Third Draft of the Declaration
Global warming is the crisis of our time.
As we prepare to celebrate our nation’s birthday, we renew our commitment to the qualities and values that have guided our nation for more than 200 years.
Today, we recognize that patriotism is not only about love of country. It is also about a shared commitment to the welfare of our planet.
Future generations will judge us based on our success or failure to be good stewards of the Earth. We owe our children and our children’s children nothing less than our very best effort.
We the undersigned, pledge to:
- Recognize that we live in a time of crisis. We must be active and forceful in bringing about the necessary changes -- based on science, not politics -- to stop global warming, no matter how difficult that may be.
- Be active citizens, by pressing our elected officials to take urgent action now, and by pressing all candidates for office to commit to passing strong legislation to cut America's global warming pollution.
- Spread the word, by making sure our friends, neighbors and loved ones recognize that each of us has a role to play in meeting this all-important challenge.
- Be mindful consumers, by minimizing our personal global warming “footprint" and weighing our personal choices against the needs and rights of future generations.
This nation's founders risked everything to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We must now do whatever is necessary to realize a new relationship with the web of life that includes and sustains us.
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«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 696 Newer› Newest»Conservation is like sweat: the harder you work at producing it, the better you feel afterwards.
We need to learn to be honest with ourselves and make sacrfices rather than lying to ourselves and telling ourselves that we're doing enough. It may be hard at first, but the single most powerful change we can make is to give up animal products and switch to a plant-based diet. We will not only save the world by doing so, we will save ourselves as well.
Remember that gut-wrenching scene in "Planet of the Apes" when you saw (from the back) those familiar spikes and Charlton Heston agonizingly banging his fist on the sand as he shouted, "You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! ... "
Do we want our children and our children's children to feel that way about us? That we knew and did nothing? That we killed our home? Their home?
We have to stop it NOW. Join me and only vote for candidates who believe in saving our home NOW - before there is nothing to save.
“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”
LOVE YOUR MOTHER. MOTHER EARTH.
There are others (and you can tell from these names that the problem of man destroying the Earth is not new, and that others around the world are aware of it) who have already said it much better than I ever could:
FDR said: "A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, clarifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people."
Astronaut Scott Carpenter: "This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It's lonely. It's small. It's isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it."
"We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."
- Kahlil Gibran
"I conceive that the land belongs to a vast family of which many are dead,few are living, and countless numbers are still unborn."
- A Chief from Nigeria
“Soil is a resource, a living, breathing entity that, if treated properly, will maintain itself. It's our lifeline for survival. When it has finally been depleted, the human population will disappear. .... Project your imagination into the soil below you ... Think with compassion of the life that exists there. ... the work that carries on ceaselessly. Think about the meaning of being a steward for the earth.” - Marjorie Harris, 'In the Garden', 1995
“Remain true to the earth.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” - Thomas Jefferson
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.” - Thoreau
“All you under the heaven! Regard heaven as your father, earth as your mother, and all things as your brothers and sisters.” - Shinto saying
“If we do not permit the Earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food either.” - Joseph Wood Krutch
“It was not until we saw the picture of the earth, from the moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is - something that we must hold in our arms and care for.” - Margaret Mead
“As we begin to comprehend that the earth itself is a kind of manned spaceship hurtling through the infinity of space - it will seem increasingly absurd that we have not better organized the life of the human family.” - Hubert H. Humphrey
“You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.” - Native American Wisdom
“I pledge devotion to the earth, our one and only home,
and to the life this earth sustains;
one nation, one spirit indivisible,
with freedom and fulfillment for all.”
- Bruce Hagen, New Pledge of Allegiance, 1983
“We have nowhere else to go ... this is all we have.” - Margaret Mead
Write your Congressmen and women. Write your President. Write your friends. Write your relatives. Write. Write. Write. Talk. Talk. Talk.
Until someone listens.
thank you.
patch
Dear Earth:
I appreciate Al Gore toning it down by producing "An Inconvenient Truth" . The Problem is worse than Al Gore implicates. Dr. R Buckminster Fuller in "Spaceship Planet Earth" and other books.... describes a Holistic model of the Earths Life Regenerative Process.
The Oil, Energy and Automotive Companies.... could get really angry with Albert Gore if he went one step further. The Oil, a thermal reservoir, is being depleted from the Earth. Water, a thermal reservior, Air,O-Zone,Molten Core, Plates, Crust, Ring of Fire, Life................... You Get the Picture.
Steven D. Cords
Everyone must commit if there is going to be a difference that matters.
We must remember what our founders believed in and practiced it to stop Global Warming. They believed in God and showed it by the country that they founded. Remember to PRAY.
Hey out there!
I think the best way is to set MUTCH higher tax on petrol from company like 'BP' Hexagon' and others,and let the car companys
sell flexiful cars for lower tax,
and cars driven totally by biogas
totally tax free!!
Let also the schools including
invoromental issuses in the school
plan across ALL schools in the World...ESPECIALLY in USA,and driven up by UN!
Kindest regards to all of you/Roland fr.Sweden
Let's totally revise the requirements for the construction industry. All new construction, residential and commercial, should be required to include evergy-saving components -- solar, wind, water, etc. -- whatever is appropriate for the area. And how about retaining all trees, except those necessary for the placement of the structure itself.
When I lived in Oregon it grieved me to look at photographs of 20 and 30 men sitting along a giant saw wedged into a giant, ancient tree. Many of those men were awed by those trees, yet they lacked the foresight to develop techniques for harvesting that would allow the ancient forests to live. Every now and then in my wanderings through Oregon forests I came across a tree that had somehow been left alive. Usually there was a little sign posted in front of the tree to inform the lucky wanderer of its age. The oldest was 500 years old, breathtaking, and left me longing to know what it would feel like to be in an entire forest of such trees.
And what was it like to see streams of passenger pigeons filling the sky?
We are now faced with the same types of choices, and we no longer have ignorance as an excuse for failure to plan and to consider the rights of future generations to live on a diverse, healthy planet.
We accomplish this difficult work from a place of joy that comes from a deep sense of love for our planet.
We pledge to...put aside our differences for the greater good; therein lies true patriotism. Loyalty, not to one nation, but to people of all races and philosophies living together in one interconnected ecosystem, Earth. It is only through cooperation that we will be able to heal the damage that has caused global climate change.
The great thing is that everything that we do makes our personal and global world a better place. There are only win/win solutions - and if we don't, the consequences will affect us all. Come on - step up to the plate!
We need a federal net metering law specifying that those generating power in excess of their own consumption get paid for the excess at the RETAIL rate.
Global warming is a natural occuring event, not man made. It has happened in the past many times. That is what brought about the end of the ice age. It has happened since then, too.
“I pledge devotion to the earth, our one and only home,
and to the life this earth sustains;
one nation, one spirit indivisible,
with freedom and fulfillment for all.”
- Bruce Hagen, New Pledge of Allegiance, 1983
“We have nowhere else to go ... this is all we have.” - Margaret Mead
Astronaut Scott Carpenter: "This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It's lonely. It's small. It's isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it."
"We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
excellent points, all.
the 'new pledge' should be adopted and repeated until people start to practice what they're pledging.
i sincerely hope that vonnegut's words will not prove true.
I have children. In twenty years from now, I don't want them (or their children)to be in a position to say, with embarassement, that their parents did nothing to stop this global attrocity. I will do whatever I can now to ensure that future generations will have a beautiful,safe and clean planet on which to live.
We are called to be GOOD STEWARDS of the land we've been given. Everyday we should aim to fulfil that call! Also remember NO-ONE is going to escape the the disasters we'll face by us not taking care of the earth. Romans 8:20-21
We can no longer feign ignorance. We can no longer pretend that the consequences of our actions (or inaction) will not effect the lives of our children. We must do everything we can. We must convince others to do the same. We are on the verge of a cultural shift, we are on the tipping point. This issue is at the foundation of every other concern on the planet. If we do not resolve this, all others issues will be a mute point.
what will it take? a united common will. the will to change our priorities from consumerism to something less selfish. the rest of the modern world is way ahead of us. we are not leading the way, we are not following the leaders. we are left behind with our heads in the sands of the oil deposits. wake up america! the answers are not in the tv commercials. small changes that can be made in each household will lead to much bigger changes nationally. vote your conscience, not for the pretty face on the tv.
