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Covering points of interest such as the 'Earth Files' that you as listeners can become involved in to facilitate positive options in reducing our ecological footprint, acting in truly sustainable ways and working towards becoming more carbon neutral.
March 2006 Posts
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In haste ... When I read that Lord Oxburgh was giving an address on Climate Change at Auckland University, I made sure I would be there to see him and ask a question. So arriving an hour before the show, I entered the lecture theatre and picked a seat in the front row. I then took out about 100 mini A5 flyers of GreenplanetFM and placed them on the benches adjacent to their seats. The theatre quickly filled and Lord Oxburgh introduced. This man was originally a geologist, but has been a professor at both Cambridge and Oxford as well as Stanford and Princeton and has spent time in the British Parliament prior to becoming the CEO of Shell oil. Now he has taken a giant step for humankind by breaking ranks with the oil cartel, particularly the US oil conglomerates, stating his concern for humanities headlong rush into fossil fuel use with little concern of the consequences. Ron Oxburgh came across as a man who is in touch with people, easy going ... for the British establishment. He quickly showed that he was at home in a lecture theatre and displayed via graphs and persuasive delivery that humanity has to work in symphony NOW, to address the burning of fossil fuels and find cleaner energy technologies. Systems that do not increase the amount of C02 per parts per million over the threshold of 550 ppm, (but preferably 500) where today it is 382 parts per million and growing constantly. This is because over the last 100 years it has been incrementally increasing above 250 parts, which has been the global norm for tens of thousands of years.Thus, we urgently have to curb more C02 entering the atmosphere as it is the predominant causal agent for the greenhouse affect. Did he get his story across? Yes, but will we as an intelligent humanity rise to the occasion?A big question! Remember, we are digging, drilling and pumping dark atoms that have lain hidden away from sunlight, concealed in the depths of the earth for aeons ... and disgorging them out as atomic particles into the atmosphere like a shroud ... over all biota within the biosphere... is this becoming our sepulchre?When did you last see on TV , hear on the radio and read in newspapers on how your government was addressing the above? One of the points that Lord Oxburgh did not address was ‘growth as usual’ which translates that humanity ‘could still carry on economic development as if there was no tomorrow. (Putting at risk ecosystems, forestry, fisheries etc though he did mention water challenges.) We just have to migrate from one energy system to new energy methods was the call. Also, to keep the fossil fuel interests onside, he catered for the idea of still using these fuels but burying the C02 waste deep underground, a term called sequestering.We have to seriously look at going onto a semi-war footing globally, to change our habits of unbridled consummerism. We need to have dialogue and action based on strategic dates and with world and local media support along with Government, both local and nationally. The community has to be involved in every step along the way. Lovelocks words ... a sustainable retreat. I was the first to ask a question, and said that though I had no mandate to really say this, “that the youth of today appreciate what he is saying and that he was a beacon for them” which was interesting because I could feel an emotional surge from the audience around me upon my uttering this statement Then I asked about methane, which had not been covered in his speech, as I am aware that in Siberia alone there is an area the size of Germany and France composed of permafrost (frozen peat) that is melting and giving off methane that is 20 times more potent than Co2 and once methane starts to release itself from the melting bogs increases exponentially, much like how a snowball gathers size as it increases its speed down hill. The answer was that scientists were endeavouring to factor this in to the changes that are happening. And this does not include Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and European Russia. After his speech and resounding clapping from the audience Lord Oxburgh hung around in the theatre and chatted with about 20 of them in their personal requests. To understand the measure of the man, he catered for all and as I was the last to actually speak with him, I reiterated that what he was doing for the younger generation and in particular those children who are running around us at knee height was greatly acknowledged. Being the gentleman he was he was very gracious toward me, and upon my praise of him he visibly stood more upright, his chest rising. Yes a remarkable being ... who has stepped away from the dark side into bringing light for our collective planetary future. Not a knight or a Sir, but a Lord ... interesting. Where are the other supportive Corporate heads and business executives? At present they are few, but in the words of Lord Oxburgh ... time is running out ...
Tony Blair the British PM has just breezed into New Zealand and addressed the Climate Change Conference in Wellington. To many Blair is an enigma. Promising so much hope when he came to power, this vital, capable, approachable, face of young Britain, to many let himself down disastrously. Given the chalice of righteousness and a pathway to bring people of all nations together, he has to a large segment of humanity, sullied his assignment with distortion, untruths and war ... a brother who has fallen badly. However, as a father of children, one born while he has been PM, he has risen to the occasion with climate change, as at heart he does not want his children or other children to inherit the consequences of environmental collapse. Many people were very impressed with what he said today, especially environmental groups who have never had a spokesperson from such a high office support a green issue with such passion. Mr Blair said New Zealand could play a role as a proselytiser and an agent for change, and could help persuade other governments that they could grow sustainably. "What people like you can do is to keep up the pressure on all of us, and the pressure on society as a whole to deal with this issue responsibly and quickly." "There's a lot that can be done from countries like New Zealand to give a signal to the rest of the world," he said. This is excellent stuff. Blair is certainly giving the New Zealand Government a good shake up as they have been “sitting on their hands” says top NZ policy analyst professor Cath Wallace. Now, NZ needs to get out and lead, so that kids can look to a future where they can gracefully grow old in a benevolent and healthy world. For today, the 29th of March 2006, children of the world can rejoice and that goes for all of humanity and biota within the biosphere. An uplifting day for us all.
