they even gathered the data. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among many flaws, these jumped out at me:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The EIS clings to the idea that the tar sands will be fully
developed regardless of what we do with the KXL: <u>We can’t do anything anyway</u>,
they repeatedly say.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The EIS ignores the reality that in the struggle for Earth’s
climate, <u>time matters</u>: Opening the carbon floodgates now is much worse than potentially
opening them later.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And ominously, the EIS <u>uses the lowest numbers</u> of just about
anyone in assessing just how carbon-polluting the tar sands really are.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We can’t stop them
anyway</b></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m really not making this up. The EIS says that if we stop
the KXL now, we won’t cut tar sands production by more than<span style="background-color: white;"></span> 1%. And if <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every single</i> pipeline proposal from the
tar sands is killed, then by 2030, we will have only reduced production by
2-4%.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Currently, the tar sands produce around 1.8 million barrels of
oil per day. The KXL would add another 830,000 barrels per day of shipping
capacity. That’s an increase of 36% from this one project. The higher upstream
emissions alone (not including transporting, refining and burning the stuff) will
be equivalent to the annual emissions from 6.3 coal-fired power plants or over
4.6 million cars.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwxY1nrWLeXHyTZbtT2eylag0RInQePhyphenhyphenvTEDCawlnwIV9djnUCIbCAI_qwe68aTySPVug2mpyDVsslBgKJuKD26FiFhCZe1XEHGrdCD3akz26WmkVScw1LhQ3cDyd5MSN3PFAjNl2EH-/s1600/web-Alberta-Tar-Sands-12-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwxY1nrWLeXHyTZbtT2eylag0RInQePhyphenhyphenvTEDCawlnwIV9djnUCIbCAI_qwe68aTySPVug2mpyDVsslBgKJuKD26FiFhCZe1XEHGrdCD3akz26WmkVScw1LhQ3cDyd5MSN3PFAjNl2EH-/s320/web-Alberta-Tar-Sands-12-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You and I may think that 36% is a big jump in capacity. But still, the EIS
tells us that approving the KXL won’t significantly add to tar sands production
and emissions. They cite two reasons. First, there are other pipeline
proposals, and – implicitly – they’ll probably be approved. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In fact, there are four other pipeline proposals in various stages of
planning. Two are in application stages, one has just been proposed, and the
last one is still conceptual. They all are smaller than KXL, and the most
important – Enbridge’s Northern Gateway – has to overcome fierce opposition
from British Columbians and the legally-empowered First Nations tribes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the others are years away, and face unknown
obstacles.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">No matter, the State Department tells us. Even if <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> the pipelines get killed, tar sands
production won’t suffer by more than 2-4% by the year 2030. And none of that
decrease is because the “bitumen” (or tar) won’t move: it will be a little more
expensive to ship it by train and truck, and that will cut demand a tiny bit.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So we’re wondering, how much do the Canadians plan today to move by rail or truck? Well, there are 2,750,000 barrels per day of
proposed projects on the books. Four of them are pipelines (KXL being the largest)
and they account for 99.3% of the total. The other is a railroad project, and it amounts
to 0.7% of the total. It hardly registers in their plans. But the EIS assumes
that this puny effort will <span style="background-color: white;"></span>swell into a behemoth and entirely replace the
pipelines, if we don't say yes to the KXL.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This seems like an ominous start, doesn't it? We begin our EIS by
assuming that nothing we do will affect the amount of tar sands oil that gets
mined and burned, even though the KXL is the biggest and furthest advanced in
the application process, the trailing proposals face political and legal obstacles,
and the alternative mode of transportation is Lilliputian. Does this have you worried too?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Time doesn’t matter</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It takes time to change the world. Sustainable energy
technologies take time to develop. International agreements take time to
negotiate. And the effects of climate chaos, as devastating as they are, take
time to drive home the need for action.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But the EIS seems to hold that a huge increase in tar sands
carbon emissions now is no more risky than a potential carbon explosion of
equal dimensions in 2030. But this cannot be. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Every year, the cost of solar, geothermal and wind power comes down.
Fuel efficiency standards are increasing sharply, reducing demand for the
dirtiest oil. This year, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have grown to 395.6 part
per million; but in 2030, they’ll be about 433 ppm, even if the growth rate doesn’t
increase (and it’s increasing). By then, we’ll certainly have had many more Katrinas
and Sandys; Texas and Arizona will likely be essentially dry and burnt; coastal
communities will no longer debate the reality of rising sea levels; and
numerous developing countries will likely be acknowledged as non-viable
climates for their people. Most importantly, the Congressional struggle against
climate science will likely be little more than a distant memory. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But, on page after page, the EIS falls into the same trap:
nothing will change; resistance now will be circumvented later; the world will not
find the will to mitigate harm to the climate. When it comes to climate disruptions, time is not our friend: carbon-choked air and acidic oceans take forever
to clean themselves. But in this one arena – the public will to act – time certainly
works for us. With the passage of time, we can no longer ignore the things we once ignored, before floods ravaged our
coasts and droughts burned up our forests. And we haven’t seen a fraction of it
yet.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Time does matter. We are struggling to minimize harm to the
Earth until people of goodwill everywhere stand up for what can no longer be suppressed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Choosing the least
alarming data</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was surprised to find the EIS asserting that tar sands
oil, when measured on a life-cycle basis (or “well to wheel”) is only 17% more
carbon polluting than the average oil refined in the U.S. I had seen lower
numbers, but only in oil company publicity. And even more notably, the EIS
suggested that, as oil supplies everywhere become scarcer, the tar sands’
carbon premium will likely decline, as other sources become dirtier. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I shouldn’t suggest that 17% more greenhouse gases per
equivalent gallon is not serious. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
go out and buy a highly efficient car that gets 40 mpg, gasoline made from 17%
dirtier crude oil is like having the emissions of a 34 mpg car. That’s a big
drop.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But it’s not nearly as big as most others would tell
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Department of Energy reports
that the extraction of tar sands oil is 2.3-4.0 times more carbon polluting
than conventional oil, resulting in at least a 22% well-to-wheel carbon
penalty.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></span></a>
The EPA has set the tar sands carbon penalty at as much as 37%.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></span></a>
And in Europe, the fuel-quality directorate determined that the average tar
sands life cycle carbon intensity is approximately 23% worse than the average
conventional crude used in Europe.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></span></a></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOsAdQj5GfUhyaee1bOXlTdjP99HP_zXLuNN0jEZ8q7qSSOMj2SEe21Bn2sNB_z2TmOtsT9LAsWSCbrcxsJtnnBWnc9iJqheRM13pjOpAhyphenhyphenkd7yrTZibbGeLN7ac_umywA-ZspJTiwKLn/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKOsAdQj5GfUhyaee1bOXlTdjP99HP_zXLuNN0jEZ8q7qSSOMj2SEe21Bn2sNB_z2TmOtsT9LAsWSCbrcxsJtnnBWnc9iJqheRM13pjOpAhyphenhyphenkd7yrTZibbGeLN7ac_umywA-ZspJTiwKLn/s400/Picture2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is much more in the State Department EIS to make earth-keepers
nervous. But these alone make me wonder where the administration plans to take
us – whatever the president’s public pronouncements. We know that the Canadian government
really wants an easy route to the sea for their crude. So do the big oil
companies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when some 40-50,000 of us
showed up at the White House a few Sundays ago to urge Obama not to approve the
KXL, he was out golfing with – would you believe it? – oil company executives.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">[viii]</span></span></span></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’m sure that over the next few months, millions of people
will weigh in on this, and urge the president to act to protect the Earth from
a massive increase in the most polluting forms of oil. Won’t you consider
adding your voice? It’s easy, and you can start by clicking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments">here</a></b>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref1" name="_edn1" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[i]</span></span></span></a> Keystone
XL Pipeline, Draft Supplemental EIS; ES 6.2 Market Analysis, p. ES-19 <a href="http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/205719.pdf">http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/documents/organization/205719.pdf</a></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref2" name="_edn2" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[ii]</span></span></span></a> Pembina
Institute Backgrounder; Climate Implications of Proposed Keystone XL Oilsands
Pipeline; <a href="http://www.pembina.org/oil-sands/os101/climate#footnote1_u8eycct">http://www.pembina.org/oil-sands/os101/climate#footnote1_u8eycct</a></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref3" name="_edn3" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[iii]</span></span></span></a>
Pembina; p. 5</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref4" name="_edn4" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[iv]</span></span></span></a>
National Energy Technology Laboratory, Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions, November
2008; p. 12</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref5" name="_edn5" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[v]</span></span></span></a> U.S.
EPA: Letter of Cynthia Giles to Dept. of State; July 16, 2010; <a href="http://yosemite.epa.gov/oeca/webeis.nsf/%28PDFView%29/20100126/$file/20100126.PDF">http://yosemite.epa.gov/oeca/webeis.nsf/%28PDFView%29/20100126/$file/20100126.PDF</a></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref6" name="_edn6" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[vi]</span></span></span></a> <span style="line-height: 115%;">U.S. average 2005 baseline was determined by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency together with the U.S. Department of
Energy. For reference, see EPA (2010), Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS2):
Regulatory Impact Analysis February 2010, EPA-420-R-10-006</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9049016329709213810#_ednref7" name="_edn7" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="line-height: 115%;">[vii]</span></span></span></a> Adam
Brandt, <a href="https://circabc.europa.eu/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/06a92b8d-08ca-43a6-bd22-9fb61317826f/Brandt_Oil_Sands_Post_Peer_Review_Final.pdf"><i>Upstream
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Canadian oil sands as a feedstock for
European refineries</i></a>, Executive summary (Department of Energy Resources,
Stanford University, 2011), 41–42.</span></span></div>
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Huffington Post; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/obama-climate-protest_n_2719338.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/20/obama-climate-protest_n_2719338.html</a></span></span>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-25741489091139758102013-03-03T16:00:00.000-05:002013-03-03T16:05:33.117-05:00U.S. National Academy of Sciences: Guidance on Climate Change<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Today marks the 150<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the creation of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may seem impossible in today’s gridlocked
environment, but in 1863, President Lincoln proposed it, and Congress passed
the law creating the National Academy (NAS) in a matter of days. Its mission
was to advise our government about matters of science and engineering that were
beyond the training of politicians. And the Industrial Revolution was expanding
exponentially the number and complexity of such issues. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Today, the NAS
numbers more than 2,000 elected members from among the country’s most
distinguished researchers. These are private citizens who share their expertise
with the nation without compensation. It is, without question, the most
authoritative voice in the nation on matters of science, engineering, medicine
and technology.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLoOWYUsSaTB5stqhd_JuTIY2w7hzQb6S3zNTn1B1T27M58zWrmOlGX__zIQwgvL83jnzVjI1rA601vrjXMxCQuPLn3owMsggEv0bF62UpdZHRxpASfQgmZWfJ6xMs3yn6m4c8C7IwEPC/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLoOWYUsSaTB5stqhd_JuTIY2w7hzQb6S3zNTn1B1T27M58zWrmOlGX__zIQwgvL83jnzVjI1rA601vrjXMxCQuPLn3owMsggEv0bF62UpdZHRxpASfQgmZWfJ6xMs3yn6m4c8C7IwEPC/s320/Picture1.png" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/climate-change-lines-of-evidence-booklet/"><i>NAS climate guidance: Free download</i></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Our politicians,
meanwhile, are deadlocked today over the issue of climate change: Is it real?
