The State of Our World and Choices
October 30th, 2005It seems like the last few months have been filled with more gloom & doom articles about the state of our world. Disappearing coral reefs, collapsing ice shelves , melting icebergs , retreating glaciers shrinking coastlines are but a few of the alarm bells going off.
Those of us at the Millennial Files have been following the degradation of our environment for years, and for the most part are hardly surprised. In 1980 MMMFiles published one of many warnings to come , with a report from 2,500 scientists who, in 1995, predicted “an increase of extreme temperatures, dryness and precipitation in some regions” and “a striking retreat of mountain glaciers around the world.” By 2000 , we were reporting massive swings in temperatures around the world during January, from California farmers dealing with a winter drought, to Bangladeshi Environment Minister, Sajeeda Choudry’s warning of approximately 20 million impending “ecological refugees due to coastal flooding.” By the end of they year, scores of Russians were reported dying in a December freeze.
In December of 2004, Environmental Activist, Sheila Watt-Cloutier announced plans to charge the US with human rights violations of the Inuit (an indigenous Artic tribe), at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It should come as no surprise to those following these environmental changes and challenges, as of last January, citizens of Tuvalu, a small island-nation in the South Pacific, began evacuating as a result of a submerging coastline, and Bangladeshi Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Moudud Ahmed held industrialized nations accountable for global warming.
It is not enough to speak of a problem unless we are willing to figure out how to solve it. MMMFiles has historically sought to be a source of solutions and hope, delivering news of changes in policy, such as when the Air Quality Management Department of Los Angeles banned new diesel trucks from its garbage and bus fleet, and announcing technological advancements such as fuel cell development .
However, we cannot deny in light of so many ignored warnings, that we may be reaching the point of not return. It’s time to think in terms of stopping a runaway train loaded with toxic chemicals, and entertain the thought we may not be able to hold to our traditionally purist solutions. Previously unacceptable practices may need to be considered in light of whatever benefits they might offer, i.e. accepting genetically modified (GM) crops because they require less tilling of the soil (carbon sequestration), and pesticides (See posting below). Also, we may be forced to consider adapting to the effects of global climate change instead of just stopping it.
We at MMMFiles will continue to inform you of the latest changes, even if it means proposing alternatives, changes in policy and accepting certain technologies that we would have previously rejected. Hard times call for hard choices. It’s not that we need to make a deal with the devil, but it has never been more important we consider all choices, as well as their positive and negative ramifications
(Tapia Martinez-Russ, 10/19/2005).
November 3rd, 2005 at 2:32 am
Is “Brilliant” too strong? The entire global climate change/global warming blob you are creating and editing (and I just reviewed a lot of it) is very, very impressive. No shit. I should think that you could parlay this work, via your resume, into something really big. Americans, very late to be sure, are finally awakening to the issue. And as it looks as if the Bush crowd are kaput for at least the next few elections, there will be lots of openings for new faces with new ideas.
November 3rd, 2005 at 4:05 pm
Chuck,
Nothing like a lot of doom and gloom to brighten one’s day. So, where are the brilliant suggestions to help and repair the environment? If everyone becomes seriously depressed over the runaway train do we just hang on tight? Do people trust on the election process and “government officials” to ever truly help? Any thought on how we can improve our, the collective our, lives would be greatly appreciated. What can the “average Joe” do? I believe that most people realize that the environment is changing, and not for the better. Help!!!! We need to be able to do something than just whine…..drink more wine??? Lucinda
November 7th, 2005 at 1:16 am
For one, some “brilliant suggestions” are in the archives (Solutions/any year). My point about using the analogy of the runaway train is that things have come so far, people need to be open to all suggestions and not just those that are politically correct (i.e. I’m still not convinced the Kyoto Protocol is all it’s cracked up to be, but if I voice that, I come under fire). I am more than willing to seek out more solutions and share them with everyone, but I have a hard time believing I have a lock on that. What about reading this info and searching oneself for possible responses? The last thing I want the MMMFiles to become is a “whine distribution center.” It’s supposed to be thought-provoking, which (hopefully) will inspire a constructive reaction/response in the readers.– Tapia