I probably do not fear my own death as much as the idea of people after me not having much of a life in an unpleasantly-climated world. Also, with everything that has changed when it comes to people and other things, the environment and appreciating God's creations has always been consistent to me. I do not want to lose that. - James Fabiano
"Gradual Steps" is the slogan, fighting against the oil and coal industry and changing over to "clean" energy that's the realistic way to do this...Gradual Steps.
There was the Womens Rights and Civil Rights movements now there's the Clean Energy movement.
What we need is strong leadership that is not afraid to step up to the plate for the environment and our planet. What we need is Al Gore to win the next presidency then maybe we could get out of Iraq and start thinking about the future and fixing the mess we have made. Al Gore for President!!
"Technology has brought us to this point of self destruction. It's the dicotomy of our curiosity and our greed."
- William Shatner
Year ago demographers at Stanford and at Princeton both concluded that the world can maintain a decent life style for all its inhabitants with a maximum population of about 2,000,000,000 inhabitants. We're now at some 6.5 billion and growing. Hey, let's leave some room for the animals too! Uncle Jim
GLOBAL WARMING IS REALLY TAKING AN EFFECT ON THE ANTARTICA, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE POLAR BEARS AND ANY OTHER ANIMAL THERE WILL BE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! PLEASE LETS DO ALL WE CAN TO STOP IT FOR NOW AND IN THE NEXT GENERATIONS TO COME! GOD CREATED THIS BEAUTIFUL EARTH AND ALL THAT IS IN IT, LETS TAKE THE BEST POSSIBLE CARE OT IT AND IT HAS TO BE NOW!!
THANKS SO MUCH!
Amazing as it is, the world is still in denial that we are slowly killing away the only home we know. Even more amazing is the new found awareness that is sweeping our globe. The desire for change is here. It is now time to take action.
We DO have time!
But,
1)We shouldn't waste any time blaming our inventive and well meaning forebearers.-Forgive them. They were well intentioned though tragically ignorant.
2) We cannot hypocritically waste time blaming India, China and all new industrial countries (or even our own people),- Lead them instead in the RIGHT direction.
3) Applaud corperations for making positive steps (while pressuring those who don't!)
4) And refrain from blaming the nay-sayers. Educate them instead and create great examples-yeilding positive results.
We need to get excited, roll up our sleeves and work together to SAVE THE WORLD!
What's done is done. Now, let's do something about it!
A patriot, no matter what country, helps his/her country lead the world to be a better place, and with it a better place for the country.
This raises the quality of life for eartharians in general and raises the country in the eyes of the rest of the world.
Our founding fathers fell in love with this great nation because of the nature and beauty that it offers. Its time we realize that we need to protect our nations awesome natural beauty that is unlike any other. If we don't fight to save our planet, then eventually what will we have to defend.
EDIT: This nation's founders risked losing their very lives to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We need risk losing only our ignorance and our apathy to realize a new relationship between our planet and the life it sustains. Our predecessors faced political and religious persecution, and today we face a threat to our planet's sustainability. Our forefathers risked all to protect our political freedoms. We must risk very little to protect our entire planet. We can and must take this risk.
I am surprised that ED hasn't captured what it is you do best - "finding the ways that work", that is, emphasizing the role innovation, natural capitalism, and high tech will have in providing comfort, safety and profit by developing new products (consumer/industrial) that off-set and/or completely eliminate the deleterious effects of burning so much carbon based fuel. Congress likes progress.
The wreckless indifference the majority of humans have is the result of hundreds of years of corporate/government conditioning.
This will be the undoing of our societies globally,unless corporations/governments begin serious debriefing/reprograming of humankind our future looks bleek.
We are just back from a wonderful OAT trip to Turkey. It surprised me that nearly every rooftop contains solar panels and a large cannister for the home's hot water. Why not here?
The problems are internal. The place to change is in our hearts and heads.
George
I would like to second Maria's comments:
I would change this: "we renew our commitment to the qualities and values that have guided our nation for more than 200 years."
Those values included growth at any cost and exploitation of people and the natural world. Those values couldn't reflect new empirical knowledge of our interdependence with everything around us (even though native cultures knew it--but our values weren't, sadly, informed by them).
I also agree with Paul H re language around accountability and responsibility. Finally someone wrote about stronger language regarding cutting our own personal consumption (ditching mindful which essentially says nothing). The langage needs to be stronger/clearer not soft and malleable /interpretable to own's own personal convenience as it so often is with these documents.
When nothing less than our planet, our ability to live, and our future are threatened, is it not worth doing something? Is there a greater challenge than global warming? It's what we know now that can save us later. It's what we know now that will make all the difference in the end. That's something worth fighting for.
As one of the previous individuals stated, everything on our planet is connected within the web of life. We, as a species, need to not only recognize this, but also accept this as fact if we are ever going to begin to resolve the problems we have initiated.
Before the advent of the mass production of automobiles, this country had a mass transportation system. After automobiles gained in popularity, the infrastructure of our country was altered to meet the needs of this new mode of transportation. Thus, the mass production and sales of automobiles combined with the advent of trucks to haul produce and products across our country led to the demise of the mass transit system. It is easy to link part of the increase in carbon emissions to the increase in vehicles using carbon-based fuels for energy.
One method for decreasing the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere would be to restore our mass transportation system incorporating some of the new technologies currently in use in other countries such as Japan. The new system should be designed to not only provide easy, affordable, access within cities/communities but to link cities across the United States of America. Limiting parking in cities would decrease the automobile traffic within the city, encourage the use of the mass transportation system, and improve the air quality while decreasing noise pollution. To increase utilization of the mass transportation system, existing roads will be maintained, but there would be no expansion of the current road system. New bedroom communities would be linked to cities by the mass transportation system.
New technologies must be incorporated into the automobile industry to develop new fuels that will not add to air pollution. Automobiles must be redesigned to improve their efficiency and stability.
The current loss of farm land to housing and industry will eventually result in our country being dependent on other countries for our food. Consider the amount of carbon released in the transportation of the basic needs of every day life! The potential for disputes over food is evident. We need to protect our farmland to ensure that we have adequate food to feed us. To protect our atmosphere, water, wild life, and health of farm workers we must return to organic farming methods.
All life on this planet is part of the web of life. If one species becomes extinct, all species are affected. Consider what would occur if pollinators such as bees, vanished from our ecosystem. We need to begin to educate everyone about the web of life. Then we need to protect all life forms to prevent further extinction.
All species depend on water, but our waters (oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, and aquifers) are becoming polluted at an alarming rate. We are warned not to eat certain species of fish because of the mercury contamination. Many marine animals have died because they ingested plastic bags and other refuse we dump in the water. We must begin to respect the waters upon which we depend so greatly. We must eliminate the “out of sight, out of mind” mindset.
Finally, we must learn to live in peace and harmony with others of our species. We must learn to negotiate, to discuss, to be able to see from the other person’s perspective. Many scientific papers have identified the destruction war creates on our ecosystem. Diplomacy, not war, should be our path. We must learn to live in peace and harmony, not only with our species, but with all species on this planet. We only have one planet and, like Easter Island, when the ecosystem here has been destroyed we, and all life on this planet, have nowhere else to go.
At a dark time in human history, when people around the world are killing each other over competing definitions of God, we risk extinguishing the last untrammeled remnants of Creation, the original and untranslated expression of the Creator. What words can encompass God? Yet we kill each other over words and are blind to that which is beyond words, yet everywhere around us.
If human action causes this precious globe to be consumed, then we will loose our direct connection with Creation. We can find in Creation itself, not just in the words of humanity, truth of the Creator. When we doubt the prophets and we doubt the books and we doubt the interpretations, we can at least look to the skies, gaze upon the rivers, and contemplate the swelling oceans, and find in these things the majesty of the Creator. As the last rain forests are consumed by fire and saw, and as the last polar ice melts, and the seas are turned into watery deserts, and the coral reefs withered to barren rock, we will loose our understanding of the most powerful metaphorical truths about existence.
In the challenge of facing global warming, the human species faces a test of mathematical precision. Will we gain wisdom and transcendence and finally equilibrium, or will we consume the garden that gave birth to us and descend into the pit? As we answer this question we will find our destiny, which is not written in stone, but is written every day by our actions.
--Use our individual and collective spending power to patronize businesses, products and services that are in accord with environmentally sound practices.
--Respect each environmentally positive action that an individual makes and understand that economic differences will dictate some of the choices that we each can make.