What’s causing it? How severe are its consequences? We hope they're aware that
the NAS has repeatedly weighed in on the subject, and has provided some very
accessible guidance. The most useful of these, in our judgment, is a 36-page
downloadable booklet titled, <b><a href="http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/files/2012/06/19014_cvtx_R1.pdf">Climate
Change: Evidence, Impacts & Choices</a></b>. In the following paragraphs,
we summarize this short work with a still-shorter outline of key messages from
America’s best climate scientists. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Evidence for
Human-Caused Climate Change</b></span></li>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How do we know that
Earth has warmed</u>?</i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Widespread
measurements of temperature around the world began around 1880. These
data have steadily improved and, today, temperatures are recorded in many
thousands of locations on the land, over the oceans, and from satellites,
ocean sensors and weather balloons. These analyses all show that Earth’s
average surface temperature has increased by more than 1.4°F (0.8°C) over
the past 100 years, with much of this increase taking place over the past
35 years. 1.4°F is like the difference between the average temperature in
Washington, DC and Charleston, SC.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How do we know that
greenhouse gases lead to warming</u>?</i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1824, French physicist Joseph Fourier was the first to discover
the greenhouse effect. In the 1850s, Irish-born physicist John Tyndall
demonstrated the greenhouse effect as scientific fact. In 1896, Swedish<span style="background-color: blue;"></span>
scientist Svante Arrhenius calculated the warming power of excess CO2,
predicting that if human activities increased CO2 levels, climate warming
would result. Much research has built on these classics, but they are no
longer in doubt.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u><span id="goog_504128676"></span><span id="goog_504128677"></span>How do we know that
humans are causing greenhouse gases to increase</u>?</i></span> CO2 is produced and
consumed in many natural processes that are part of the carbon cycle. However,
once humans began digging up long-buried forms of carbon such as coal and
oil and burning them for energy, additional CO2 began to be released into
the atmosphere much more rapidly than in the natural carbon cycle. Other
human activities, such as cement production and deforestation also add
CO2 to the atmosphere. Today, atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceed 390 parts
per million—nearly 40% higher than preindustrial levels, and, according
to ice core data, higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How much are human
activities heating Earth</u>?</i></span> There are several well-known human impacts
on climate: greenhouse gas emissions are the most familiar; emissions
from burning fuels also produce small atmospheric particles called
aerosols, which have a slight cooling effect; and land-use changes
(farming, urban development and deforestation) also have – surprisingly –
a slight overall cooling effect. But when these human impacts are taken
together, the net climate impact is pushing the earth toward warming. </span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAYJDxZOmBi_c6an0NPAqm-ztJjwSHgIcGXQzMNtST1H1xJXmmL5tx9qLiOfjOEk3epN8PNBD8pYyK-VDX121ry13ewP1IVBV5-XWAi_UqKgtJ5al1u4ywqkAtby5NgnpfpRcCftUwxLU/s1600/CO2+and+temperature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAYJDxZOmBi_c6an0NPAqm-ztJjwSHgIcGXQzMNtST1H1xJXmmL5tx9qLiOfjOEk3epN8PNBD8pYyK-VDX121ry13ewP1IVBV5-XWAi_UqKgtJ5al1u4ywqkAtby5NgnpfpRcCftUwxLU/s400/CO2+and+temperature.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Ice core data: CO2 and temperature move together</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .8in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To visualize the extra heat from
human climate warming, picture the small Christmas lights that many of us use to
decorate our trees or homes over the holidays. Imagine four of them burning
brightly in a square meter of space – about the area of your shower stall or
bathtub bottom. Now, add four of those same lights to every single square meter
over the face of the earth and ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
extra heating equals about 50 times the amount of power produced by all the
power plants of the world combined, and that heat is added to Earth’s climate
system every second of every day.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How do we know the
current warming trend isn’t caused by the Sun</u>?</i></span> Since 1979, we have
measured the Sun’s energy from satellites. These records show that the
Sun’s output has not shown a net increase during the past 30 years and
thus cannot be responsible for the warming during that period. And since
the 1950s, weather balloons have measured temperatures in both the lower
and upper atmosphere. More intense heat from the Sun would warm all
layers; but in fact, the upper layers have cooled, and the lower layers
have warmed. Satellite and weather balloon measurements have been closely
scrutinized, and both show a warming trend in the lower layer of the
atmosphere and a cooling trend in the upper layer. The Sun is not the
cause of today’s global warming.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How do we know the
current warming trend isn’t caused by natural cycles</u>?</i></span> Many natural
factors affect the Earth’s climate, including volcanic activity, El Nino
and La Nina cycles, and small changes in our orbit around the Sun. Scientists
have modeled the impact of these natural impacts on climate over the last
50 years, and have concluded that their combined effects have been
largely neutral to slightly cooling. There is a more than 90% chance that
most of the observed global warming trend over the past 50 to 60 years
can be attributed to emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and other
human activities.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>What other climate
changes and impacts have been observed</u>?</i></span> Global warming is not uniform
all over the globe, and its effects vary from place to place. Major
observed impacts include:</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>The strongest warming has occurred over land,
and most significantly in the Arctic. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Heat waves and record high temperatures have
increased across most regions of the world.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Arctic sea ice cover has decreased 10% per
decade, and continues to set new lows.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Many of the world’s glaciers and ice sheets are
melting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>v.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Sea levels are rising due to thermal expansion
as oceans warm, and because of ice melt.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>vi.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>More CO2 in the atmosphere reacts with sea water
to form acids. Ocean acidity has increased 30% since preindustrial times, and
this is radically altering marine ecosystems.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>vii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>With more water vapor in warmer air, storms are
becoming more intense. The Northeast region of the U.S. has seen a 54% increase
in intensity of storms over the last century.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>viii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Species have shifted their ranges pole-ward to
adjust to warming climates, or have become endangered due to immobility.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ix.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Plant and animal behaviors, such as breeding,
blooming and migration occur on average 5 days earlier per decade. This affects
the timing and severity of insects, disease outbreaks and other disturbances.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Warming,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Climate Changes, and Impacts in the 21st
Century and Beyond </b></span></li>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How will temperatures
be affected</u>?</i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the
century, the center of the United States is expected to experience 60 to
90 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">additional</i> days per year in
which the heat index is more than 100°F. The ratio of new record high
temperatures to record low temperatures currently stands at 2 to 1. But
that ratio is projected to increase to 20 to 1 by mid-century and 50 to 1
by the end of the century.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How is precipitation
expected to change</u>?</i></span> Globally, dry areas are expected to get even drier
and wet areas even wetter. Some notable details:</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>i.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>The subtropics, where most of the world’s
deserts are concentrated, are likely to see 5-10% reductions in precipitation
for each degree of global warming. Mexico and the American Southwest are likely
to get much drier.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; mso-list: l0 level3 lfo1; mso-text-indent-alt: -9.0pt; text-indent: -1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>ii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Polar and temperate regions are expected to see
increased precipitation, especially during winter. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iii.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Extreme rainstorms are likely to intensify by 5-10%
for each 1°C (1.8°F) of global warming, resulting in more intense flooding,
even in regions that will be drier.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span>iv.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>Wildfires will become more intense and
widespread. For every degree of warming, the forest area burned is expected to
increase by a factor of 2x to 4x.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How will sea ice and
snow be affected</u>?</i></span> In the Arctic, sea ice will decline 25% for each 1°C
(1.8°F) in global warming this century. In the Antarctic, sea ice is
expanding due to the stratospheric “ozone hole” which developed because
of the use of ozone-depleting chemicals; this effect is expected to wane
as ozone returns to normal levels by later this century. In many areas of
the globe, snow cover is expected to diminish, with snowpack building
later in the cold season and melting earlier in the spring. Each 1°C
(1.8°F) of local warming may lead to an average 20% reduction in local
snowpack in the western United States; reduced snowpack will restrict summer
drinking water supply and hydropower production.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How will coastlines be
affected</u>?</i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sea-level rise is
projected to continue for centuries in response to human- caused
increases in greenhouse gases, with an estimated 20-39 inches of mean
sea-level rise by 2100, and more beyond. However, there is evidence that
sea level rise could be much greater, due to unexpectedly rapid melting
from glaciers and ice sheets. If sea levels rise by 39 inches this
century, many parts of the U.S. coastline will be impacted (see map below).