Climate Change and Governance Conference 28-29 March 2006 Today in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city some of the worlds top 'earth scientists' are convening to discuss the ramifications of human activity and our resultant output of pollution. Namely greenhouse gasses, which are causing the acceleration of another 20 times more potent, greenhouse gas, methane. We are very fortunate that Lord Ron Oxburgh the distinguished UK geologist, and former Chairman of Shell will make the key note speech. It was a year ago when he broke ranks with the oil lobby, especially in the USA when he made a startling statement by saying “he feared for our planets future!” Children globally can take heart that there is someone in the establishment who has strength and honour. When people of virtue stand up for principle and show that they care about the common good and our future, they demonstrate to us that 'good beings' can come out of anywhere, to stand up for truth. I trust that Lord Oxburgh will be able to convince government and industry to take action. Because, in virtually all cases they have a very high regard for CEO’s in the corporate arena especially a huge conglomerate such as Shell oil. For as anyone who is watching Parliament and the business pages in the media, both parties have been backsliding, when we are in need of vision, leadership and action. Come on NZers' you "who have had your cake and eat it" let’s be leaders and not followers. “Business as usual is a dinosaur mantra!” What is there to lose? The kids are watching and listening ...
Kia Ora, A Maori Greeting from Aotearoa, New Zealand. Our planet is an Eden, a biosphere in a bubble, teeming with trillions of biota, all experiencing what it is to live. And as a colossal organism, integrating atmosphere, oceans, rocks and trees in a symphony of relationship ... however in the last 100 years things have changed and they are now changing exponentially. Today humanity sees itself as the most powerful and controlling of species, yet it has in so many ways lost touch ... that we are all an integral part of this web of life, but have lost our intuitive virtues and our way of “being” with all of nature. We have become separated from the fragrance of springs blooming daffodils, bird song and the expansion and contraction of the seasons. The feeling of at onement with all that is.Where once we heard the breeze whispering, the river burbling, the trees murmuring, and the rocks confiding their part of a greater Mother earth that pulsed with days of light and under a canopy of stars, cycled through the darkness of night to a new day. Now our economic footprint is stamping out our ecological foot print. In doing so crashing through 'the garden' with out us being aware that it is one. What are the ways we can scale back and withdraw in a “sustainable retreat” as James Lovelock the father of Gaia theory implores? How can we create our way into balance once again?If we love our children and our grand children action has to be taken ASAP. If you have doubts about our environmental pollution and global warming, visit China like I have recently done and spend a good deal of time from Beijing to Shanghai and see through the industrial haze of where such ‘progress’ is leading us. Then travel to India and see where this headlong dash carries us to.Yet the people of these countries deserve their day in the sun too.We need to awaken the local and global community to what it is happening to find solutions and take action. Climate change is upon us. Stand bare foot out in your garden, a park or in a creek or river and feel from your heart. You will ‘know’ that our world is changing ... fast. Yes, there is a way through, contrary to many view points we are evolving and there will come a time when the Noosphere unfolds and that humanity breaks through into a higher evolutionary / spiritual reality however, first we must come to a deeper realisation that we are on the threshold of momentous change and we are also causing it. Yet we are all part of the solution. All of us. What are the solutions that we need? Is your government talking about them? Sweden is working at being fossil fuel free by 2020. Today 80% of the food grown in Sweden is organic. Are the Swedes visionaries?The answer has to be yes! Who am I ? I live around the curve, in Aotearoa New Zealand and flew in 'near earth orbit’ as crew with Air New Zealand for 17 years for a total of two years at altitude. Flying trans Pacific, trans Continental, trans Atlantic and trans Australia and up into many destinations in the East. I witnessed oil slicks and dark rainbow coloured films across the great Pacific ocean, brown and red dust smothering the pristine snow over Northern Canada and Greenland, brown and yellow soils in Malaysia where lush tropical rain forests had once stood and after being clear felled, monsoon torrents washed away the top soil, followed by the tree stumps to leave nothing but the naked earth to bear barren witness. Then often, twice a month I would fly through the atmospheric debris of Los Angeles smog. I have seen with my own eyes what is happening within the biosphere to our magnificent planet and feel concerned enough to devote my life to convey a wake up call. Are you with me? Can you supply me with solutions? Cooperation is vital.Arohanui, Tim Lynch of Irish, Scottish, English, German and Maori bloodlines .Aotearoa Tribe: Ngati Kahungunu Te Wairoa Papatuanuku. 19/3/2006