This third draft lacks the logical argumentational structure of the original Declaration of Independence, which a) was and still is,an long accepted form of reasoning in courts of law, and b) announced a revolutionary decision/commitment by a group of united colonists.
Should not this EDF declaration embody the same force, reasoning/argumentative structure, and ultimately and clearly articulate the new choice/commitment that the signers are pledging themselves to?
First Jefferson's document laid out the premises of the writers, which the audience (Britain, the colonists, and the rest of the literate world) could identify with. ("We hold these truths to be self evident...etc)
Second, the document listed at least 18 categories of problems in the relationship between colonists & Britain, which, importantly, were listed in increasing levels of severity. (i.e building consensus and the increasing weight of reasons for the decision to separate from Britain).
FINALLY, THE DOCUMENT, NOTED THAT DESPITE REASONS TO THE CONTRARY (SUCH AS KINSHIP RELATIONS WITH BRITAIN) THE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE CREATED THE reasonable NEED TO DECLARE, IN THE LAST SENTENCES, INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN. The words themselves were performatory...much like saying the words "I do" in a wedding ceremony. "We declare ourselves independent..." or words to that effect.
Should not this EDF Declaration, have such structure, and force, and clearly declare a revolutionary stance? ....Such as , "The signers will not suffer future representatives, elected politicians _______[and other groups] of America to do x y and z..."
Sustain Mother Earth so She can sustain humanity. After all we get all of our sustenence from Mother Earth. See how long you can go without food, air, water and fire and still survive. Mother Earth is no different. Waste her and she wastes us. Plain and simple.
It is not enough to take the first steps as individuals. We need to also teach others to care and love for our planet so the movement can spread outwards like the spokes on a wheel and grow exponentially.
What better way to spread the word and set an example than from our own government?
Acts of aggression by the United States military should be resorted to only after all other avenues for conflict resolution have been exhausted, and only after the governing bodies of the country, upon reasonable reflection, have been fully persuaded and convinced of the need to mobilize against another force.
Patriotism should encompass the binding pledge to keep our young men and women out of harm's way, so they can make useful contributions and live fulfilling lives as citizens of a country they can believe in.
That means, affordable or free education to all, with educators earning more money, and with incentives for potential teachers.
It means health services made available to any and all. This includes and emphasizes preventative care, and programs for coming off of life-endangering substances.
It means the right of every citizen to form life-time commitments, and to be protected by law from persecution, regardless of sexual preference.
Lastly, but not leastly, it means the unadulterated commitment to providing women of child-bearing age the access to honest, unbiased reproductive health information and services. Unrestricted by bias or religious considerations.
“We owe our children and our children’s children nothing less than our very best effort.”
…is a little weak. How about,
“We owe our children and our children’s children a reordering of priorities that brings industrialized populations back in balance with the processes that have allowed life to evolve on Earth.”
“ -- to stop global warming, no matter how difficult that may be.” … does not create enough focus on human impact to the problem, How about,
“ – to stop human contributions to global warming, no matter how difficult that may be.”
I agree with others that there is not enough focus on demanding that businesses each understand how they participate in the supply-chain which promotes global warming, and their need to collectively re-engineer the supply-chain to eliminate GHG production. This document may not be the place for this message, but I think it is critical that this goal continues to be a top priority of Environmental Defense.
Chris Condit
c_condit@comcast.net
Too many people are consumed in themselves. Society is so self involved they miss what is around them. Many people also think "someone else will take care of it" or that caring about the environment is some sort of hippie tree hugging thing. Anyone can make a difference and we need someone with more power and influence to stress how much can be changed.
I have always made human rights and equality for all, my first priority in trying to better the world. However, my priority now is the environment and the effect global warming is having on our planet. If we have no planet that is sustainable for life, then human rights, animal rights, civil rights, whatever rights, will not matter a bit!
Divided we're stuck...
Together we'll stick !!
At one point or another in our lives, we may have thought about what it would be like to be astronauts traveling through space. In reality, we are all astronauts and our spaceship is Earth, a primordial rock hurtling through space in a never-ending orbit around the Sun.
It's about time we read the owner's manual for our vehicle, so that we can operate our spaceship efficiently and complete our journey safely, with all inhabitants, human and otherwise, intact and well at journey's end.
Earth's climate systems are extremely complex. Using real and inferred data, most scientists have come to the conclusion that human activity is responsible in great part for the current round of global warming. While doubters, many spurred on by funds from oil companies, exist, there is no doubt that changes are occurring in our atmosphere.
We have two choices. We can ignore the warning signs (increasingly rapid glacier and ice-cap melting, rising sea levels, likelihood for stronger hurricanes, thawing of permafrost, etc.) and continue living extravagantly (compared to the rest of the world) as we have been.
We can also act as though we have an emergency on our hands and reduce our use of fossil fuels, increase the use of alternative fuels, encourage less wasteful consumption, encourage conservation and recycling and we can ask that our citizens make some sacrifices on behalf of the planet.
If we choose the second option, we lose nothing. It's a win/win situation. No matter what happens, we will have developed new sources of energy that don't pollute, created thousands of new jobs, created new technology that can help the rest of the world follow our lead and we can eliminate in large part, the use of fossil fuels. If human activity has indeed caused our climatic changes, we can be well on the way to diminishing our impact on the planet.
I vote for option two.
We must, repeat MUST, wean ourselves off dependency of the Internal Combustion Engine and fossil fuels. A crash plan, done like the space effort of the 1960's which brought together both Government and the private sector and INCLUDING our competitors (China and Japan, specifically) can bring fuel-cell technology into prominence. This has incredible ramifications in reducing the influence of the middle eastern, oil-rich nations as well as saving our environment. Hydrogen (fuel-cell) technology has the potential to re-invigorate our own entrepreneurial base as well as build positive trading bridges with China and Japan; Russia will come along eventually, not wanting to be isolated economically. This stragegy will encounter much resistance from our own energy industry, but this is a matter of our own economic survival, nothing less. The American people achieved this victory once before (in my lifetime); we can do it again.
ALL THE GREAT TEACHERS OF OUR WORLD[MOST ESPECIALLY-JESUS CHRIST] HAVE SAID ''LOVE ONE ANOTHER'' -IT FOLLOWS- THAT LOVING ONE ANOTHER BEGINS WITH LOVING YOUR SELF. HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU LOVE YOUR SELF IF YOU DO NOT LOVE THE PLANET YOU ARE INHABITING? IT BEGINS WITH US LOVING THE EARTH OF WHICH WE HAVE ALL BEEN GIVEN STEWARDSHIP!!! ALL THE REST OF IT IS REALLY -------- WHICH DOESN'T COME FROM A LOVING SPACE!
We the people, caught between a political rock and commercial hard place, do solemnly swear to take every action necessary to minimize the coming global crisis for the sake of not only ourselves, but all indigenous life everywhere so help us God.
We hold these truths to be self evident:
1. That all living things have an inalienable rights to clean air, clean water and unpolluted land. These are the foundations for all life.
2. That the exploitation of our natural resources reduces the earth to the level of a slave and human beings to the level of slave owners. That we cannot and will not abide to the slavery of the earth.
3. The detruction of habitat of any plant or species of animal, is the path of destruction of habitat for all species including ourselves.
4. That if we, as a nation, are to aspire to any level of greatness as a leader of the world, it must be and it can only be, as a leader for the world.
Vegetarian Lifestyle may also help reduce Global Warming. Read this following article with an open mind.
Your personal impact on global warming may be influenced as much by what you eat as by what you drive.
That surprising conclusion comes from a couple of scientists who have taken an unusual look at the production of greenhouse gases from an angle that not many folks have even thought about. Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin, assistant professors of geophysics at the University of Chicago, have found that our consumption of red meat may be as bad for the planet as it is for our bodies.
If you want to help lower greenhouse gas emissions, they conclude in a report to be published in the journal Earth Interactions, become a vegetarian.
In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that both researchers are vegetarians, although they admit to cheating a little with an occasional sardine. They say their conclusions are backed up by hard data.
Eshel and Martin collected that data from a wide range of sources, and they examined the amount of fossil-fuel energy -- and thus the level of production of greenhouse gases -- required for five different diets. The vegetarian diet turned out to be the most energy efficient, followed by poultry, and what they call the "mean American diet," which consists of a little bit of everything.