In any event, global “hotspots,” including the Mississippi, Ganges and
Mekong River deltas will be seriously affected.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How will ecosystems be
affected</u>?</i></span> Species are adapted to specific climatic conditions in
their ecosystems. As the climate changes, many species will be forced to
migrate. But this threatens many species with limited mobility. Special stress
is being placed on cold-adapted species on mountain tops and at high
latitudes, which cannot move higher or further pole-ward. Shifts in the
timing of the seasons and life-cycle events such as blooming, breeding,
and hatching are causing mismatches between species, disrupting patterns
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</ol>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m-zC5-8zAzcbyDcK4sKwCoie4W5LXUJocFnhKFatjNv0MtKpoPH0QWZn9nRgntKglmijJ_T8_TfocC0scy8pcZJFcE8EiVJ8V3PW6JjngtQMnJBiaIaTvs3Q5TlCR25yiFXa-YbZXadU/s1600/coastal+flooding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1m-zC5-8zAzcbyDcK4sKwCoie4W5LXUJocFnhKFatjNv0MtKpoPH0QWZn9nRgntKglmijJ_T8_TfocC0scy8pcZJFcE8EiVJ8V3PW6JjngtQMnJBiaIaTvs3Q5TlCR25yiFXa-YbZXadU/s400/coastal+flooding.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the ocean, warmer surface waters
are mixing less with cooler, deeper waters, separating near-surface marine life
from the nutrients below and ultimately reducing the amount of phytoplankton,
which forms the base of the ocean food web. Ocean acidification, brought on as
the oceans take in more of the excess CO2 will threaten many species over time,
especially mollusks and coral reefs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ocean acidification will continue to worsen if
CO2 emissions continue unabated in the decades ahead.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="a">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><u>How will agriculture and
food production be affected</u>?</i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warmer
weather and increased CO2 do not necessarily mean a decline in food
production. However, temperature increases above 1°C (1.8°F) will reduce
yields in almost all of the world’s staple foods, a result of water
stress and temperature peaks. Local results will also vary, with a
projected 40% yield decrease in a broad cross section of California crops
by 2050. Growers in prosperous areas may be able to adapt to some climate
threats. However, adaptation may be less effective where local warming
exceeds 2°C (3.6°F), and will be limited in many poorer countries and the
tropics, where crop yields are restricted principally by moisture.</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are glad that for the last 150 years, so many of America’s
brightest researchers have been willing to donate their expertise for the sake of
our country and its leadership. President Lincoln had the foresight to see the
value of such an enterprise. Let us pray that today’s leaders will show similar
wisdom.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Where there is no
guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs
11:14).</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Further Resources</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="square">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">U.S. National Academy of
Sciences, “<a href="http://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/files/2012/06/19014_cvtx_R1.pdf">Climate
Change: Evidence, Impacts and Choices</a>”</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">U.N. Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, “<a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf">Fourth
Assessment Report: Summary for Policymakers</a>”</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Woods Hole research
Center, “<a href="http://www.whrc.org/resources/primer_home.html">Understanding
Climate Change: A Primer</a>”</span></li>
</ul>
<br />John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-82168876038738397482013-02-26T19:33:00.002-05:002013-02-26T19:34:49.330-05:00Melting Permafrost and Catastrophic Methane Release<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s only four days till the start of the most famous sled-dog
race in the world. At the starting gate in Anchorage, Alaska, the weather today
is 35<sup>o</sup> Fahrenheit, and partly cloudy. I suspect the conditions will
be okay for this year’s Iditarod, but weather has been all the talk leading up
to the race.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>“It’s raining and not
snowing,” said musher <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/sports/warm-weather-forces-changes-ahead-of-iditarod-race.html?src=recg&pagewanted=all">Luan
Marques</a> during a recent training ride, maneuvering the dogs to avoid
puddles on the trail. “That’s not good.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A number of qualifying races have been canceled because of
warm conditions and lack of snow. In Minnesota, the 400-mile John Beargrease
sled-dog race has been postponed by two months. Three major Alaskan races have
been canceled. And a fourth had to cut its trail by 25 miles for lack of
snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the Iditarod is run on
frozen rivers, so warming is a serious matter to mushers and their dogs.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNsi-iucNhixxXS1Zoe1GYxkRMS4laRhimUrrPYR7eEl3YpVy9wm9fGu4dEBBA9AxNQPG7u2gKBYwlmqkWLNOMAg0wsjDvYNAy0_aHZLcS09WVFemqmCcXqipu9focj7zznlLqC7fQQoQ/s1600/gty_dogs_sled_dm_130123_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNsi-iucNhixxXS1Zoe1GYxkRMS4laRhimUrrPYR7eEl3YpVy9wm9fGu4dEBBA9AxNQPG7u2gKBYwlmqkWLNOMAg0wsjDvYNAy0_aHZLcS09WVFemqmCcXqipu9focj7zznlLqC7fQQoQ/s320/gty_dogs_sled_dm_130123_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Iditarod sled dogs</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But, of all the alarming effects of a warming climate, why
on earth would we worry about a dog race in Alaska? There are lots of places
where you can’t sled. So what if Alaska becomes more like the rest of them?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In fact, the Arctic is warming rapidly. Over the last 100
years, the Earth has warmed by 1.4<sup>o</sup>F, but the <a href="http://www.c2es.org/science-impacts/basics/faqs/arctic#8">Arctic has warmed
by 4-5<sup>o</sup>F</a> just since the 1950s. The effects are visible
everywhere. <a href="http://www.shishmarefrelocation.com/">Coastal villages</a>
are eroding into the ocean as sea ice yields to waves, and frozen shores thaw.
Summer Arctic sea-ice cover breaks record lows year by year, and <a href="http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2012/09/arctic-sea-ice-extent-settles-at-record-seasonal-minimum/">last
year it fell precipitously</a>. In 2012, the Greenland ice sheet <a href="http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/">melted faster</a> than any prior year
on record, and its glaciers are accelerating toward the seas. Northern boreal
forests are increasingly filled with “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunken_trees">drunken trees</a>” tilting at
crazy angles, as once-firm permafrost soils thaw and subside. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All these are interesting curiosities, perhaps. But where’s
the danger to me, to my children, and to the world? The danger, it turns out,
is lurking beneath the ground, clawing at its icy dungeon, waiting for some
primeval spring to release its fury on the world. Like some sci-fi alien, it’s
been locked away for eons, but is now edging its way toward the surface.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeb7t1NJ01HxQD8w1inx-vfAyj1KKRlHiUg_JtkpC6Qld5ri8j3yOB56Jcsf0mejxnYH1G3B3ySFcIF9Th5sNYt3eKoavT8HAQGEIk8fKHJD0uNi4Usvy6Uj_6LRXoxCahekJU8f2Z1Cj/s1600/235292281_16a3bd1e8e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeb7t1NJ01HxQD8w1inx-vfAyj1KKRlHiUg_JtkpC6Qld5ri8j3yOB56Jcsf0mejxnYH1G3B3ySFcIF9Th5sNYt3eKoavT8HAQGEIk8fKHJD0uNi4Usvy6Uj_6LRXoxCahekJU8f2Z1Cj/s320/235292281_16a3bd1e8e.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Drunken trees" in the thawing north</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We’re talking about massive quantities of carbon, buried for
millennia under the permafrost, but increasingly free to escape into the
atmosphere. Here are the facts:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About 25% of the entire land surface in the Northern
Hemisphere is permafrost. And it contains massive amounts of carbon – dead
mosses, lichens, leaves and such – built up over eons but never decomposing due
to the frozen soil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It contains about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/science/earth/warming-arctic-permafrost-fuels-climate-change-worries.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0">twice
as much carbon</a> as does Earth’s entire atmosphere. But it’s melting rapidly. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As permafrost thaws, microbes begin to break down this
ancient plant matter. In the process, much of the carbon gets released into the
atmosphere as CO2. With atmospheric CO2 concentrations at the highest levels in
the last <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth%27s_atmosphere">800,000
years</a>, that’s alarming. But it’s not nearly the worst part. As some
permafrost melts, it creates swamp-like flooded zones, where microbes break
down carbon with little or no oxygen. That creates little CO2, but lots of
methane. And <a href="http://www.lter.uaf.edu/pdf/1562_Schuur_Abbott_2011.pdf">methane</a>
is a powerful greenhouse gas, 25 times more powerful than CO2. Tiny amounts of methane
do enormous damage to global climate systems. In northern lakes and swamps
today, you can see gases bubbling to the surface from carbon-rich lake bottoms
– carbon in the form of methane escaping from eons of frozen captivity beneath
the tundra.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of the scariest parts of our global permafrost drama is
that there are so many uncertainties. No one is certain how much of the
permafrost will thaw; or how much of its carbon will be released; or how quickly
the release will happen; or how much of it will be released in the form of
earth-cooking methane. We laymen may be tempted to take this uncertainty as a
comfort, but the opposite is true: What we don’t know <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> hurt us.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the absence of hard data, the <a href="http://www.lter.uaf.edu/pdf/1562_Schuur_Abbott_2011.pdf">Permafrost
Carbon Research Network</a> – an association of 41 international scientists who
publish research on various aspects of the permafrost – have pooled their best
assessments of the prospects for earth-warming gases from the melting permafrost.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are estimates, but they come from some
of the most authoritative researchers in the field. The results are alarming: </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If the earth warms at the low end of scientific projections,
these researchers tell us that enough carbon will escape the permafrost by the
end of the century to equal the emissions from another 25 years’ worth of
fossil fuel burning at current levels. And if the earth warms at the high end
of the projected range? Then add the equivalent of another 41 years’ worth of
human carbon emissions. In effect, if humanity weaned itself completely off of
oil, coal and gas by the end of the century, there would be additional CO2 in
the atmosphere from the melted permafrost equal to another 41 years of our
current carbon binge.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VamYC_QDn5nAyMaJPaMbTcEBbCCA4DWasohLzRjv-IAoZrh5ibzYireWEjzeWbdjTrOOKW7emzffB_2GuS3fcDecd8uKVGS443GYrBK4OgHrtqlJ5VQH1x5iDtqwDmpqR_Zlore_04-j/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VamYC_QDn5nAyMaJPaMbTcEBbCCA4DWasohLzRjv-IAoZrh5ibzYireWEjzeWbdjTrOOKW7emzffB_2GuS3fcDecd8uKVGS443GYrBK4OgHrtqlJ5VQH1x5iDtqwDmpqR_Zlore_04-j/s400/Picture1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These are estimates. But let’s not imagine that uncertainty
here is a reason for comfort. Melting permafrost is a classic example of a
positive feedback loop that can cause runaway changes: More warming leads to
more permafrost melting, leading to faster plant decomposition, which leads to
more methane or CO2 emissions and still further warming, and so on…. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Runaway changes have the potential to usher in
major global extinction events, and to potentially threaten virtually every
species on earth.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don’t know of a single Christian thinker who believes that
God’s plan for creation involves the extinction of mankind. Most of us agree
that the Creator is the sovereign ruler of the world, and that he uses all
things to accomplish his purposes. But we also affirm that the creation bears
the curse of human sin and failed stewardship. And undoubtedly, these failures have
resulted in the loss of many of God’s species, and misery for millions of people.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This year, our climate impact has been harmful to mushers,
sled dogs and their hardy northern followers. But unless we act quickly to curb
the burning of fossil fuels, I doubt that anyone can be confident about the
future for thousands of species and billions of people. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please join me in praying for – and working for – prompt climate
action in our country and God’s entire world. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-89060631520795866902013-02-18T13:15:00.000-05:002013-02-18T13:17:28.853-05:00Washington Climate Rally: Reflections of a Lonely Evangelical<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My brother Christopher Elwood, my niece Isabelle and I spent
a lovely Sunday in Washington yesterday. We visited the Washington Monument and
the White House. And I still haven’t gotten my voice back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, this wasn’t really just sightseeing. Together
with some <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/business/energy-environment/obamas-keystone-pipeline-decision-risks-new-problems-either-way.xml?f=77">50,000 others</a>, we spent the day on the Capitol Mall and the streets
surrounding the White House giving voice to the growing awareness that our
country and world are on a suicidal course: That this beloved planet cannot continue
to support us and its other creatures as we recklessly foul it with fossil
fuels and thoughtless exploitation of its remaining resources.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus was among many
who were thinking back fifty years earlier to Rev. Martin Luther King’s 1963 March
on Washington, with another huge crowd on these same grounds.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-XGYbw4hvP6SJAws-5EXhfUczvVFsCCNOfrq5VHbsJDULqmgsCHt19LoeDsODFLtmrO9Cb2Pfuw8JBwWnO-3DKb9qU-HTtU9oE0Cd1poli-Rujg2Yw7ipfuSL3ikJAnjcYhGmG3W54EK/s1600/644311_10151421157482708_1516008244_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-XGYbw4hvP6SJAws-5EXhfUczvVFsCCNOfrq5VHbsJDULqmgsCHt19LoeDsODFLtmrO9Cb2Pfuw8JBwWnO-3DKb9qU-HTtU9oE0Cd1poli-Rujg2Yw7ipfuSL3ikJAnjcYhGmG3W54EK/s320/644311_10151421157482708_1516008244_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Courtesy of Christine Irvine</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King marched on Washington
so that we could be here today,” Rev. Yearwood told the crowd. “Now, we will
march on Washington again for the sake of people fifty years in our future.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some will note that our crowd was dwarfed by Rev. King’s gathering
of a quarter-million souls, and they would be right. But when I first joined a
small band in front of the White House in the summer of 2010, there were only 226
of us. When I came back a few months later, our ranks had swollen to 3,000.
