New York Times: VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Thursday called for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront environmental degradation and climate change, as his much-awaited papal encyclical blended a biting critique of consumerism and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action.
Civilization was pretty great while it lasted, wasn’t it? Too bad it’s not going to for much longer. According to a new study sponsored by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, we only have a few decades left before everything we know and hold dear collapses.
From The Guardian:
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil producer, has plans to become 100% powered by renewable and low-carbon forms of energy, according to an influential member of the royal family.
About the Green Party
The Green Party of the United States is a federation of state Green Parties. Committed to environmentalism, non-violence, social justice and grassroots organizing, Greens are renewing democracy without the support of corporate donors. Greens provide real solutions for real problems. Whether the issue is universal health care, corporate globalization, alternative energy, election reform or decent, living wages for workers, Greens have the courage and independence necessary to take on the powerful corporate interests. The Federal Elections Commission recognizes the Green Party of the United States as the official Green Party National Committee. We are partners with the European Federation of Green Parties and the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas.
Los Angeles (CNN) — California is poised to become home to the nation’s first truly high-speed rail system with Gov. Jerry Brown’s signing Wednesday of a law authorizing the first leg of construction for a line that will eventually connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.
We absolutely need more of this kind of effort. It can be funded by ‘positive’ or ‘non-debt’ money. See how in my article ‘Turn the Fed on its Head’.
Rather than ramping up a war with Iran, why don’t we ramp up a war on outdated infrastructure here in the U.S.?
I have watched with quiet fascination the evolution/resurgence of alternative politics since the financial meltdown of 2008. In my opinion, we have (at least) two broad camps developing: a Ron Paul brand of libertarianism that seeks to return to a prior vision of capitalism lost, and a new brand of Economic Democrat (often reflected in the Occupy Movement and/or Green Party or the ‘New Economy’ movement) that seeks a balance between capitalism as we know it and the people at large, who are more often than not suffering the brunt of capitalism run amok.
The ideas explored in my article above were initially outlined in my book of essays A World Without War. But the book is not just about ideas; it’s about a new mindset. A mindset that asks you to find your own individual contribution to society’s problems by wrestling with the big picture — about how culture, politics, economics, media and other social forces can work in concert to influence our behavior. Our problems will not go away. We must collectively work together to find new solutions.
— D.R. Thompson
German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity – equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity – through the midday hours of Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank has said … Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50% of the nation’s midday electricity needs.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The International Energy Agency said the world’s clean energy investments are sorely lacking and this week called for an additional $36 trillion of funding by 2050.
In a sharply-worded introduction to a 700-page report, IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said governments and private industry need to do far more if the world is to hold global warming to what most scientists say is an acceptable level.
“Our ongoing failure to realize the full potential of clean energy technology is alarming,” said van der Hoeven. “Under current policies, both energy demand and emissions are likely to double by 2050.”
At the recent Green Festival in New York, A World Without War author D.R. Thompson gave a similar message to the Feather Project, stating we need to put trillions of dollars into an accelerated effort toward a sustainable economy and energy infrastructure — see video below.
[June, 2010] A group of industry leaders, including Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and General Electric boss Jeff Immelt, stepped up calls for a Manhattan project for low carbon energy last week urging the US government to significantly increase investment in energy research and development.