There was a surprising tie for last place. In terms of energy required for harvesting and processing, fish and red meat ended up in a "virtual tie," but that's just in terms of energy consumed. When you toss in all those other factors, such as bovine flatulence and gas released by manure, red meat comes in dead last. Fish remains in fourth place, some distance behind poultry and the mean American diet, chiefly because the type of fish preferred by Americans requires a lot of energy to catch.
Eating Red Meat Like Driving an SUV?
Can changing your diet really have much of an impact?
"It is comparable to the difference between driving an SUV and driving a reasonable sedan," said Eshel, who drives a Honda Civic, and only when he has to.
Eshel, who grew up on a farm, has always been interested in ecology and the impact we have on the planet. He got into this research, he says, because "now that I'm a professor of geophysics, I have tools in my tool kit that I can apply much more quantitatively and rigorously to evaluate what we do."
It's probably safe to say that both he and Martin figured the vegetarian diet would come out on top, but demonstrating that wasn't easy.
The first hurdle, Eshel says, was coming up "with those semirealistic diets." We don't all eat the same way, of course, so how do you figure out the accumulative impact of our widely varied diets?
The researchers began with data from the U.S. Department of Energy that quantifies the "food disappearance" rate.
"What they are referring to is the rate at which food disappears from supermarket shelves," Eshel said. On the basis of that data, they were able to construct the five semirealistic diets.
Then they collected data from a wide range of sources, mostly available to anyone on the Internet, concerning the amount of energy required to grow, harvest and prepare the foods that make up those five diets.
The centerpiece is the "mean American diet." About 72 percent of the calories from that diet are plant-based.
"Of course, most of it is tomatoes and ketchup and potatoes and french fries, but none the less it is plant-based," Eshel said.
Of the remaining 28 percent, about half comes from meat, and the rest from dairy and eggs.
When they looked at only carbon dioxide emissions associated directly with energy consumption, they came up with the vegetarian diet far less damaging to the planet than the others.
However, the researchers admit that their findings can't be considered exact. Take fish, for instance.
"The seafood portion of American diets is heavily skewed toward what is called charismatic predator fish," Eshel said, which are harder to catch. "Sword, shark and tuna and so on require long-distance ocean journeys, and those efforts are not efficient. They require a lot of labor and a lot of fossil fuel."
Switching from red meat to fish won't necessarily help the planet, unless you can develop a taste for anchovies, which prefer to remain closer to shore and travel in large schools that can be easily caught and harvested.
Considering the fact that so much of our energy goes into such areas as transportation, is it realistic to think of lowering greenhouse gases by changing the typical American diet?
The researchers insist it is. The United States, Eshel says, accounts for about 28 percent of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.
"The U.S. has five sectors of the economy that are large emitters," he said. "Those are transportation, industrial, commercial, residential and agriculture."
Energy used in agriculture has grown substantially in recent years, he says, and now stands at around 18 percent or 19 percent of the nation's energy use.
The researchers say their findings show that at least 6 percent of that use comes from the production of foods that are not energy efficient, like cattle and the food to feed them. Considering that the "mean American diet is responsible for an additional ton-and-a-half of greenhouse gas emissions a year from each of us," the savings could be substantial.
"It's a huge deal," Eshel said.
So do these two vegetarians want us to give up our hamburgers and tuna and eat cauliflower?
"I hate to sound preachy," Eshel said, but it wouldn't hurt to give a little.
"I say eat whatever works for you, but just keep in mind that the less animal-based food you eat, and the more you replace those calories with plant-based food, the better off you are, in terms of your health as well as your contributions to the health
Children are narurally aware and sensitive to the needs of thier world and would be happy to embrace a task of using less fuel, less airconditioning that affects the environment. If raising cattle, burning fossil fuels, coal, using aerosols contribute to global warming, start with informing children who will then take up the cause of making wiser choices and reminding peers and parents to do the same. They are the ones who will assist us with creating more advanced solutions for energy, growing food and living in comfort and in balance with the environment.
I believe we all must be stewards of the earth and before we die we all must give something back to make it a better place so all creatures can survive.
Right now, forests are being torn down at an alarming rate and all the diversity of plants and animals go with it. All our oceans are severely depleted of fish and all sea life...not to mention all the global pollution and global warming. It is the world's worst atrocity as to the blatent destruction that is going on.
Sanctuaries and stiff rules on land and sea need to be formed in all lands and seas if we are going to turn back the clock and I hope it's not too late.
One can never care enough. If you don't recycle; do so. If you drive too much; stop. If you don't care about earth, leave. Ahh, but where will you go? Mars is off the charts for quite sometime; not my lifetime and certainly not yours.
If we don't care about the planet we live on, she shall strike us down like the cancer we are. A mere parasite on her precious face, we must establish a symbiotic existence and start giving back. Earth is a beautiful place. If we destroy it, we only have ourselves to blame.
Shall we let this happen?
"Extinction is forever." ... agree with comments re inclusion of statement regarding increased educational opportunities...
As long as the wind blows and the water flows, the whole earth is your back yard.
Check out the visionary understandings at EarthManifesto.com!
Recycle is not enough. Folks still buy new to replace what they recycle. Frugality is a virtue to be revitalized. Reuse until it breaks. We have gotten so used to having the newest model each year we forget what production does to the environment.
In this life, all that is destroying mankind and destroying our lands is, in one word… GREED.
Why is it, this greed allows so much suffering in life, when the ease of sharing is so simple.
Drug companies go so far as to allow people to die, so they can profit…
Doctors get paid by drug companies to prescribe, they prescribe…, so they can profit…
Food companies go so far as to put ingredients into our food that harm us, so they can profit…
Seems to me, all things destroying life are with evil intentions to begin with, no matter who gets hurt…. As long as their GREED is fulfilled, and THEY profit. One question to all of you who choose this…. WHY??? As you see, the consequences do come, and if they haven’t hit you personally just yet… they will.
There are many things in life, that reflect on the side of actions… the steps we take in life are always unknown to us until we take them, whether they be right or wrong. And then, the choice is up to us to fix what we have come to know as the wrong way we have gone… which wasn’t really wrong at all, just unknown to us at the time we made that choice…. (Or was it?… Did you know?… And if you did…. please, tell us WHY???)
Be your best in that all you are, for all that you are transcends… Do the best that you can in all that you do, for all that you do transcends…
In our world which moves ever faster away from peace and tranquility, what better gift to give our children, than the gift of preserving all in life that is truly beautiful and vital to the sustaining of mankind… plant a tree, and plan the future… one person can make a difference, will you help? God is in control, there is no doubt, we all just need to plant our seeds, and look to Him for guidance… then is when all will be well, and then is when the World will heal.
dlw/5-24-2007
Well, this is the third time I've tried to post this--What we need in the very broad middle section of this country is frequent, regular and reliable public transportation. Nothing would make for such a rapid reduction in pollution and waste as bus service running at frequent (say, at 30 minute) intervals connecting the smaller cities and towns with the larger nearby metropolitan areas. Americans have been conditioned (dare I say "brainwashed"?) over the years into overreliance on our automobiles. We can be equally convinced to utilize public transportation, provided it is affordable and time-efficient. This would cut down on gas consumption (and pollution) as well as make our highways safer.
Once we destroy this beautiful world that God gave us there will be no second chances or "do-overs". It will be gone - too late to say "oops, we should have done something a long time ago."
What will we do when we run out of natural resources to use as a crutch. Solutions are already present: wind, solar, biodiesel. Everything we need to rebuild we possess, all we require is action.
There is a way to gasificate H2O into gases to use as fuel at low low cost and pollution free so that the cost of fuel will be almost nil.It seems that no one wants to help develope such a energy source because the supply would be so plentiful that the world would have almost free energy to use to develope the world into another Eden. Rex Campbell El Paso Texas rexc8367@att.net
Naysayers about Global Warming suggest that humans cannot possibly impact the Earth. They say that our planet has gone through warming spells before and this is nothing new.
It is not a matter of if the Earth will survive, but if we will. And what levels of suffering will occur as we attempt to survive as the climate changes. I would ask all those who question whether they should change their behavior, "Are you willing to risk your future, your children's future, and all upcoming generations futures on the assumption that you are right that it is not humans behavior that is causing climate change?"
I am not willing to pamper myself with air conditioning, laziness, and excessive convenience so long as I know my actions have the potential to cause pain, suffering, and death to others on this planet.
I ask everyone to make several small changes in your daily routine that will recycle, re-use, reduce, or eliminate your consumption of Earth's resources. All it takes is small changes on everyone's part. I am willing. Are you?
