This blog will look at environmental and political issues that will affect the quality of life for future generations of all species. Including; sustainability, media labels of "environmental issues," and different kinds of resistance to environmental oppression. I will also post on anything I think someone interested in the aforementioned would be interested in...
Gaia theorist James Lovelock and head of Science Museum Chris Rapley are working with a US-firm in an attempt to geo-engineer an easy solution to climate change... the main proposed idea is to install 134 million pipes that would circulate cold water from 100m below the surface up to the top. Thus creating an environment for more life... especially little plankton tubey creatures called salps... which excrete solid pellets of carbon that sink to the bottom of the ocean (thus bio-regulating the ocean and slowing global warming)
Salp
... this approach is interesting because it has two environmental theorists and an american corporation trying to work with a natural life-form to solve a looming climate change crisis... although they're synthesizing ideal conditions and therefore altering the entire oceans natural systems... This could have severe unintended and unforseen consequences...
Without preventing the practices that cause climate change, any temporary solutions are just delaying an inevitable collapse of stable ecosystems...
The real solutions that are needed are switching to renewable and sustainable sources of energy... and further, people need to change the way they view progress...
Lovelock thinks that starting to think in terms like 'the world we are leaving for our children' is overshadowed by the looming catastrophe ahead... in his estimates, most of the earth's arable land will become desert resembling the planet mars...
“We are on the edge of the greatest die-off humanity has ever seen,” said Lovelock. “We will be lucky if 20% of us survive what is coming. We should be scared stiff.”
I plan on lobbying the faculty of arts for the creation of an "environmental studies" department, program, or degree... with a gradual decline of enrollment, the faculty of arts is looking to shake things up a bit... I think that this is an opportune time for the creation of something long overdue...
I think an inter-disciplinary program would be most beneficial... but, as this idea is in the early stages of development, the first step I would like to take is to find like-minded students interested in this cause...
so if you are interested, I have updated my blog profile to include my name and email... I potentially plan to; -speak to the class as a whole... maybe others -meet with the Dean of Arts... to see if he's down with it -poster for interest? -meet with sociology department... cause that's my current bias... -hope someone else has good ideas to contribute
if you are reading this, please consider this opportunity to take an early developmental role in an idea that will make our campus and the world a better place for us and our children...
peace, love, and solidarity Billy Patterson billypatterson@gmail.com
[three quick notes... though I claim myself to be studying 'environmental sociology', no such accredited program yet exists, second, there is a "Resource and Environmental Studies" program, which could be evolved into a new arts faculty... currently this is an FNU/SIAST collaboration... I think an EXPANSION of this program is also a plausible benefit that could be looked into... but as of yet, it appears you need an "environmental law" degree of some sort before you can apply... third, if the idea of a new environmental department does not have enough interest, I was planning on trying and convincing the sociology department to either create or further expand thier possibilities of a degree in environmental sociology... it appears to be technically possible to 'create' a custom arts degree with special permission...]
A new poll shows that the majority of Canadians (61%) feel strongly about the environment, saying they are "very concerned" with the issue... sadly, the lowest response was from the 'prairies' (19%)...
According to my ecology and justice prof, there has been a growing ecological conscious these past 30 years... More and more people are realising that humanity has an important connection with the global ecosystems we inhabit, and the ones we dont... This new rising awareness likely has something to do with the adverse effects of global warming...
It's never too late to change, but the longer we wait, the less we can recover.
Buddhist monks have begun organizing a full-scale (peaceful) uprising in Burma... The last large-scale protest about 20 years ago was, after 6 weeks of protesting, brutally suppressed with attacks from the military that led to 3000 unarmed civilian deaths... It is not rational to expect a regime that so heavily suppresses human rights to begin caring about local ecology and human health... I have a bit more faith in the oppressed Buddhist monks... I commend the continued bravery of those who are willing to stand up to the bullets of their oppressors...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-231-2007 September 23, 2007 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
The protests that began in Burma during August to voice public frustration and discontent over sharp price rises have in the last week fast accelerated--under the guidance of the Buddhist clergy, the Sangha--towards an uprising to end the country's military dictatorship.