Yesterday, we were 50,000 strong. Stay tuned….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yesterday, after Sunday worship at a nearby Baptist church, Chris,
Isabelle and I met up with a group of faith-based participants before
joining the main body of the rally. There were Jews and Unitarians, Catholics
and Orthodox, mainline Protestants and interfaith groups. And – by my count –
one or two self-identified evangelicals under the banner of Young Evangelicals
for Climate Action.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJAh1o8W02tcRxUWdbNM1T9juFiKBWnSZ32nY-MujZdQqM4OVlrFwtXnv6Bens2z3sPrSbfKBh9utqOvk2ZEeRiKJeRNnFmkr6aammnYGkNlH-EBnqff-_koAwrpCmGY4IZqPE4Q750py/s1600/558049_10151421157337708_629331891_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJAh1o8W02tcRxUWdbNM1T9juFiKBWnSZ32nY-MujZdQqM4OVlrFwtXnv6Bens2z3sPrSbfKBh9utqOvk2ZEeRiKJeRNnFmkr6aammnYGkNlH-EBnqff-_koAwrpCmGY4IZqPE4Q750py/s320/558049_10151421157337708_629331891_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Courtesy of Shadia Fayne Wood</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One or two? Where were all the evangelicals? Out of a crowd
of 50,000, surely there were many like me: participating as an individual out
of love for my Father’s creation and for my neighbor. But where were the
churches? Where were the mission agencies? The mega-church pastors? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The evangelistic associations?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, there are evangelicals who labor tirelessly to
protect the poor from the ravages of pollution and climate chaos – and who have
done so for decades. And many of these are keenly aware of the political
realities of the American establishment: that protests are often viewed as the
exclusive domain of liberals and atheists. To preserve our voice with American
evangelicals, perhaps we need to keep a low profile in mass protests which are
supported by people of others faiths and diverse political affiliations. Might
this be the thought process?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If so, it brings me back to Rev. King, whose classic “<a href="http://www.newseum.org/education/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/the-first-amendment-and-social-change--mlk-s-letter-from-birmingham-jail-pdf.pdf">Letter
from A Birmingham Jail</a>” spoke to a generation of Christians who saw danger
in direct action confronting injustice.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikApmGr8o9JRexmonQH1JNE85JnTQp-fMpQqM7VbFLCSaYX9nPiDLkaS4b6-AT5rGob4llCqZb7Ilj-YP7OO2CRT8jtcMrzwsZ2PLI3nhm8dJmdyaqFvtgQaSl06OC9qZ9NS0LHUjTg_AD/s1600/2013-02-17_12-16-33_789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikApmGr8o9JRexmonQH1JNE85JnTQp-fMpQqM7VbFLCSaYX9nPiDLkaS4b6-AT5rGob4llCqZb7Ilj-YP7OO2CRT8jtcMrzwsZ2PLI3nhm8dJmdyaqFvtgQaSl06OC9qZ9NS0LHUjTg_AD/s320/2013-02-17_12-16-33_789.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Isabelle and Chris Elwood</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Injustice anywhere,” wrote Rev. King, “is a threat to
justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied
in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all
indirectly.” (Don't settle for this sampling: read the <a href="http://www.uscrossier.org/pullias/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/king.pdf">whole thing</a>!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Fifty years have come and gone. The facts have changed.
Despite common threads, the fight for climate justice is anything but a rerun
of the Civil Rights Movement. But there are parallels. I pray that Christians
today will keep working behind the scenes, teaching children, planting
community gardens, writing to politicians, learning to shrink their carbon
footprints. But one day soon, I also hope to see them in great numbers:
churches, Christian colleges and other ministries, adding their voices to the
thousands who today are demanding action to protect the beloved planet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">More Climate Rally pictures</i></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M0vGq6Cmq93Y3ooYwvmcD-0fTUAygp4Moj9SgdW5UmwNEXB2jCoDdAElvuNt-UNOzlJfc-f8qS8Q3Ak4UCZpZoaXFJw-QVTn2wRY3mIrG65f7YlzH2Dg2tHagHFCjzhnsnpE_SZJS8UV/s1600/602079_10151421158127708_763915960_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6M0vGq6Cmq93Y3ooYwvmcD-0fTUAygp4Moj9SgdW5UmwNEXB2jCoDdAElvuNt-UNOzlJfc-f8qS8Q3Ak4UCZpZoaXFJw-QVTn2wRY3mIrG65f7YlzH2Dg2tHagHFCjzhnsnpE_SZJS8UV/s400/602079_10151421158127708_763915960_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rally organizer Bill McKibben, center. Photo by C. Irvine</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUbXzyNqf5JBYdiRNebe2nDo5azowH1jFumyQnOnsNPJ48uCJAMS6c09-YSvwnwAZDSm7iaz6EA163zvSLQiP9zIFRfZhhCcFzpyY4Fi0UUCFHWtreCozl_HQ5W_cnNUUFQoJUxUtcHMC/s1600/2013-02-17_14-41-05_521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUbXzyNqf5JBYdiRNebe2nDo5azowH1jFumyQnOnsNPJ48uCJAMS6c09-YSvwnwAZDSm7iaz6EA163zvSLQiP9zIFRfZhhCcFzpyY4Fi0UUCFHWtreCozl_HQ5W_cnNUUFQoJUxUtcHMC/s400/2013-02-17_14-41-05_521.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kids braved the cold</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqZsfeQZUuLd5xO1DFcilmYfv4cheb9-xHJ4fGVpX3ZIwktAZE6-W9BfjvinRTsWYtgZkl_uphCYxp9J1t1hOyBId73IVu7QFDOgTd-FTSFuZJVMh-mmfU6Q0F5oEOSsUzSZ5C1eAeU1M/s1600/66782_10151421157837708_317774228_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqZsfeQZUuLd5xO1DFcilmYfv4cheb9-xHJ4fGVpX3ZIwktAZE6-W9BfjvinRTsWYtgZkl_uphCYxp9J1t1hOyBId73IVu7QFDOgTd-FTSFuZJVMh-mmfU6Q0F5oEOSsUzSZ5C1eAeU1M/s400/66782_10151421157837708_317774228_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Protect our future. Courtesy Bora Chung</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEMvKqpz8KJLboPvBqM8RlJ6CTF38A9FGMiR2azmAkkQRph1aIJYa6hRPjtX_RWHp20uye7-bFlcAaMkZE94-368EmTEp3bvJuErqDpzJ5TVrf2rbhzSc6FsiAxLkFCaJoyvjtceoWLap/s1600/2013-02-17_13-38-41_133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEMvKqpz8KJLboPvBqM8RlJ6CTF38A9FGMiR2azmAkkQRph1aIJYa6hRPjtX_RWHp20uye7-bFlcAaMkZE94-368EmTEp3bvJuErqDpzJ5TVrf2rbhzSc6FsiAxLkFCaJoyvjtceoWLap/s400/2013-02-17_13-38-41_133.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kentuckian Isabelle Elwood</i></td></tr>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-60402812230389936932013-02-14T20:50:00.003-05:002013-02-14T20:53:49.159-05:00Cliff Notes for the U.N. IPCC 2007 Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In 2007, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize for its
efforts “to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate
change.” Some people loved their work. Others hated it. But the Nobel Committee dec<span style="font-size: small;">ide<span style="font-size: small;">d t<span style="font-size: small;">hat their work deserved extrao<span style="font-size: small;">rdin<span style="font-size: small;">ary recognition.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, the IPCC is
preparing to issue its 5<sup>th</sup> assessment later this year, and some of
its drafts have already been circulating on the web. We can surely expect
fireworks. Many still consider climate science to be a “massive hoax,” and they
won’t take kindly to a synthesis of global science that provides more certainty
regarding the trends in climate disruptions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But before the new
edition comes out, it might be good to know what the old one actually said. Of
course, you don’t actually want to read it yourself. The thing consists of four
volumes, covering basic science, vulnerabilities, mitigation, and a synthesis
report. It’s so cumbersome that most commentators settle for reading only a
<a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf">Summary for Policymakers</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But it can be read,
and we’ve done so. We thought that it might be a service to summarize – in
laym<span style="font-size: small;">a</span>n’s terms – the <a href="http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/contents.html">Physical Science Basis Report</a>. This tells us the state of
basic climate science six years ago. A lot more is known today, but here’s a
readable summary of what was known back then. We paraphrase most everything,
but our account is an honest every-man’s rendering of largely impenetrable
scientific language.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>1. Greenhouse gases
are increasing</u></b><b>: Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide,
methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human
activities and now far exceed pre-industrial values.</b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Highest recorded carbon levels</u></i>: Carbon dioxide is the most important
anthropogenic greenhouse gas. The global concentration of carbon dioxide has
increased from a pre-industrial value of about 280 ppm to 379 ppm in 2005, and
now exceeds by far the natural range over the last 650,000 years. <i>(<u>Note</u>: CO2 is now at 395.55 ppm.)</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Faster growth in carbon</u></i>: The annual carbon
dioxide concentration growth rate was larger during the last 10 years than it
has been since the beginning of continuous direct atmospheric measurements.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>It comes from burning coal and oil</u></i>: The primary source of the increased
atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide since the pre-industrial period
results from fossil fuel use.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>2. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal</u></b><b>, as is now evident
from observations of increases in global air and ocean temperatures, widespread
melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea levels.<span id="goog_1000843302"></span><span id="goog_1000843303"></span></b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u><span id="goog_1000843304"></span><span id="goog_1000843305"></span>These are the hottest years</u></i>: Eleven of the last twelve years (1995–2006)
rank among the 12 warmest years on record (since 1850). <i>(<u>Note</u>: The 6 years since then have all been hotter than every
year before 1997, and include the #1, #5, and #6 hottest on record.)</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>The pace of warming is accelerating</u></i>: The linear warming trend over the last 50 years
(0.13°C per decade) is nearly twice that for the last 100 years. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>The oceans are getting hotter</u></i>: Observations since 1961 show that the average
temperature of the global ocean has increased to depths of at least 3,000 meters
and that the ocean has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat added to the
climate system. Such warming causes seawater to expand, contributing to sea
level rise.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Glaciers are melting</u></i>: Mountain glaciers
and snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres. Widespread
decreases in glaciers and ice caps have contributed to sea level rise.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Polar ice is melting</u></i>: Losses from the ice sheets of Greenland and
Antarctica have <i>very likely </i>contributed to sea level rise from 1993 to
2003.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Seas are rising</u></i>:
Global average sea level rose faster in the 20<sup>th</sup> century than
in the 19<sup>th</sup> century; faster yet in 1961-2003; and nearly double that
rate during 1993-2003. Everything is
accelerating.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>3. Global warming is affecting the Polar Regions
and the tropics most significantly.</b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>The Arctic is melting</u></i>: Average Arctic temperatures increased at
almost twice the global average rate in the past 100 years. Since 1978, annual average Arctic sea ice coverage
has shrunk by 2.7% per decade, with larger decreases in summer of 7.4% per
decade.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>The permafrost is thawing</u></i>: Temperatures at the top of the permafrost
layer have increased since the 1980s in the Arctic by 3°C. The maximum area
covered by seasonally frozen ground has decreased by about 7% in the Northern
Hemisphere since 1900.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>It’s dryer in Africa, and wetter in the Americas</u></i>: Significantly increased precipitation has been
observed in eastern parts of North and South America, northern Europe and
northern and central Asia. Drying has been observed in the African Sahel, the
Mediterranean, southern Africa and parts of southern Asia. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Drought for the tropics</u></i>: More intense and longer droughts have been
observed over wider areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics and
subtropics. Increased drying linked with higher temperatures and decreased
precipitation has contributed to increases in drought. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>More intense flooding storms</u></i>: The frequency of heavy precipitation events
has increased over most land areas, consistent with warming and observed
increases of atmospheric water vapor.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Stronger hurricanes</u></i>:
There is observational evidence for an increase in intense tropical
cyclone activity in the North Atlantic since 1970, correlated with increases of
tropical sea surface temperatures. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>4. The warmth of the last half century is
unusual in at least the previous 1,300 years. </b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>This doesn’t happen regularly</u></i>: Average Northern Hemisphere temperatures
during the second half of the 20th century were <i>very likely </i>higher than
during any other 50-year period in the last 500 years and <i>likely </i>the
highest in at least the past 1,300 years. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>When it does, oceans rise significantly</u></i>: Looking way back, global
average sea level in the last interglacial period (about 125,000 years ago) was
<i>likely </i>4 to 6 meters higher than during the 20th century. Ice core data
indicate that average polar temperatures at that time were 3°C to 5°C higher
than present. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>5. We can no longer say “It’s not our fault</u></b><b>.” Most of the observed increase in global
average temperatures since the mid-20th century is <i>very likely </i>due to
increases in human-caused greenhouse gases.