Scot McGavin
Boise, Idaho
Education can solve all of the ills of our Nation and our World.
We must all learn that the Earth is not ours, but was entrusted to us by a Higher Power for it's safekeepng now and for all future generations. All of us should petition our Administration and the Federal Government to do all in their power to assist in the Declaration of New Patriotism, all of us should take a personal stand to protect the environment, our forests, our animals and their habitat, our air and water and
each other, and all of us should as a Nation help to educate other Nations to join with us in this quest. We need to remember that
"EXTINCTION LASTS FOREVER" and all of us need to begin to change our world this very day, one "Al Gore" lightbulb at a time!
Jean Sanford McGee
Nashville, TN
jeanmcgee55@comcast.net
I want to see every Federal and State building using solar or wind power. I know that solar could be cheaper for the consumer if there were more demand for it. Universities are perfect places to try new sources of energy, we who live on campus are largely a group who care deeply about our environment.
Consumers and builders should get larger tax cuts.
My biggest gripe is that I have such a hard time finding products that are environmentally friendly in Arkansas. I don't mind paying a little more, but I can't afford to pay 50% more for clothing and supplies.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and perhaps, other signers of the origninal Declaration of Independence were producers of hemp. Many of the original Declaration of Idependence and Constitutional Convention documents that these statesmen wrote on were on hemp paper, the clothes they wore and ship sails that got them to the New World were made of hemp fiber, and some of Betsey Ross-typed original American flags were stitched and woven from hemp canvas (cannabis) material, thread and twine.
In fact, in the days of these patriots, it was unlawful to NOT grow hemp, so much so that George Washington uttered the words: "Grow the hemp seed, sow it everywhere." Nowadays, we have made it illegal to grow hemp, so much so that if George lived in our time, his act of cultivating this marvelous plant would find him quickly among Americas Most Wanted.
What was a patriotic act then, is a criminal act now.
Instead of hemp for paper, textiles, food, medicine and fuel... we use petroleum intensive plants like cotton, canola, soy, and clear cut our remaining forests with impunity. Not many people are aware that hemp, however, is a C4 photosynthesis plant (Calvin Cycle) that respirates (breaths) on a near 24hr. cycle, even in, especially in, direct sunlight!
So much so that reseach has suggested that 1 acre of industrial hemp can consume (and sequester) 4X the CO2 green house gases, as compared to 1 acre of old growth forest. The biomass and fiber that is created can be used in numerous ways as paper, cloth, fuel pellets, ethanol, fertilizer, plastics, R58 insulation and other building products; such as hemp 2X4s, hemp plywood and hemp concrete.
Moreover, hemp has MORE protien than soy, is packed with omegas 3s, 6s, and 9s in the perfect balance for human consumption and can be grown in almost any soil WITHOUT heavy doeses of petroleum pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers. In a world were its population growth is alarmingly overshooting its carrying capacity, hemp could feed and nourish the masses better than Monsanto's "Round-up Ready" genictally mdified, patented and proprietary plants; like soy and canola.
Though algea would make a better biodiesel feeder stock crop, excess hemp seed oil could also be converted into biodiesel and/or plastic. Like Monsanto's GE corn crops, hemp can be converted into ethanol... the seed into feed for animals and humans.
Hemp is also called ditchweed, because its roots tap almost a foot and more into the soil making it a good errossion controling plant along hyways where it gets its food supply -- CO2 -- from gasoline emmission spewing cars. Vast fields of hemp could and should be grown up and down the middle of every highway and byway; through the corridors state-to-state of every interstate; as energy storehouses of carbon for mile-and-miles; as far as the eye can see.
Overcoming the stigma and disinformation is the biggest hemp hurdle. Henry Ford comissioned his scientists to build a car out of hemp plastic during the depression and completed it in 1936, stating that he wanted "farmers to grow his cars from the soil." Ford's main customers were the poor farmers hit hard by the colapes of the US depression and many lost their farms to the banks of that time. His progressive idea of "growing and fueling" his cars from the soil was a threat to other industrialist of his era.
In 1937 a conglomerate of Robber Barrons lobbied The US Congress to impose The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. Including oil giant Standard Oil, auto giant General Motors, newspaer giant William Randolf Hurst, and others. This same band of theives conspired in buying-out, dismantling and replacing the electric and cable car mass transportation systems in most all of the major metropolitan areas.
Suppression of hemp (and marijuana suppressed by the phamacutical giants) has paved the way to urban sprawl, the making of huge fortunes, and the elimination of the middle class in America -- just as much today as it did back then. The ninth circuit court of appeals has ruled that hemp does not have the THC that marijuana has and, therefore, cannot be classed as an illicite drug.
On February 17, 2007, The US House of Representatives introduced HR1009 -- The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2007 -- To amend the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of marihuana, and for other purposes (In 2005, 109th Cong., HR 3037).
When we are talking about global warming, we need to also talk about growing hemp as a sustainable countermeasure... to the effects of global warming. Hemp doesn't solve all of our problems, no, not by a long shot, but it should be included in our declaratory bag of tricks to solving the heavily exacerbated causes and compuonded symptoms of global warming.
Stigma and fear should not override common cause, common sense and our common survival... such trivialities have cost us commonalites shared in the meaning of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness... it is high time we resolved to take them back!
Benjamin Franklin once said, "Those who surennder essential liberty to obtain temporary safety deserve neither liberty not safety."
We should Resolutely Declared to "sow the hemp seed, sow it everywhere" ... our Revolutionary cry should also be a call for "Hemp for Freedom!"
One of the most maddening aspects of the climate crisis we face is that is so very, very fixable! I am well-versed on the topic and we could make significant impacts in our energy consumption with so little effort. We don't need to all turn down the heat, wear sweaters and carpool every day. By simply turning off lights and heat/AC when we're not using it, combining our trips, switching to compact flourescent light bulbs, etc. we can make HUGE strides in the right direction without even breaking a sweat. And if we could convince Americans to actually MAKE a (small) sacrifice for the sake of national & economic security and survival of the planet (ie. buy a hybrid, carpool a few times per year, etc.) we could make remarkable change happen.
The second most maddening aspect of this crisis is that in the solutions to global warming so too lie the next tech boom! We should be running TOWARDS alternative energy rather than away from it. It holds new ideas, industries and business expansion (and cost savings) the likes of which we have never seen before. Shame on the evil oil men who run our Country and endanger our children by lying to the public on this issue to suit their own greedy, power-hungry ends.
I saw one newspaper article in which this guy had had this old buggy that he owned electrified and I thought that was a terrific idea. Also a cousin of mine who lives in Virginia once told me that every year when they clean up yard waste, they put it out along with the trash in a bag and then get it back again as mulch which I think is another great idea.
We have started to step up to the plate but there is still much left to do and possibly not a whole lot of time left to do it.
There are so many good ideas here that need to be implemented, and I think WE THE PEOPLE can do that, but first WE THE PEOPLE need to take the decision making process back from Corporate America. WE are our democracy. WE are the ones who will think of our children's children rather than power or immediate profit. And only WE are the ones who can do that. WE need to speak up and be heard while WE have a voice.
We have this one earth which we depend on for our livelihood. The earth has has supported out way of life for millions of years. We have abused our home for too long. we must speak out now for all thise who will not speak out of fear or uncaring. The earth has given us the fundamental gift of life. It's time we repay the favor.
Here's some ideas. My vision, if you will, that I have been working on for many years now.
Improving on human's telepathic and born abilities, that later they loose. (Inter-species telepathic communication would be a terrificly helpful thing if you ask me.)
Eat raw vegan foods, after all, raw foods contain all the nutriments that cooked food lacks. Meat is a huge cause of disease as well. It doesn't make any sense to eat something that hurts you.
Blurr the lines between human civilisation and nature. We are the ones who are to take care of the world, not abuse it. We must learn balance with technology, natural resources, nature, spirituality, and self desirers.
You is me and he makes we
We are one and leave no one
Why try and leave us all
When all in all, we would fall
Unless we learn to fly.
A cell alone does not make a body, but all cells together make a whole being. Each human is a cell of the earth. Let's work together.