...The monks are being joined by more and more prominent persons from other walks of life. The famous comedian Zarganar is reported as saying that the entertainment industry should also back the protests. Important writers have joined his call. And on September 22 hundreds marched to the front of the house of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader who has been under house arrest since 2003, where she was able to come outside the gate and speak briefly to at least one monk. A monks' group has in a statement of September 21 also urged all citizens, including farmers, workers, soldiers and civil servants to join in a new phase of protest beginning from 1pm on September 24...
This past thursday was Free Knowledge Day put on in the u of r multipurpose room. It was the first event affiliated with the newly formed RPIRG (Regina Public Interest Research Group)...
The RPIRG started up last year as a handful of students wanting to make a difference in their local and global community... with a little advice from an unorthodox professor and an experienced community activist, RPIRG [then known as SPIRG] ran a campaign in a campus-wide referendum to get funding ($5 a student per semester)... The referendum was a success! Now the RPIRG has a part-time coordinator, a fully furnished office (beside the Lazy Owl), and will be holding elections for an 8-person executive (which I will be running for)... Nominations open on October 18, and run for 2 weeks... election date TBA
"Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead
Free Knowledge Day was a chance for many social justice, environmental, and community groups to let students know what they were all about. There was also an alternative bookstore and many workshops put on throughout the day... Luckily, I was sitting at the RPIRG and non-nuclear table for most of the event, so I was able to see the workshop on Indy Media (check out the Act-up in Sask page for more info). I also heard workshops by Jim Harding, Marc Spooner, Mme Labar-Amed's grade 8 class, and GBLUR (centre for gender and sexuality diversity) director Nathan Sekinger...
I will summarize Jim Harding's passionate lecture on "Harnessing Human Energy for a Sustainable Society" and add my own comments in [square] brackets.
-In the last 15 years, corporate multi-nationals have been creating a global system… we continue to have to fight for more human freedom, equality, and co-existence with non-human creatures and ecosystems… [I think Jim was right to point out that, as these profit-motivated souless corporations gain power, labour/environmental/human rights are being rolled back] -if the labour movement does not continually recreate itself, it disappears... -Ralph Nader posed the question at his lecture last (wednesday) night... "How would our lives be different if we lived in a dictatorship?" {Answer:} Not much [Another good point by Ralph and Jim... we get to vote once every four or so years... then we go back to our soma and allow the least-worst candidates to break their campaign promises... Nader pointed out that there are many regional bridge clubs, bowling leagues, and bird watching societies... what about regional democracy-watching societies that hold politicians accountable to the people and their promises... the best democratic accountability site I've seen so far is the one Nader recommended; DEMOCRACY WATCH] -we must organize, in communities and we shouldn’t take our democratic opportunities for granted -Jim pointed out a respect for Engaged Buddhism -We should measure progress in regards to; human spirit, community, and intervening with other creatures on this planet... its not about simply accumulating economic growth! -We need to settle ourselves, realizing our spiritual community and intervening on this planet... [I believe when Jim uses the word spiritual... he meens a deeper connection between self, nature (especially local ecosystems), and our community] -There is an extreme economic cost of climate change. If we continue with reckless economical expansion… living conditions will dwindle... -Mother nature is something to respect [mother nature vs. father capitalism?] -Don’t be overwhelmed, isolated… turning to various forms of denial (addictions) [Some common addictions: Caffiene, Mindless television {ex. Fox/Entertainment News}, Cigarettes, SUVs and bigger trucks, World of Warcraft...] -we need to be building community that is moving for sustainable ways of doing things on this planet... -there are innovators waiting on doorstep with renewable energies… [but they are kept out by big industry/corporate interest... a classic example is the forces at play in the documentary 