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Natural cycles have actually reduced warming</u></i>: Increases in
greenhouse gas concentrations alone would have caused more warming than
observed because volcanic and human-caused aerosols have offset some warming
that would otherwise have taken place.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Nature hasn’t caused these events</u></i>: It is <i>extremely unlikely </i>that global
climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external factors,
and <i>very likely </i>that it is not due to known natural causes alone.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>6. For the next two decades, a <u>warming of
about 0.2°C per decade is projected</u>. Even if the concentrations of all
greenhouse gases and aerosols had been kept constant at year 2000 levels, a
further warming of about 0.1°C per decade would be expected.</b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>With more greenhouse gases, the Earth must get hotter
before reaching equilibrium</u></i>:
Warming is <i>likely </i>to be in the range 2°C to 4.5°C with a best
estimate of about 3°C, and is <i>very unlikely </i>to be less than 1.5°C. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Actual observed warming confirms the IPCC’s initial
warnings</u></i>: In the first report in 1990, projections were
for global average temperature increases between about 0.15°C and 0.3°C per
decade for 1990 to 2005. This can now be compared with observed values of about
0.2°C per decade.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u>7. Current trends spell accelerated warming</u></b><b>: Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or
above current rates will cause further warming and cause many changes in the
global climate system during the 21st century that would <i>very likely </i>be
larger than those observed during the 20th century.</b></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>It will be at least 1.8°C hotter this century</u></i>: Best estimates for
surface air warming in the 21<sup>st</sup> century is 1.8°C and the best estimate
for the high scenario is 4.0°C. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>A hotter Earth will mean even more carbon emissions</u></i>: Warming tends to reduce land and ocean uptake
of atmospheric carbon dioxide, increasing the fraction of carbon emissions that
remain in the atmosphere.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Sea levels will rise further</u></i>: Projections of global average sea level rise at
the end of the 21st century are 0.3 to 0.6 meters, with most of the models
projecting 0.2-.0.3 meters of sea level rise, <i>excluding</i> the impact of increases in polar ice flow. <i>(<u>Note</u>: Most projections since this
report point to much higher levels of sea level rise.)</i></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>It could be much worse</u></i>: Models used so far do not include
uncertainties in climate-carbon cycle feedback nor do they include the full effects
of changes in polar ice flow, because published research was lacking at the
time.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>White, reflective snow and ice will be replaced by dark
land and oceans</u></i>: Snow cover is projected to decrease.
Widespread increases in thaw depth are projected over most permafrost regions. Sea ice is projected to shrink in both the
Arctic and Antarctic. In some projections, Arctic late-summer sea ice
disappears almost entirely. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>More extreme weather ahead</u></i>: It is <i>very likely </i>that hot extremes,
heat waves and heavy precipitation events will continue to become more frequent. It is <i>likely </i>that future tropical
cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become more intense.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>It will be dryer in the tropics, and wetter nearer the
poles</u></i>: Increases in the amount of precipitation are <i>very
likely </i>in high latitudes, while decreases are <i>likely </i>in most
subtropical land regions.</span></span></li>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>8. No quick fixes: <u>Human-caused warming and sea level rise will
continue for centuries </u>due to the time scales associated with climate
processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized.</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Big cuts in carbon are necessary just to stabilize</u></i>: Based on current understanding of
climate-carbon cycle feedback, studies suggest that to stabilize at 450 ppm
carbon dioxide could require that cumulative emissions over the 21<sup>st</sup>
century be reduced by 27% from 2006 levels.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>Sea levels will keep rising regardless of what we do</u></i>: If greenhouse gases were to be stabilized at 2006
levels, thermal expansion alone would lead to 0.3 to 0.8 m of sea level rise by
2300 (relative to 1980–1999). Thermal
expansion would continue for many centuries, due to the time required to
transport heat into the deep ocean. Melting
of Greenland Ice is projected to continue to contribute to sea level rise after
2100, and could result in a rise in sea levels of about <i>7 meters</i>. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><u>This struggle will go on for centuries</u></i>: Both past and future human-caused carbon
dioxide emissions will continue to contribute to warming and sea level rise for
more than a millennium, due to the time scales required for removal of this gas
from the atmosphere.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <i> </i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">J.</span> Elwood</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-53116135254132267472013-02-12T08:28:00.000-05:002013-02-12T08:28:10.706-05:00Love God, Love Your Neighbor<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Among the many excellent Christian works on the moral imperative behind caring for the creation, the National Association of Evangelicals offers one of the most compelling. Here is a brief excerpt from their booklet, <a href="http://www.nae.net/lovingtheleastofthese"><u>Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment</u></a>.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In Matthew 22:39, Jesus gave us a “second” command: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For us to be faithful in loving God, we must love our
neighbor. In Luke’s account of the same incident, a bystander asks, “But who is
my neighbor?” thus setting the stage for one of the best-known of all Jesus’
parables: the story of the Good Samaritan. Loving my neighbor, according to the
parable, includes responding to the needs of someone who has been hurt. We are
to feed him, clothe him, care for his wounds and provide for him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Care of the poor and oppressed is a resounding theme in both
the Old and New Testaments, as, for example, in Deuteronomy 15:10-11:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">”Give
generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the
LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your
hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you
to be open-handed toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your
land.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">God gave the Israelites structures and rules that
established provision for the poor. Relatives were to redeem sold land and
support widows; cloaks could not be kept in pledge; the poor could glean in the
fields. We are told to care for those who are hungry and thirsty, even if they
are our enemies (see Proverbs 25:21-22; Romans 12:20).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcHae2HJmSHreMu4ol4co2UlP7NAcJmA9zG6k8NeW0Jcx3kblwAaKvolmmxKbAHDam0TvdHcOkI9u3guJOVZz2ny7x6ze-6zuGc6E2fv9euSooRnp8ijfrnt5P5m8-vaPBSvQavgmGaVh/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcHae2HJmSHreMu4ol4co2UlP7NAcJmA9zG6k8NeW0Jcx3kblwAaKvolmmxKbAHDam0TvdHcOkI9u3guJOVZz2ny7x6ze-6zuGc6E2fv9euSooRnp8ijfrnt5P5m8-vaPBSvQavgmGaVh/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="207" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Free downloadable <a href="http://www.nae.net/lovingtheleastofthese">NAE booklet</a> </span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nothing could be clearer than Jesus’ words in Matthew
25:36-44. Jesus tells his disciples that on Judgment Day, we will stand before
God and answer for the way we treated those who were hungry, naked and sick,
and for those who were strangers and prisoners: “Truly I tell you, whatever you
did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”
(v. 40). And, on the other hand, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you
did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (v. 45).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When we care for the poor, we are ministering to Jesus
himself: To care for the weakest is to care for Christ.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are millions of suffering people in the world, and
thousands of Christians who offer them assistance. Unfortunately, the realities
of climate change mean that those suffering millions may become billions. All
of us who follow Jesus will need to respond.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Reproduced from
National Association of Evangelicals: <u><a href="http://www.nae.net/lovingtheleastofthese">Loving the Least of These</a></u></i>.
To download a copy of the complete N<span style="font-size: x-small;">AE</span> document, click <b><u><a href="http://www.nae.net/lovingtheleastofthese">here</a></u></b>.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-43326255229627013942013-02-03T16:19:00.000-05:002013-02-05T12:29:47.791-05:00Travel Ethics: To Fly or Not to Fly?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was at my doctor’s office last week. With February fast
approaching, I remembered that his annual family trip to Hawaii must be in the
offing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Not this year,” he told me, a bit hesitantly. It sounded to
me like there was more to the story, so I waited for him to fill in the blanks.
“We’ve been thinking about our impact on the earth, and we just don’t think we
can justify the long flight.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How about that? My doctor and his wife have canceled their annual Hawaii
vacation because they’re committed to reducing their family carbon footprint.