We must radically increase the subsidies to farmers for organically grown agriculture so that organically grown agriculture recieves much more subsidization than non-organic agriculture. This will act as an incentive to encourage farmers to grow food organically, reducing the impact of the health deficits of food treated with harmful pesticides and reducing the carbon emisssion source associated with oil-based pesticides. It will also make it possible for lower-income United States residents to purchase organic food and share the health benefits, which are now largely limited to middle-upper to upper class citizens simply because of the economic restraints caused by the unreasonably low subsidies to organic farmers currently instituted by the government. This will also give the fourth benefit likely reducing the need for expensive medical treatments for diseases (such as cancer) caused by long-term consumption of pesticides. Since lower-class citizens are particularly struck by this health risk because of their lack of the ability to purchase and consume organic foods, and lower-class people are also the people who most often utilize government resources such as Medi-care, shifting subsidies away from non-organic farmers and giving them instead to organic farmers will actually save the government money in the long run, while protecting the health of the American people and the global population as a whole.
There are available solutions that the auto makers have not implemented perhaps because it was not one of their priorities before.
US Patent # 6,571,750 B2 is one of them and the inventor has offered to donate part of the proceeds to environmental causes.
Another thing we must do is to continue our diligence in the understanding of global warming and what to do to combat its effects. In this battle, knowledge is power and the more we know the better we can deal with global warming. J Paul
If the purpose of the human species is simply to "consume" and fixate on "bottom lines", we must surely allow the cockroaches to regain their planet. The U.S. is the main purveyor of senseless acquistition and the last country to be asking vital questions on how our kids/grandkids will make a living(not get a job) and reside in an environment with breathable air and potable water. THAT is Homeland Security!!
What everyone says about this struggle to erradicate global warming is true and many things depend on our ability to end this crisis. We know that dangers and the sacrifices everyone has to make. But what is most important to remember is "actions speak louder than words." Volumes louder, actually. Now that this little declaration has been comprised, it is time for some actual improvements by everyone out there. Everyone can do something to help this cause. As we stretch farther into the future for answers, we lose each other and working to save our planet will help bring us back together. The present is really what should concern us right now. Let us finish what needs to be done about pollution and destroying ecosystems. If we do our job, we won't have to worry about "our children and our children's children".
Surprise God. Stop hoping for the rapture. Prove to God that humans are not evil. We care about his creation.
We allneed to take responsibility, individually and personally to do what needs to be done to save our planet.
God is not responsible for Global Warming. Humans are the major cause.
A significant chance would be to reduce the usage of plastic as it is made primarily from oil, a limited product.
We must wean ourselves from the excessive use of plastics, such as shopping bags which should be cloth or netting, a renewable product.
Plastics do not degrade easily and have been collecting for over 50 years in the North Pacific Gyre (a swirling vortex of ocean currents comprising most of the northern Pacific)
These are good thoughts. To make them more compelling I would use words and phrases from the American myth (the way we want to think we are as a people). Some examples are: Yankee ingenuity, pioneer spirit, land of opportunity, rugged individualism and melting pot. You can think of better ones, I'm sure. Tapping the myth of America in this declaration will help people see themselves in it and will help move them to action.
Global warming in the future will lead to extinctions, epidemics of diseases, more severe weather, deaths due to lack of water, and hundreds of thousands of refugees. Some short-term economic prosperity will lead to long term economic disaster.
Choose what is right, not what is cheapest... that means the US government NEEDS to invest in alternative, earth-friendly energy fuels NOW. I am an American consumer who is WILLING to pay an initially higher price now for alternative fuels than to wait and hope the situation gets better --- and then REALLY PAY for ignoring the problem.
Global warming will causes mass extinctions, severe weather patterns, deaths due to lack of water, less available food, epidemics of diseases, receding coastlines, and hundreds of thousands of refugees. A small bit of extra economic prosperity now will lead to economic disaster in the future.
You can't win this battle by fighting this battle. You need to start the American Revolution Part II: Take Back America.
Our elected officials are kings among kings i.e. they do as they please and keep as much as possible from the public they are supposed to serve.
If we don't take back the country from our elected officials and big business - all causes including this one, are lost.
Divine Providence has blessed us with a beautiful planet for our home, as well as with the ability to protect or destroy it. May each one seek the wisdom, and have the courage, to make the better choices.
One environmental disaster that is rarely spoken about, yet affects most Americans is the fluoridation of our water. Europe discontinued putting this toxin in their water over a decade ago because of the harm to human health. The reason I bring this up, is that this relates to how the American population reasons and deals with our problems. Your group wants people to listen to what you believe and understand it. Fluoride interferes with this process. The people you are trying to sway, are handicapped due to this policy of adding a known neurotoxin to the water. You often hear about the "apathy" of Americans and with all of the horrendous activities going on, why are people so passive? Well, I think this is the reason. Perhaps if your group started to get the truth out about this pollution, you would have a more receptive audience to your platform. Christopher Bryson's book "The Fluoride Deception is excellent and lays out the truth.
This is a time of crisis, yes, but it is also an exciting time as we commit to green education, the discovery of new green sciences and technologies, and fostering a global green economy (which includes an acceleration of the building of social and economic structures that will help to deal with area poverty and the refugee crisis)!
The dangers are already here but so are the possibilities. Corporations and politicians that cannot rise to the occasion are dysfunctional anachronisms and the old systems are, pardon the expression, dinosaurs, i.e. the one thing that we should encourage the inevitable extinction of! We are uniquely well-situated in the USA to assist in that process; we are the greatest consumers in the world and and a massive engine for the global economy. We should waste no time in feeling powerless.
Now is the time for real inspiration, creative genius, and dynamic leadership! There isn't a single one of us who doesn't have his or her own part to play, from the simplest yet critical acts of conservation to the wildest innovations!
We also must recognize that how we treat the planet is tied to our national security. Oil involves us in the middle east and our conspicuous consumption brings contempt from our friends and the hatred of our enemies.
Out-sourcing is a major problem that not only costs American jobs, but adds to global warming as goods and resources are shipped around the globe, needlessly. Slums are created to replace villages as factories are built in third world countries as corporations seek "cheap labor". Many "Made in America" signs only denote products assembled in Guam or Puerto Rico from components made in China or Thailand.
We need to tighten up on truth in advertising.
PUT AN END TO WASTEFUL LIGHT POLLUTION ..... Outlaw outdoor lighting that shines sideways or up. We need the light on the ground ! Do an online search for "light pollution". You can see nightime satellite photos of the U.S. All the light you see is wasted energy. You pay for this foolishness at the gas pump. It also puts tons of additional greenhouse gases from power plants into the atmosphere. We waste about 1.5 billion dollars a year because of poorly designed fixtures that splatter light all over. There are lots of efficient neighbor friendly outdoor lights available, including motion sensor lights.
Brilliant dusk to dawn lights can be a rude intrusion to neighbors. They're also rude to the environment. It's been proven that too much unnatural light during sleeping hours weakens your immune system. It also contributes to sleep disorders. There are more traffic accidents near glaring lights because motorists are actually blinded. Photobiologists have concluded that too much light has adverse effects on wildlife which includes, (but may not be limited to) birds, amphibians and bats. These friends of ours do us a great service by eating disease carrying mosquitos.
This is something we can do RIGHT NOW! We don't have to wait for some techological breakthrough.
I would add a 5th item to the pledge, to hold industry's feet to the fire to replace the polluting products they now manufacture, and make certain new products and services at least don't harm the environment, and ideally improve it.
Global Warming is a farce. A washed up politician needed to make money so he wrote a book and made a movie. What does he know about global warming? I bet he's not willing to give up his cushy home. Global warming has been going on since the dawn of time.
Global warming is going to be affecting my generation, the me generation, for years to come. While teenagers can do their part, until we can vote, adults should help as well. Think of your own children, or grandchildren, Do you want them to live in a world like the one that we'll get if we don't do something.
I would lie to see included this sentence.We pledge to be less Self Involved and More Selfless and actively involved.
Global Warming could lead to the destruction of all life on this planet. It is greater than just the human race. Right now we know of no other life and to be willing to take a chance of destroying is just wrong. I fear that people are really too lazy or just don’t care enough to change. I’ve started having nightmares about humans causing the end of life. I’m a 16-year-old girl begging the world to change.
Thanks,
Sophia Schwartz
Global Warming could lead to the destruction of all life on this planet. It is greater than just the human race. Right now we know of no other life and to be willing to take a chance of destroying is just wrong. I fear that people are really too lazy or just don’t care enough to change. I’ve started having nightmares about humans causing the end of life. I’m a 16-year-old girl begging the world to change.