'Who Killed the Electric Car'] -there are all kinds of ways to do things that are sustainable, but corporate boards aren’t being challenged enough by consumers... -"Is the world better today than it would have been if PIRGS and activists hadn’t started in the 70s?" -"your dam right! (things would be much worse)" -BUT we are losing ground on oceans, human suffering, cancer, ozone depletion… [Jim pointed out that climate change is a serious problem, and we don't know when we'll reach the threshold of no coming back... but we're getting frightengly closer! (The arctic ice-caps are melting FAST... global warming predictions are already being overtaken... {ice info})] -there is a joy in action with a sense of community accomplishing small projects that add up to small things... [and make a BIG difference] -there are tons of ways we can organize public to watch, learn, document, communicat[e, promote, and change political and economic behaviour… -there is a PIRG on campus(RPIRG), use it to build community… [in case you were wondering an easy way YOU could make a difference!] -resist the commercialisation of body, mind, and spirit -its about not-knowing, dammit… we don’t know what the future is gonna be like… we don’t know what’ll happen when the arctic ice-shield melts… we have ideas… feedback cycles hypothesized… notions of knowing… drag you down… apathy, despair, pre-depression -we don’t know where we’re gonna go… -kids learn best learn in environments of flexibility… then their parents are pissed off that they have learned to think for themselves and don't share their parent's views...
Marc Spooner's down-to-earth discussion on "The Purpose of a University Experience. What are you doing here anyways?" was very nicely reviewed by a classmate of mine, HERE
The Grade 8 class (Massey School) presentation on Fair Trade in our community was also amazing! I learned quite a bit... and they ended their presentation with the following music video... which I think highlights how huge a difference a little can make (like the money from a music video)
Lastly, Nathan Sekinger's talk on Transgenderism taught me a lot about a subject I admittedly was mostly ignorant about. The main lesson I took from it would be that when I have children, I shouldnt assume I'll be having a stereotypical boy/girl... there's many shades in-between... The lecture was also followed by an intense open discussion on gender identity/stereotyping and philosophical agency or something (at this point my brain was so tired I helped take down the RPIRG non-nuke table, drove home, and had a sweet nap)...
Here we have another example of a corporation interfering with a nation's sovereignty and causing *blank* [statistical-number-we-are-numbed-to] of human deaths. All in the name of profit.
{by 'statistical-number-...' I am referring to the hidden human cost of mass media statistical numbers}
Banana giant Chiquita was busted ("officially" now that a US judge ruled it) paying enormous amounts of money to Colombian paramilitary groups which then carried out massacres and assassinations...
Chiquita was ordered to pay 25 million in fines... at least now we know what the lives of Columbianprotestors and union leaders are valued at these days...
Some info the BBC News left out of their article is even more... intriguing
Turns out the firm representing the prosecutors already has a case against US coal plant Drummond for hiring paramilitaries to kill Columbian union members...
Besides these murderous statistics, we have to remember that corporations like Chiquita (which controls 25% of the Latin America Banana trade) operate on large-scale monoculture plantations that pay local workers (many who were pushed off their land in the first place) starvation wages.
These monoculture plantations are the result of foreign "aid" agribusiness grants and loans often implemented by the IMF. Again, shareholder-accountable corporate profit interest... at whatever the cost.
{don't forget the loss of culture, decimation of biodiversity, introduction of pesticides, destruction of sustainable farming communities and other environmental degradations these monoculture-agribusiness policies cause worldwide}
... 'Fair Trade Not Aid'... buying fair trade (or local, depending on where you live) is the best way to not support these kinds of corporations... make further positive impact by limiting out-of-season and(or) non-fair-trade-out-of-country fruits/vegetables.
... A lot of fossil fuels are burned transporting these massive quantities of food from poverty-stricken countries. And they usually end up wasted. Both by getting thrown out uneaten, and by feeding unhealthy overweight consumers.