Perhaps their two young sons understand, or maybe they don’t yet. But it
illustrates the fact that tackling the climate crisis begins with real personal
choices.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bf0r2UdejbW9b_wa92GvnLMETxMjEgHW2q9IPWS83xiFtfqJ05jL9SFxoLCKuXEGk_6_ACwQfUVDpkG1wikRNSEv-3IZTGXZqbEGopVj8-_tzStcLw21d6CeVa7Q6PqRCTinTTLEQQqK/s1600/article-2074992-0F326C6600000578-284_468x286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bf0r2UdejbW9b_wa92GvnLMETxMjEgHW2q9IPWS83xiFtfqJ05jL9SFxoLCKuXEGk_6_ACwQfUVDpkG1wikRNSEv-3IZTGXZqbEGopVj8-_tzStcLw21d6CeVa7Q6PqRCTinTTLEQQqK/s320/article-2074992-0F326C6600000578-284_468x286.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aviation fuel emissions: growing impact on climate</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How can you know how much CO<sub>2</sub> you’ll be emitting
on your planned vacation? This is actually not hard at all to figure out. But let's start with the basics:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For
starters, Americans on average emit <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions">17
to 18 tons of CO<sub>2</sub></a></b> every year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s about double the level of the <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita">average
European</a></b>, and many times more than those from developing countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For many of us, our homes are our largest
carbon emitters. Here at Good Hand Farm, despite years of work on insulation,
window replacements, programmable thermostats and solar panels, our old
farmhouse still burns enough heating oil to emit 9.5 tons of CO<sub>2</sub>, or
about 3 tons per current occupant.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our cars add more carbon emissions, of course. Our small
diesel sedan and hybrid hatchback each account for about 2-3 tons of CO<sub>2</sub> per
year. A large car or SUV would emit about 2.5 times as much.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How do we know all these things? We found a great website
from the World Land Trust that helps people like us figure out the carbon
impact of our lifestyle choices: the houses we live in, the distances we
commute, the cars we drive. I’d recommend it to anyone. Take a look <b><a href="http://www.worldlandtrust.org/eco-services">here</a></b>.</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But (returning to our topic) what about business and leisure air travel? Well, it
turns out that flying can be a huge carbon binge. Last year, I helped lead a
student group in South China. My share of the flight’s emissions? A whopping
5.9 tons of CO<sub>2</sub>! That’s almost double my annual share of home
heating emissions. This spring, I’m planning to fly to Nairobi, Kenya for
consultations with other creation care workers. Chalk up another 5.3 tons!</span></div>
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</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnR25ZuTxwClfkxkePSuCds82Zg7C-A4nbDWjf9cz98qozM3ww2pgsBBEYnZwXE0l75yrwLLuqRGbpaXzRUHZt58yevs7u7j-_DbOvtvoNVA-1gJW8i4UJvLtOqzUZm3fMEphUQVA8FJ8e/s1600/manycontrails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnR25ZuTxwClfkxkePSuCds82Zg7C-A4nbDWjf9cz98qozM3ww2pgsBBEYnZwXE0l75yrwLLuqRGbpaXzRUHZt58yevs7u7j-_DbOvtvoNVA-1gJW8i4UJvLtOqzUZm3fMEphUQVA8FJ8e/s320/manycontrails.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Spacious skies? They're getting pretty clogged.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I can thank the New York Times for highlighting the heavy
carbon cost of air travel. Last Sunday, they printed a great piece on this
topic, titled <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/sunday-review/the-biggest-carbon-sin-air-travel.html?_r=0">Your
Biggest Carbon Sin May Be Air Travel</a></b>. Business people, they note, routinely
cross the country, adding 2-3 tons of earth-warming CO<sub>2 </sub>per coast-to-coast
trip. A visit to London or Frankfurt? Add another 3 tons. Frequent fliers will
do well to turn down the thermostat at home, but cutting one or two flights may
have a much greater impact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's important to note that <i>how </i>we travel also makes a big difference. Taking the train
from New York to Washington generates only one-third the emissions of the
flight from La Guardia – before considering the often-greater carbon costs of
cabs or rental cars to and from the airport. And taking the family car may sometimes be
the very worst choice. My little fuel-sipping cars are just barely more
climate-friendly on a trip to Washington than the plane, but a larger vehicle
would emit significantly more carbon than flying – unless we were carrying
multiple passengers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So before booking your next trip, spend a little time
on the <b><a href="http://www.worldlandtrust.org/eco-services">World Land Trust’s
site</a></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may be surprised at how
easy it is understand the carbon impact of your life choices. And consider <b><a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/top-carbon-offset-companies.html">purchasing carbon offsets</a></b> to reduce the climate impact of your flight. The proceeds fund projects that reduce greenhouse gases. Sure, your trip will cost you a little bit more, but someone is bearing those costs anyway -- among them, your own children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And my doctor’s choice to skip this year’s family trip to
Hawaii? They’re saving the earth 14.4 tons of earth-warming CO<sub>2</sub>.
That’s almost a year’s worth of emissions for the average American. Admittedly,
this February will be a good bit colder for them. But they can begin planning
their summer boating trip to nearby Lake George, secure in the knowledge that
their choices are making a difference for the future of the children they love.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-81068626216827392442013-01-24T16:01:00.000-05:002013-01-25T17:41:52.989-05:00Climate Change as Liberal Politics<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">President Obama surprised many – including me – by
highlighting the challenge of global climate change in his second inaugural
address on Monday.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing
that failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,” Mr.
Obama said. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none
can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and
more powerful storms.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Predictably, the president’s remarks drew criticism from his
opponents. Tim Phillips, president of <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_for_Prosperity">Americans for
Prosperity</a></b>, a group financed by the oil-billionaire Koch brothers, had this
to say about the president. “His address read like a liberal laundry list with
global warming at the top,” Mr. Phillips said. “Americans have rejected
environmental extremism in the past and they will again.” </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9W7Z2idtJkozU2R5LEYcxY-In7NJIjt4lqg0BxPYPQVzbE9h-w998csF-ftCF-eaKenDLtZd2JUiYjFfXwrczz-Mv7eDv7yNkuI-ALOXFMWL7QuV-RcTAMBGm_wg2Mtg7ZMC5teQQjNB/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9W7Z2idtJkozU2R5LEYcxY-In7NJIjt4lqg0BxPYPQVzbE9h-w998csF-ftCF-eaKenDLtZd2JUiYjFfXwrczz-Mv7eDv7yNkuI-ALOXFMWL7QuV-RcTAMBGm_wg2Mtg7ZMC5teQQjNB/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"We will respond to the threat of climate change...."</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some readers may be curious about the term “extremism.” I think the
more interesting link is between “global warming” and “<u>liberal</u> laundry list.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It turns out that Mr. Phillips isn’t alone. Nearly every
pundit I heard after the speech – on both the right and the left – made the
linkage: climate change is a liberal cause. To some of us, that’s like calling
cancer research, quantum physics or the ozone layer a liberal cause – or a
conservative one, for that matter. But we still can’t deny the facts: Americans everywhere know
that on the whole, progressives tend to take climate science more seriously,
and conservatives tend to discount it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I’ve looked into this <b><a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-is-climate-change-political-issue.html">before</a></b>,
and shown that we’ll look long and hard before finding an atmospheric scientist
of any political persuasion whatsoever who doesn’t take human-caused climate change
seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But despite ever-more-exhaustive scientific research, in the political realm, the debate rages on,
and the liberal-conservative labels persist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, yesterday, I read a small book by MIT atmospheric
scientist <b><a href="http://web.cerritos.edu/tstolze/SitePages/Kerry%20Emanuel_%20Phaeton%27s%20Reins.pdf">Kerry
Emanuel</a></b>. Listed on Time Magazine’s “Time 100: The People Who Shape Our
World,” Dr. Emanuel summed up the brief history of the politicization of the
climate discussion in a few insightful – and surprisingly even-handed –
paragraphs. I thought I’d share them with you:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>From: What We Know
About Climate Change; Kerry Emanuel</u></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Especially in the United States,
the political debate about global climate change became polarized along the
conservative-liberal axis some decades ago. Although we take this for granted
now, it is not entirely obvious why the chips fell the way they did. One can
easily imagine conservatives embracing the notion of climate change in support
of actions they might like to see anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Conservatives have usually been
strong supporters of nuclear power, and few can be happy about our current
dependence on foreign oil. The United States is renowned for its technological innovation
and should be at an advantage in making money from any global sea change in
energy-producing technology: consider the prospect of selling new means of
powering vehicles and electrical generation to China’s rapidly expanding
economy. But none of this has happened.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paradoxes abound on the political
left as well. A meaningful reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions will require a
shift in the means of producing energy, as well as conservation measures. But <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">such<span style="letter-spacing: .95pt;"> </span>alternatives<span style="letter-spacing: 1.65pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>nuclear<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span>wind<span style="letter-spacing: 1.45pt;"> </span>power<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>viewed<span style="letter-spacing: 1.65pt;">
</span>with<span style="letter-spacing: 1.25pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">deep </span>ambivalence<span style="letter-spacing: 1.9pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span>left.<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>Senator<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;">
</span>Kennedy,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>most<span style="letter-spacing: 1.4pt;"> </span>measures<span style="letter-spacing: 1.85pt;"> </span>our<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>most<span style="letter-spacing: 1.4pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">liberal</span><span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>senator,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.75pt;">
</span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span>strongly<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;"> </span>opposed<span style="letter-spacing: 1.65pt;">
</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span>project<span style="letter-spacing: 1.3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>develop<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;">
</span>wind<span style="letter-spacing: 1.45pt;"> </span>energy<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;"> </span>near<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">home</span><span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>Hyannis,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span>environmentalists<span style="letter-spacing: 2.05pt;"> </span>have<span style="letter-spacing: 1.45pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>just<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>begun<span style="letter-spacing: 1.3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>rethink<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">visceral</span><span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>opposition<span style="letter-spacing: 1.85pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>nuclear<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>power.<span style="letter-spacing: 1.6pt;">
</span>Had<span style="letter-spacing: 1.2pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: .95pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>been<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>green<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span>opposition,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.65pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">United </span>States<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>today<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;"> </span>might<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>derive<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>most<span style="letter-spacing: 1.4pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>its<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>electricity<span style="letter-spacing: 1.75pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>nuclear<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span>power,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.6pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">does</span><span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>France;<span style="letter-spacing: 1.3pt;"> </span>thus<span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span>environmentalists<span style="letter-spacing: 2.25pt;"> </span>must<span style="letter-spacing: .95pt;"> </span>accept<span style="letter-spacing: .9pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>large<span style="letter-spacing: 1.45pt;"> </span>measure<span style="letter-spacing: 1.7pt;">