Thanks,
Sophia Schwartz
Life on this planet is a unique and precious privilege, we know of no other planet that can support life. We all accept this privilege by continuing to live. With this privilege goes the responsibility of passing on an intact unpolluted planet with all of its life supporting aspects uncompromised, and all of its biodiversity intact and unaltered.
We are part of an interdependent web of life. By our choice of accepting life we are bound by a moral covenant to preserve and pass the planet on intact.
Global Warming is not just another issue. It is the greatest moral and physical issue in all of Earth time, the defining issue in all of human history, in all of the history of life on this planet.
There are two aspects of global warming that set it apart, its magnitude and it’s time frame.
Taking the long view rulers, economies, nations, and wars come and go but if the ability of the planet to support life as we know it is severely damaged or destroyed.... there’s nothing left. The magnitude of harm to all earth’s life now and future, the immorality, the crime is beyond comprehension.
We’ve wasted the time to address this at a normal pace, if we don’t solve it right away it will become self perpetuating, runaway, and we will have no hope of reversing it.
If they don’t get in the way we can include but not be confined by the interests of Gov. and economy. In this healing of the planet we should do no harm . Some schemes are harmful like nuclear, ethanol, climate manipulation for example. Solar, wind, tides, geothermal and others are sustainable, clean and can be used now to solve the problem. We cannot compromise with the health of the planet.
We can do this. The money is there (now being spent on war), the technology is there now , (improvements can continue). We need to recognize this as the overriding priority that it is and act to save ourselves, our fellow creatures and the future of life, on this precious, incredibly beautiful and diverse, generous planet that gives us everything we have and enables us all to live.
Intensive resource use, increasing toxic pollutant outputs, ever spreading environmental degradation, massive species extinction, and global warming all share two things in common: run away human population growth and corporate greed. Only when all the countries of the world strictly adhere to a one child per couple rule; only when the governments of this planet rule for betterment of their people, indigenous wildlife and natural habitat, rather than corporate profits - will our Mother Earth regain the healthy balances it needs to sustain all of its children (the two-legged, four-legged, winged, swimmers and crawlers).
Do you know what is going to happen? How is the World going to be after this massive pollution, natural resource's exploitation, indiscriminate felling and allowing global warming to continue? HELP US STOP IT! we don't have the means and resources to do it.. but you do!
What will we be leaving the future generations?
PLEASE!
Like the Humbacked whales stranded in the Sacramento river(CA), WE must all work harder to save all our natural resorces here on the earth for the future generations. Just as WE, the Coast Guard and the Bioaligists here in California are trying to get those two Humback Whales back to the ocean where they can live a better life.
Anonymous.
Why not say 'yes' to our survival?
Why hold onto a decaying, fossilized past, when a green FUTURE is so much more $bountiful????
No, global warming is seen as nothing more than a business gain/loss to big oil companies.
But let me ask you: What will you say to your own children when they find themselves inheriting a decaying planet?
Is there really any faith, any cherished light in this world that can outshine the actions of destruction against our own survival?
No. There is not.
And the ones who inherit this planet ( if indeed there will BE a planet to inherit) will struggle.
There arent words or books that will absolve the hardships our future generations will have to endure.
There will be no "classes" to maintain, no sun to appreciate, and no wolf to know.
In the end, the people have the power. No one group can control the peoples voice. If a group of individuals think differently, they will be sadly mistaken in the next few years to come.
NO ONE will be spared from global warming. NOT ONE.
Why not invest in us?
Believe in something different: Think outside of the box, and you will see that the box was just the tip of the icebergs we have come to love so very much.
thank you
Li Raven
We must care for what we love and hold dear so that memories are not all that remain.....
I believe that consumption is the key to nearly every environmental problem. It’s not just ONE ELEMENT of the problems; it’s THE DRIVER. Most environmental organizations don’t even acknowledge consumption as a significant element of environmentalism. I think I understand this reluctance because consumption is also the driver of the West’s surging economic growth since the industrial revolution. Unlimited consumption has led to a couple centuries of easy corporate profits and the explosion of our standard-of-living. But undervalued, and even politically-subsidized, resources lead to under-priced products, unsustainable consumption, and fat shareholders, employees, and politicians. Thus, popular environmental organizations are unwilling to criticize consumption, which is the most fundamental element of our economic engine; even though it is also the most fundamental element of the degradation of the planet, on which a sustainable economic engine depends.
So you see the problem. We have a conflict between sustainability, which is a forward-looking concept, and consumption, which is an immediate gratification. What do we do in the face of such an unequal encounter?
We need to get the mainstream environmental groups to take a stand on consumption. Most environmental groups are fixated on the wrong targets. What I hear everywhere is: “Get Government to act” or "Develop alternative energy sources" or “Challenge industry to reduce emissions.” The fact is: Government didn’t create global warming and neither did industry. You and I did, and our parents, and our grandparents. Each of us has created this problem by a million seemingly insignificant consumption decisions. Each must now make lifestyle changes to solve the problem. Conservation, all by itself, can reduce emissions by 30% in the near term and 60% or more in the 5 to 10 year time frame. It is the ONLY strategy that has a chance to make the massive emission cuts on the timescale that scientists say is required to save humanity. The standard measures cited above may cut emissions in the timescale of decades, but that is simply not fast enough. We need to CUT consumption, not just make our irresponsible over-consumption more efficient.
Let me give you examples of the kinds of consumption reduction I’m talking about.
1) Stop driving low mileage vehicles AND reduce travel.
2) Stop using clothes dryers and hair dryers.
3) Turn off non-essential lights and air conditioning.
4) Cut ALL water consumption, not just hot water. (Your local water company is typically your area’s biggest electricity consumer.)
5) Turn off the TV, computer, printer, VCR, etc.
6) Reuse shopping bags until they fall apart.
7) Use up what you buy before discarding it. (During WWII, Americans had a slogan: “Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without.” Today is even more serious than WWII because the the fate of all species is at stake. We need to motivate people to a war mindset.)
8) Stop using leaf blowers, and use manual mowers when possible.
9) Get your workouts without burning gas getting to the gym or electricity at the gym.
10) Turn off all sporting event and playfield lighting.
I believe that environmental and political leaders are simply afraid to take such a stand because it would be denounced by most business, labor, political, and religious groups due to its assumed economic and lifestyle effects. But we need to make the argument that such conservation is absolutely required to prevent far greater economic and social deprivation in the not-too-distant future. The goal of serious conservation needs the established environmental leaders to stand up to the propaganda that would be launched against such a movement that would challenge the allure of our consumption economy.
Paul Dueweke
pwduewekeatyahooperiodcom
I waded through lots of ideas, but only one person had the most important, TOO MANY PEOPLE on the planet. Polio, TB, plague, HIV, Bird Flu - all ways the planet is trying to rid itself of the plague of Homo sapiens(?). Well, global climate change may be the one way that the planet will be able to reduce the human population.
As stewards of this planet, we are obligated to co-exist harmoniously with all life above and below the sea.
"This nation's founders risked everything to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We must now do whatever is necessary to realize a new relationship with the web of life that includes and sustains us."
This phrase seems almost perfect - short & gripping. However, I think the last sentence could flow a bit better. How about:
"This nation's founders risked everything to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We must now take another equally bold and momentous step. This time we must forge a new relationship between our planet Earth and the life that she sustains."
We Americans have the most individualistic culture on earth, and we are a nation of devoted capitalists. I support Environmental Defense because it recognizes and deals with those two elements of our national personality more effectively than any other environmental group. Yet, this declaration doesn't speak to either of them very well. I would add something like: 'we will give voice to the economic opportunities that exist for us, our neighbors and the country in solving the climate change problem'.
there is only one earth, lets work together so our kids can enjoy it too.
We must live sustainably and not use our capital — the Earth— but only use the interest from it, i.e. the services the Earth provides.
I think the government should give tax breaks to citizens and companies who use electric cars, solar power, wind power, etc. The government should lead by example and make recycling easy for small towns.
We need leaders that are looking out for the overall health of the planet and its people, and not so much the bottom line $$$.
We can make a difference if we all work together:
Let our politicians know that the future of our earth is important to us. Push them to fight for environmental change.
Continue funding and support for renewable, sustainbable fuel resources.
Push auto makers to create more hybrids for every type of vehicle, including trucks and SUV's.
Urge retailers to carry energy efficient products.
Make changes in daily lifestyle, the little things count!
RECYCLE and REUSE!