I am a part-time student at the University of Regina majouring in (but not limited to) Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies. I am active members of: the Environmental Action Network at the University of Regina, Regina Public Interest Research Group, and (supposedly) the URSU sustainability committee. I am a student researcher for the climate change theme area working group of the RCE (Regional Center for Expertise) Saskatchewan, a United Nations University Education for Sustainable Development initiative. I am also the Prairie's Sustainable Campuses coordinator for the Sierra Youth Coalition.
My premises are based on my current interpretation of how to conserve the future for our children, and are always evolving.
Trees for our children is a metaphor for a needed awareness of how our lifestyles will affect future generations.
[Regina is a city in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada]
I have a six month old daughter, worth fighting for a better tomorrow for.
I never want to imply I have all the answers, but I wish to speak from my heart and share my honest view of the actions affecting my life and that of my family.
A Few of my Premises, (note, they are constantly growing and changing as a result of my commitment to keep learning and listening...)
1) My use of the term "environment" generally refers to (though not exclusively) habitat and interactions between humans and non-humans living in a local and global ecosystem. This meens that human rights issues are environmental issues. So are non-human rights.
2) Everyone has the right to breath non-toxic air, drink uncontaminated water, and to enjoy the last scattered remnants of a disappearing natural world. So do their children. And so do future generations.
3) There is a serious problem of an uniformed and misinformed citizenry in our society. Though there is a growing environmental conscious. I sincerely believe that if more people knew the impact their lifestyles had... not only on the billions living and dying in poverty, but on the countless generations yet to come... then they would be willing to change their lifestyles and way of thinking...
4) There is a mighty propaganda campaign by those in power who wish to remain in power... specifically in regards to the ongoing SPP negotiations
5) I believe in a need to re-evaluate how human progress is measured… quality of life is more important than “sum of all transactions.” (like the GDP) Politicians will say that they are doing good because GDP has gone up 3.5%... GDP!? What About Child Poverty? What about workplace death rates?
6) Economic Progress is not human progress!
7) There is a serious problem with accountability. In a global society where power is more economically-based than democratically-based; national governments are being slowly overpowered and infiltrated by the bottom-line agendas of shareholder-accountable and profit-motivated trans-national corporations. (TNCs) The individuals who destroy habitat, biodiversity, and (non-anthrocentrically) life itself on this planet solely for tyranical money and power NEED to be held accountable for their actions. The corporate juggernauts they have created need to be regulated and dismantled, not fed with the blood of innocence and apathy.
8) I therefore have an intense dislike and disgust with big corporate agenda-pushers that decieve, lie, and kill for money. Especially; -The Military Industrial Complex -Big Pharmacy -Big Tobacco -The Nuclear Industry -The Automobile Industry -Big Oil (Fossil Fuels) -Coca-Cola and Nestle (most evil of Big Junkfood {that we know of}) ... I will fight you aforementioned institutions of legalized-corruption, money, and power!
9) Our society’s lifestyle is stealing the future from our children. Specifically, our systematic addiction to non-renewable sources of energy. There needs to be an institutionalized awareness of our society's lack of inter-generational justice. Trees for our children is a metaphor for a needed awareness of how our lifestyles will affect those that follow.
Words of Wisdom...
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children. -Native Canadian Proverb
"The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you are alive, and die only when you are dead. To love, to be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of the life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget." - Arundhati Roy
"Once you've seen, you can't unsee. And once you've seen, doing nothing becomes just as political an act as speaking out. Either way, your accountable." -Arundhati Roy
“Because we don’t think about future generations, they will never forget us." - Henrik Tikkanen
“The earth is not dying, it is being killed. And the people who are killing it have names and addresses.” -Utah Phillips
"In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act." -George Orwell
"All animals are created equal. But some animals are more equal than others." -George Orwell
“I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead, few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn.” -Unknown