</span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">responsibility</span><span style="letter-spacing: .7pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>today’s<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>most<span style="letter-spacing: 1.4pt;"> </span>critical<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"> </span>environmental<span style="letter-spacing: 1.85pt;"> </span><span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">problem.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">There are other
obstacles to taking a sensible approach to the climate <span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">problem.</span> We have preciously few representatives in Congress with a
background <span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">or</span> interest in science, and
some of them display an active contempt for the <span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">subject.</span> As long as we continue to elect scientific illiterates like
James Inhofe, <span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">who </span>believes global warming
to be a hoax, we will lack the ability to engage <span style="mso-font-width: 102%;">in</span> intelligent debate….</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">… The evolution of the scientific
debate about anthropogenic climate change illustrates both the value of
skepticism and the pitfalls of partisanship. Although the notion that
fossil-fuel combustion might increase CO2 and alter climate originated in the
19th century, general awareness of the issue dates to a National Academy of
Sciences report in 1979 that warned that doubling CO2 content might lead to a
three-to-eight-degree increase in global average temperature. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then, in 1988, James Hansen, the
director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, set off a firestorm of
controversy by testifying before Congress that he was virtually certain that a
global-warming signal had emerged from the background climate variability. At
that time, less was known about natural climate variability before the
beginning of systematic instrumental records in the nineteenth century, and
only a handful of global climate simulations had been performed. Most
scientists were deeply skeptical of Hansen’s claims; I certainly was. It is
important to interpret the word “skeptical” literally here: it was not that we
were sure of the opposite, merely that we thought the jury was out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At roughly this time, radical
environmental groups and a handful of scientists influenced by them leapt into
the fray with rather obvious ulterior motives. This jump-started the
politicization of the issue, and conservative groups, financed by auto makers
and big oil, responded with counterattacks. This also marked the onset of an
interesting and disturbing phenomenon that continues to this day. A very small
number of climate scientists adopted dogmatic positions and in so doing lost
credibility among the vast majority who remained committed to an unbiased
search for answers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the left, an argument emerged
urging fellow scientists to deliberately exaggerate their findings so as to
galvanize an apathetic public, an idea that, fortunately, failed in the
scientific arena but which took root in Hollywood, culminating in the 2004 release
of <i>The Day After Tomorrow</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the right, the search began for
negative feedbacks that would counter increasing greenhouse gases: imaginative
ideas emerged, but they have largely failed the acid test of comparison to
observations. But as the dogmatists grew increasingly alienated from the
scientific mainstream, they were embraced by political groups and journalists,
who thrust them into the limelight. This produced a gross distortion in the
public perception of the scientific debate. Ever eager for the drama of
competing dogmas, the media largely ignored mainstream scientists whose
hesitations did not make good copy. As the global-warming signal continues to
emerge, this soap opera is kept alive by a dwindling number of deniers
constantly tapped for interviews by journalists who pretend to look for
balance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While the American public has been
misinformed by a media obsessed with sensational debate, climate scientists
developed a way forward that helps them to compare notes and test one another’s
ideas and also creates a valuable communication channel. Called the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, it produces a detailed
summary of the state of the science every four years, with the next one due out
in [2014]. Although far from perfect, the IPCC involves serious climate
scientists from many countries and has largely withstood political attack and
influence….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emanuel concluded his discussion on a somewhat hopeful note:
“The extremists are being exposed and relegated to the sidelines, and when the
media stop amplifying their views, their political counterparts will have
nothing left to stand on. When this happens, we can get down to the serious
business of tackling the most complex and perhaps the most consequential
problem ever confronted by mankind.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We pray for this day to come soon. We note, with sorrow,
that Emanuel wrote those hopeful words in 2007. And six years later, the media
is still amplifying the pronouncements of discredited spokesmen claiming to
rebut mainstream climate science. And whatever our political views, we will all
equally bear the consequences of an injured climate system. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Let us work and pray for the national will and global
resolve to protect our Father’s beloved planet while we can still make a meaningful difference -- for ourselves, and for God's most vulnerable people and creatures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-15069600168266026942013-01-21T18:36:00.000-05:002013-01-21T18:38:35.474-05:00Climate Chaos on Martin Luther King’s Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King,
Jr.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">King, the great Baptist pastor who led the Civil Rights
movement when I was a child; King, who peaceably organized the Montgomery Bus
Boycott against entrenched racism; King, who thrilled and inspired a generation
with his “Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; King whose
government subjected him to FBI surveillance and harassment as a subversive for
much of his life; and King, who finally laid down his life in the path of an
assassin’s bullet, following his master in sacrifice for others.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutOyDN1BNZztoLnX9S9FwVKNfWkwwPnhJWZnHeyk_cbFU44a1ZhCycjfgXTAvjDrGDAqUGfQ0purXz5ZMBVGkwl3mFeJ10p5WeQqOEkp0yQdqqTaXZ7sTkhXHB7dzytMKCNFldoN175_L/s1600/tumblr_manph7rOUE1qzattso1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutOyDN1BNZztoLnX9S9FwVKNfWkwwPnhJWZnHeyk_cbFU44a1ZhCycjfgXTAvjDrGDAqUGfQ0purXz5ZMBVGkwl3mFeJ10p5WeQqOEkp0yQdqqTaXZ7sTkhXHB7dzytMKCNFldoN175_L/s200/tumblr_manph7rOUE1qzattso1_1280.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, there’s a beautiful monument in memory of Dr. King
along the Tidal Basin in Washington. It’s one of my very favorite places. Just
last week, Barbara and I had the chance to visit it once more. We walked in silence
along the granite wall inscribed with his writings and speeches. We spoke very
little, as we took in the beauty and gravity of this great soul:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Darkness cannot drive out
darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do
that."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"If we are to have peace on
earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our
loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and
this means we must develop a world perspective." </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"We are caught in an
inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever
affects one directly, affects all indirectly."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"The ultimate measure of a
man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he
stands at times of challenge and controversy." </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8kjU3T4dhGVLlUIxtiC5RaZEozQw7afP2j1H-voYRkV3Rt4dJL2g_sTDTFjcM8kef9LQ3s2OHAM4p68pSW-lJYDxChTM1gbM-KmHeTL4C_Z5Kn3kAMS8zeNbfoU4iB4MDH5mqsuDOIjn/s1600/Picture2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8kjU3T4dhGVLlUIxtiC5RaZEozQw7afP2j1H-voYRkV3Rt4dJL2g_sTDTFjcM8kef9LQ3s2OHAM4p68pSW-lJYDxChTM1gbM-KmHeTL4C_Z5Kn3kAMS8zeNbfoU4iB4MDH5mqsuDOIjn/s200/Picture2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>January forsythia at MLK Memorial</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had a long drive ahead of us, so after our brief rendezvous
with greatness, we hurried between the massive granite blocks toward our waiting
car. But on the plaza leading from the monument, we were confronted with a sight that stopped us cold. The
plaza was lined with forsythia bushes, those showy,
sprawling yellow shrubs that brightly announce the arrival of spring. They
bloom in Washington around March 15<sup>th</sup>. But there they were, bright
and yellow, less than two weeks after the New Year, announcing something much
more sinister: the ongoing saga of climate chaos.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The same day, Russians were enduring a <a href="http://rt.com/news/winter-snow-russia-weather-275/">freak winter storm</a>,
beyond the memories of even the most frost-hardened Muscovites. 12,000 snow
removal trucks vainly plied the streets of Moscow, but traffic hardly moved for
days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MKAD, Moscow’s major traffic
artery, was jammed for 13 kilometers going nowhere. And this followed a
coldest-ever December for Russia, with temperatures falling to 58 degrees below
zero Fahrenheit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So it looks like 2013 is beginning much like 2012 and 2011, both
of which brought us records of extreme weather, drought, wildfires, flooding, rising
food prices and hunger across the globe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And this brings me back to Dr. King. He knew that – despite crushing
setbacks – time was ultimately on the side of justice. “No lie can live
forever,” he said. “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is
long but it bends towards justice.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TN58LkmDH0a_jgM1se9jFNvEuUBDRJBMmIS5w8FW6DnkkFgXBH73VJTKC0QubOPZnIDMU6C_GFXSmcr34AmXSrcklFF4ayXJvB9SJIe4DrGBXe5BUeJE2Of6tYEsFxM0dF3ogrWc0bir/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TN58LkmDH0a_jgM1se9jFNvEuUBDRJBMmIS5w8FW6DnkkFgXBH73VJTKC0QubOPZnIDMU6C_GFXSmcr34AmXSrcklFF4ayXJvB9SJIe4DrGBXe5BUeJE2Of6tYEsFxM0dF3ogrWc0bir/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Moscow freak storm: Signs of what's ahead</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But time is almost certainly not on the side of those who
struggle to protect the creation from climate chaos. As we pass tipping point
after tipping point, there are fewer and fewer hopes of returning to the world
into which we were born, a world capable of sustaining its billions of human
souls and more than a million living species.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But perhaps this will be the year our nation rises to meet the
challenge of a climate system on steroids. If so, it will happen because we
demanded that our leaders take action. Maybe this would be the time for you to
make your voice heard. Why not start the year by telling your congressional representatives
how you feel? It’s easier than you probably think. Take a moment, click <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/p/write-to-congress-what-should-i-say.html">here</a></b>,
and let them know what you’re thinking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people,”
wrote Dr. King, “but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of
good people.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;">Thanks for reading, and for <b><a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/p/write-to-congress-what-should-i-say.html">speaking
out</a></b>, good people. And may God bless you.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">J. Elwood</span></span></i><br />
<br />
John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-75816930140271057982012-12-24T16:02:00.000-05:002012-12-25T07:59:14.923-05:00On Christmas and Slaughter<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>By Dr. Jennifer Myhre</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/">Jennifer Myhre</a> is physician who
has served with <a href="http://www.whm.org/">World Harvest Mission</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">since</span> 1991,
and has worked in East Africa since 1993 – currently working at <a href="http://www.kijabehospital.org/">AIC Kijabe Hospital</a> in Kenya. She is
married to Dr. Scott Myhre and has four children. She is also among the readers of the
Clothesline Report. Scott and Jennifer blog regularly at a fantastic site where
this was <a href="http://paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/">blog entry was originally
posted</a>. Go check out their site<span style="font-size: x-small;">: we <span style="font-size: x-small;">link</span> to <span style="font-size: x-small;">it on the<span style="font-size: x-small;"> CR. </span></span></span></i></span></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I promise that you won’t regret it.</span></span> </i></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">#####</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having spent 17 of the last 20 Christmases in Africa, the
wind which blows in a drier hotter season now feels familiar, and the flashing
spastic lights we bought in our capital a couple years back (our first
electrified season) feel appropriately chaotic. Last year was our first
in Kijabe (Kenya), and I remember the church Christmas pageant which
included a band of skinny little camouflage-clad Kenyan boys as Herod’s
soldiers marching in like a rebel resistance army, and Jesus’ parents fleeing
before them like any other refugees. I don’t recall much focus on this part of
the story in America as I grew up. Our plays ended half-way through
Matthew 2, with the gifts of the magi, while the scene was still serenely
beautiful and triumphant. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The slaughter of innocent children gives the story a
jarring, uncomfortable ending, dangling, unresolved, and terrible. Rachel
