Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore’s new film “Capitalism: A Love Story” will open October 2 in the U.S. This film will explore the root causes of the global economic meltdown and take a comical look at the corporate and political shenanigans that culminated in what Moore has described as “the biggest robbery in the history of this country” — the massive transfer of U.S. taxpayer money to private financial institutions.
World Public Opinion Urges Action on Climate Change
A survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org of 18,578 people in 19 countries found that 60% of people think their governments should be doing more to reduce carbon emissions. Only 18% felt their governments were doing enough and 12 % thought they were doing too much.
Why We Humans Don’t “Get” Dangerous Climate Change
Some of the resistance to aggressive action on climate seems to spring from mental attitudes that may have helped us survive as a species in the past. Perhaps politicians intuitively recognise the existence of these barriers. So they continue to say that climate change is the most important problem facing humanity at the same time as adding new runways to the local airport or sanctioning the development of new coal-fired power stations.
We May Trade Away Our Future with Cap and Trade
All these methods of pricing carbon permit the creation of a carbon market that will allow us to pollute beyond a catastrophic tipping point. In other words, they require us to put a price on the final “killing” tonne of CO2 which, once emitted, tips the balance and triggers runaway global warming. How can we set such a price? It’s like saying, how much is civilisation worth?
Closing Plenary of Copenhagen Climate Change Congress
Panel discussion at closing plenary session of Copenhagen Climate Congress, including Congress Chair Katherine Richardson, Stefan Rahmstorf, Will Steffen, Lord Nicholas Stern, and Dan Kammen, plus Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Hopeful UK leading article on climate change predictions
Curbing emission has to be part of a global partnership. That is why December’s international meeting in Copenhagen to agree on a successor to the Kyoto protocol is of such critical importance. Despite the evident frustrations of scientists on display this week, the signs of success for a new global agreement on curbing emissions have never been more promising.
Unlimited growth on a planet with finite resources must end
The economic crisis could be “just the thing” to galvanise governments into making the deep radical changes to set the world’s economies on a more environmentally sustainable track, he added. Mr de Boer, who heads negotiations within the UN climate convention, said developments in Beijing and Washington were signs that governments were using the economic troubles as a window of opportunity for reforming their economies.
The Fools Gold of Carbon Trading
James Hansen, director of the Nasa Goddard space centre and a renowned critic of global measures to combat climate change, believes carbon trading is a “terrible” approach. “Carbon trading does not solve the emission problem at all,” he says. “In fact it gives industries a way to avoid reducing their emissions. The rules are too complex and it creates an entirely new class of lobbyists and fat cats.”
Lower emissions the upside of downturn
An economic slowdown is an excellent way to lower greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a perverse benefit, but studies of past recessions and slowdowns show that emissions drop when the economy slows down. Obviously officials won’t dwell on that fact for fear of appearing insensitive to the many other downsides of a slowdown.