weeping for her children, because they are no more.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIzWJnXW698x3HNq9sEIs9oDOGSU1k6Pd4eyB0riRcsKDcl1FMXQgiP8uPdRRJVmJR1JyqbT5SYJIR2i4jJEI8NozlPvQ2rOYBlujh2phtbTzw5DGh85Kj9csH02i3M0Os4bSd9tYEL-/s1600/Nicholas+Poussin+Massacre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnIzWJnXW698x3HNq9sEIs9oDOGSU1k6Pd4eyB0riRcsKDcl1FMXQgiP8uPdRRJVmJR1JyqbT5SYJIR2i4jJEI8NozlPvQ2rOYBlujh2phtbTzw5DGh85Kj9csH02i3M0Os4bSd9tYEL-/s320/Nicholas+Poussin+Massacre.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Poussin: Massacre of the Innocents</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Five years ago on this day I had just flown from Bundibugyo
(Uganda) to Kampala to see my own children for whom I had wept, thinking that
Scott and I might be no more, after surviving a 3-week ebola-exposure
incubation. Many innocents had died all around us. That Christmas
was awash in grief, much like Christmas in Connecticut this year. The 20
first-graders who died, and their six heroic teachers and administrators, are a
modern-day slaughter of the innocents. Angry evil lashing out at those
who are defenseless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We should not have dropped this part of the Christmas story
all these years. Because slaughter is the context of Christmas. The
whole story hinges on the presence of rampant evil. When masses of
children are violently killed, it becomes hard to deny the reality of injustice
and suffering, the horrible brokenness of our world. And in Revelation
12, we see the evil pictured as a great serpent, seeking to devour God’s holy
child.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Christianity is not about a moral standard, who is right and
who is wrong, winning arguments or elections. It’s not about the right
songs or the right politics, or power, or influence. It’s not about an
intangible inward assurance of a distantly future eternal location.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Christmas and Christianity are about redemption of a real
evil in our real world. This is a serious business. People get
hurt. The evil that made Adam Lanza mentally ill, that tortured his life,
that deprived him of treatment or cure, that deceived him into believing this
last act of horror was something he needed to do. The evil that split up
his family, that lured his mother into buying assault weapons capable of firing
hundreds of rounds of deadly ammunition in a matter of minutes, the evil that
insinuates that limiting this sort of weapon to the military is an infringement
of human rights. The evil that kills twenty African children every three
minutes of every hour of every day of every year, over and over. The evil
manifest in viruses that turn love and motherhood into death, in greedy
dictators who steal from their own people and ruthless terrorists who throw
grenades into neighborhoods, in failed crops, hunger, ill-equipped hospitals,
careless drivers, floods and droughts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On this continent it would be absurd to deny the horror and
heartache of evil, just as absurd as it would be to do so in Newtown. Or
in Bethlehem, when the bloodied bodies of baby boys were being buried.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw8M9Qh6_wwzl3EYDbsaWoOaL3E_ZUTdLkYsSjPbj3cRYrWxzf80_VAL0ky8aNxl_5NodRGmXKgJKfU_BF1RQXf6aQkpJMh26YsU9RqADtuGlq2rqiYIW3AA_Uzx9OiGO2UBlptrOaBcF/s1600/Leon+Cogniet+cropped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVw8M9Qh6_wwzl3EYDbsaWoOaL3E_ZUTdLkYsSjPbj3cRYrWxzf80_VAL0ky8aNxl_5NodRGmXKgJKfU_BF1RQXf6aQkpJMh26YsU9RqADtuGlq2rqiYIW3AA_Uzx9OiGO2UBlptrOaBcF/s400/Leon+Cogniet+cropped.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Evil in Bethlehem: Leon Congiet's "Massacre of the Innocents"</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The birth of the child who is God ushers in a turning point
in the story. A foe capable of meeting evil, and defeating it. Disguised
and humbled in human flesh. The incarnation sets in motion a complete
reversal of all that is wrong, all that is sorrowful, all that is painful, and
in the course of this battle, a lot of people die. The baby survives and
becomes the man who will refuse to ride against Roman powers as a King. That is
a victory too small, a territory too temporary. This King will choose a
path of suffering, voluntarily taking on all that evil could throw at him, in
his own body, nailed to a tree. Like the teachers at Sandy Hook who put
their bodies in the path of bullets, trying to protect the children. This
King will defeat evil. He will walk out of a tomb, so that every 6 and
7-year-old gunned down, every starving baby, and even the Adam Lanzas of the
world, can be redeemed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We saw the Hobbit movie a few days ago. The filmmakers
inserted a scene at Rivendell in which Gandalf muses that it is not so much the
power of armies that keeps evil at bay, but the ordinary acts of courage and
kindness that preserve our world – the community outpouring of love which will
heal hearts in Newtown; the tenacious pushing of a teenage girl who gave birth
to a baby; and the steady painful walk he took towards death. The daily
self-sacrifice of his followers who sweep streets and teach children and suture
wounds and defend the fatherless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Evil is real. Innocents suffer. But the story
does not end there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">From the Clothesline Report, we pray that the redemptive
power of the incarnation will invade your world – however broken it may be –
and ours, in the year ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And may God
bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049016329709213810.post-64941585414720720242012-12-07T12:51:00.000-05:002012-12-07T12:51:32.339-05:00Hurricane Sandy Response: We Will Rebuild!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nobody likes a coward. We want our leaders to be resolute
when we’re threatened. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We think of the classic example, when all seemed lost after
Dunkirk in 1940. Who would not have been stirred by Churchill’s defiance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We shall defend our Island, whatever the
cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing
grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the
hills; we shall never surrender….”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFsGmXoD0uDa-YZLSR9hhyphenhyphenBaXmRQ4E10_32q4w_QTMMqZm0trAHhZEkFoFZwa9zG6uwer74CSzr0dlQBpVgY1EDj_1W4l0x8gscWoRm-tMH2i3SogaAAs8-lX_cKvwWvgbvYJAPswRcNX/s1600/we-will-rebuild.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFsGmXoD0uDa-YZLSR9hhyphenhyphenBaXmRQ4E10_32q4w_QTMMqZm0trAHhZEkFoFZwa9zG6uwer74CSzr0dlQBpVgY1EDj_1W4l0x8gscWoRm-tMH2i3SogaAAs8-lX_cKvwWvgbvYJAPswRcNX/s200/we-will-rebuild.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And in the same vein, who can blame the governors of New York and New Jersey
for their bravado after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Working together,” said New York’s <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/12/03/andrew-cuomo-on-capitol-hill-stumping-for-hurricane-sandy-aid">Andrew
Cuomo</a>, “we will rebuild stronger and better than ever before, so New York
is better prepared and has the infrastructure in place to handle future major
weather incidents."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In New Jersey, <a href="http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/new-jersey/46409-you-should-not-feel-like-youre-alone-christie-tells-those-overwhelmed-by-storm">Chris
Christie</a> was no less optimistic: "I'm confident we can rebuild, that
we will rebuild, and we'll rebuild together."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, both governors’ approval ratings have
soared. Never surrender; never retreat. We love this stuff.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZm09cS2s1vPC6V42v8p1ZeTItTVMeTnDP0OXjUjutIudR8cvzY_UoLaUO3OyrCjgumuNCHSEi9pAkeI2d-CzXR4DXUoc0O-amciWDxUFkI5r-y2s01jmvD4IBFethLrCULm3PAOrZTqWw/s1600/subwaywater3-537x390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZm09cS2s1vPC6V42v8p1ZeTItTVMeTnDP0OXjUjutIudR8cvzY_UoLaUO3OyrCjgumuNCHSEi9pAkeI2d-CzXR4DXUoc0O-amciWDxUFkI5r-y2s01jmvD4IBFethLrCULm3PAOrZTqWw/s320/subwaywater3-537x390.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Court Square Station in Queens as flooding started</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But Wednesday evening, I squeezed into a packed hall at NYU
to listen to some of New York’s <a href="http://www.nyu.edu/ipk/events/272">leading
experts</a> – climate scientists, meteorologists, sociologists, public health
experts and more – reflect on city planning in the post-Sandy era. They all
agreed on one thing: When sea levels are rising, <u>only fools refuse to
retreat</u>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Among the experts was Klaus Jacob, a geophysicist with a
40-year career at Columbia University, and a<i> </i>leading New York City advisor
regarding the impacts of climate change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For the last decade, Jacob has warned anyone willing to listen about New
York’s vulnerability to climate change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
2011, he predicted in a <a href="http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Publications/Research-and-Development/Environmental/EMEP-Publications/Response-to-Climate-Change-in-New-York.aspx">major
New York state report</a> that a “100-year storm” – almost exactly what Sandy
turned out to be – would flood the subway system in about forty minutes; all
major tunnels would be flooded in about an hour; and costs would total about
$58 billion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It’s uncanny how accurate Jacob’s <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2916">2011 report</a>
was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early estimates have put the bill
for Sandy at <a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/2012/11/more-federal-flood-insurance-wrong.html">$52
billion</a>, and the number is climbing.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F-2h9DXT5Ok_VPu_6Pn2S0rRGTkCkS7x_kfEkKFMu139plw85IHU1vYp1aGV2BmAyp3AQax9qKQyvbl_Yq9nqF2TY9b_HN-j-ktraEgsVSE4FAIF4IOAiQ152nVoDLL2QqqLca7YcMFY/s1600/hurricane-sandy-subway-flooding-537x373.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F-2h9DXT5Ok_VPu_6Pn2S0rRGTkCkS7x_kfEkKFMu139plw85IHU1vYp1aGV2BmAyp3AQax9qKQyvbl_Yq9nqF2TY9b_HN-j-ktraEgsVSE4FAIF4IOAiQ152nVoDLL2QqqLca7YcMFY/s320/hurricane-sandy-subway-flooding-537x373.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>86th Street Station in Manhattan</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But Dr. Jacob has a much more sober warning for us. “100-year
storms” hit us infrequently; in any year, there’s about a 1% chance that one
will strike. On average, that’s one per century, let’s say. But add 2-4 feet of
sea level rise, which Jacob and <a href="http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Publications/Research-and-Development/Environmental/EMEP-Publications/Response-to-Climate-Change-in-New-York.aspx">New
York’s ClimAID</a> researchers are projecting this century, and the same
flooding will occur every 3 to 10 years, he told the NYU audience Wednesday
evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“You can’t have the whole system being shut down once a
decade,” <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/2916">said Jacob
a year ago</a>. “What’s important is that we’re vulnerable right now to the
100-year storm. After 40 minutes of rain the entire subway system could be
underwater.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You heard that right. Before we ever heard of Sandy, Jacob
was predicting that sea-level rise will give us one of these events every
decade on the high side. On the low side? One Sandy-like flood every three
years.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZLU6a-VLKhp1zosNOE1xe1e5mL-3gHJL6woQJYTvXjc2xdRCtHDy9pVN8C1-C2CLbTCwM2_MAoz4YGEw7HzbQX04FQ4CAyU0yJ0VGTcOvo8uh8XiAHCKsKRPxdxe8fqPVQuAhpAEazii/s1600/l_20121101-superstorm-sandy-phil-story-600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZLU6a-VLKhp1zosNOE1xe1e5mL-3gHJL6woQJYTvXjc2xdRCtHDy9pVN8C1-C2CLbTCwM2_MAoz4YGEw7HzbQX04FQ4CAyU0yJ0VGTcOvo8uh8XiAHCKsKRPxdxe8fqPVQuAhpAEazii/s320/l_20121101-superstorm-sandy-phil-story-600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Seaside Heights, NJ after Hurricane Sandy</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, a year ago, some of us would have said Jacob was simply
making scientific projections, an exercise often ridiculed by climate skeptics.
Hurricane Irene had hit us pretty hard. Many people thought it might be related
to climate change. But the climate discussion was still hostage to our national game of
political football, and few people really listened. After Hurricane Sandy, NPR
host Steve Curwood asked him in a <a href="http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=12-P13-00044&segmentID=3">radio
interview</a> if this was finally the wake-up call the city – and the country –
needed to begin to seriously plan for the ravages of climate change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Last year’s [Hurricane] Irene should have been the wake-up
call,” answered Jacob. “And then we should have gotten into action. So this is
the second wake-up call… how many wake-up calls do we need?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So let’s say we’ve wakened up. What should we do? I have one
suggestion for starters: Before we join the cheering section for the rebuilding of
communities in the path of the rising seas, let’s acknowledge that we are
fundamentally changing the earth, for ourselves and for distant – and comparatively
innocent – people. You may be able to imagine Fortress New York. But no one’s seriously
talking about Fortress Bangladesh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Building seawalls around our threatened cities is probably
unwise. But continuing on our carbon binge from inside climate fortresses
raises fundamental questions of justice for anyone attuned to the call to care
for God’s creation, and for his most vulnerable children.<i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you’d like to make your voice about creation care heard
in Congress, feel free to copy and edit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://clotheslinereport.blogspot.com/2012/12/write-to-congress-what-should-i-say.html">this
letter</a></b>, and send it to your congressional representatives by clicking <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.congress.org/congressorg/mail/?alertid=61046526&type=ML">here</a></b>.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And consider adding one message: Please don’t
lure people back into harm’s way by promising to rebuild in places from which we
should be thoughtfully retreating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading, and may God bless you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J. Elwood</i></span></div>
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John Elwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09144085078590610919noreply@blogger.com0