The future of our planets ecosystems is in our hands. It is up to us to spread the work to make the changes.
Life as we know it is going to change. That change can be for the better or for the worse. We all need to make changes and sacrifices now that will leave this planet a better place than when we arrived and future generations will look back on the legacy we have left for them.
The world of today is OWNED by greedy stupid rich folks so SELFISH that they would eat thier OWN children. What chance do the rest of us have?
I tip my hat to the rats and the roaches who will inherit what's left of this world after we've made it uninhabitable for the millions of less hardy life forms.
This country,it's People and it's Neighbor nations need to know that the Leadership of this nation has Peace and Equal Relation with All as it's operating system. To that end we need,as a People,to be able to instantly remove from positions of Power,anyone who,through deciet and outright lies,that would will force of arms as a solution to a problem or has been found to be carring out a personal vendetta against our People and Neighbor Nations. Said removal should be accompanied by immediate arrest and charges of Treason be levied.
Any actions currently underway that are found to be fitting this criteria,shall be suspended and those whom enacted such actions,either sitting or out of office will face these self same charges.
Further we would recognize that threats of violence and acts of war are the domain of cowards and thieves,bent on control of the People and an anathma to Peace,Freedom and Liberty,which by birth and endowment by our Creator are the blessings given to All People of Every Nation on Mother Earth.
The question of global warming, no matter how politicized, is a matter of biology, not politics. Whether rich or poor, young or old, conservative or liberal, free or oppressed, the health and welfare of our planet is inextricably tied to our biological makeup, which dictates that, as human beings made of flesh and bone, we all require for health, happiness, prevention and healing, clean air, water and earth, and an environment that is unpolluted and protected from the upsetting earth changes that are caused by the irresponsible actions of humankind.
— Vic Shayne, author, Evil Genius in the Garden of Eden
It is absolutely necessary for flowers to have butterflies, for hills to have springs, for rocks to be accompanied by moss, for water to have water cress in it, for tall trees to have creepers and for mankind to have the wisdom and determination to safeguard nature.
I would make a minor change to what Aeh said:
""This nation's founders risked everything to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We must now take another equally bold and momentous step. This time we must forge a new relationship between our planet Earth and the life that she sustains."
I would change the last sentence to read: This time we must forge a new relationship between our planet Earth and the all the life she sustains and humanity.
Humans are the virus of this Earth. Through business humans have found a very dangerous profit: MOTHER EARTH. The Earth is now sending out its anti-bodies to wipe us out: hurricane, tornado, flood, drought, EXTINCTION. The technology is now here! People must urge for CHANGE NOW!
Simple decisions each day such as taking shorter showers. Being more mindful of used water that could be
reused for plants. Carpooling. Relying on products grown close to home and that are distributed in minimal packaging. Just say no to excess plastic bags. Washing and cleaning with biodegrable soaps for dishes, laundry, cars and house hold projects. Rather than harsh petroleum based detergents. Buy Organic and demand high organic standards. Start your own vegetable garden. Every bit helps and the fight will always be won locally first.
We need a new 'Marshall Plan' or wartime mobilization like during WWII where the government takes some leadership around solving the climate change problem. Our parents/grandparents did it in the 40's, and we can do it now. The stakes are higher now.
We need inspiration from leadership, but I think the 'leaders' will need us to inspire, and require, them to step out front.
Each of us will need to take personal action to consume less, waste less power, and speak up everywhere about what we believe in. No time to be shy and quiet any more. 'The world can't wait' applies here as well.
Let us not do what is best for ourselves today but what is best for our children tomorrow!
there is a great saying: If the People Lead, Eventually the Leaders will follow.
We have to take command and action to protect our ONE planet's fragile ecosystem and prevent a irreversible slide to extinction of ALL species including Humans.
With every right, with every freedom, there comes a responsibility. One of our responsibilities is to take care of this planet so that we can continue to have the freedom to enjoy it.
As a consumer-driven, media dependent society, it would seem to me that if both efforts were
combined, we could have an enormous
effect on the global warming movement worldwide. What spurs music, literature, art, fashion, electronics, and so on? The mighty media of course. Someone creates something fresh, provocative and reveals it to a hungry, waiting public--a consumer-driven hungry
public. Let's use this to our advantage: i.e. instead of "American Idol", let's try "American Global Warming Idol",
or a global U.N. incentive program: i.e. "Earth Angels United"
Mama was right when she told us that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Let's show and tell the truth, but with
the wisdom of current global technology which will meet all Americans where they live--right in their consumer-driven, media- blitzed backyard. Make it a "popular" theme to be part of the
movement to spare the planet from
further global warming effects.
Your document is quite good. The posts here contain many great ideas, both large and small, and important philosophical points.
In the field of Crisis Management, there are several phases: pre-crisis, crisis unfolding, crisis mitigation/containment, and recovery. We are long past the pre-crisis and crisis unfolding stages, and are in the mitigation/containment phase. This is our moment of truth: will we put aside our old ways, create new paths, and embrace all life on the planet?
To survive this crisis, we must combine all of our resources throughout the world, and take on this challenge as if our lives depend upon it, which indeed they do. This environmental wildfire is out of control, and threatens all life on our world.
Many eloquent points and quotations have been made in prior quotes, but I add just a few more, from John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, November 20, 1961:
"United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do—for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder."
"Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, 'rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation'—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."
"Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that .... [all] sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
Thank you for the work you do.
We must face up to the fact that our planet has already suffered the effects of miss-use, pollution and degradation of natural resources to the point of crisis. We here in the present generations are in for some harsh adjustments to our way of life in the very near future unless we take dramatic actions to turn this around.
It is time to express our great appreciation for the amazing gifts of Nature and our Environment. The sincerest form of appreciation is for all of us to learn from Nature and to preserve and protect those precious gifts that sustain all life. It is with great appreciation for all life, what it has provided us, what we have learned from it, that we want to do everything possible to preserve and protect our Environment. This is how to express appreciation and to say "thank you".
It is time to express our great appreciation for the amazing gifts of Nature and our Environment. The sincerest form of appreciation is for all of us to learn from Nature and to preserve and protect those precious gifts that sustain all life. It is with great appreciation for all life, what it has provided us, what we have learned from it, that we want to do everything possible to preserve and protect our Environment. This is how to express appreciation and to say "thank you".
We must realize that life, like time, is of the essence.
Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I am 18 years old, I knew we had a major global warming problem, I am a active member of my school's Ecology Club, and I have seen An Inconvenient Truth. I understand what's going on. And I know for a fact that this is what matters most: stopping global warming. Some of you may say to this, "Well, she doesn't care about the troops in Iraq." Not true. I do care and I don't think they should be there. But none of this will matter if we don't stop what's destroying our planet. We have to stop ourselves. We are the cause, like it or not. We are the reason the gas prices are sky high. We are the reason that the ice is melting. We are the reason for most of the recent natural disasters. We are the terrorists. We are destroying ourselves. We are NOT the victims. We ARE the only country left in the world that wont join the rest to stop global warming. WE should be ashamed.
Since the war is about oil, then the price of gasoline should reflect that activity. This is basic free market philosophy and the corporations should support the idea, as should the US government.
This way, any oil company who choses to do business with suppliers who are not involved in the war, such as Venezuela and Mexico, will be able to offer their product at a lower price. I think this free market mechanism would quickly end the war, and stop making rich Arabs even richer.
The warm fuzzy liberal way of thinking is a beautiful thing. But unfortunately, greedy, money driven, power hungry, me, me, me, people seem to run the world. We need to stop meditaing and take action. This and other major world issues have been on the table for a long time. NOTHING is changing fast enough. Everyone that is well vested in oil will be long gone when it all falls apart. They're not worried about you and your children, and generations to come. They're happy fat cats today. They're laughing all the way to the bank. If educated, scientific believing, open minded people don't start to grow a backbone, it will be to late. Whatever it takes...TAKE ACTION!!!
I am 32 years old. From the time I was a little girl, I have noticed changes in the environment and thought it was just me, until I unexpectedly started to learn about global warming and environmental destruction in college. It IS a terrifying reality and it IS something we cannot ignore for monetary profit. What good is profit if the planet and all of us die? We must do whatever it takes to help heal the planet and save all life on Earth. There is amazing "profit" to be had in every aspect from regaining the "safe" and pure environment we were born into. Human bodies cannot be healthy absorbing fossil fuels and other chemicals. We need to finally admit that we made a mistake, harnessing and processing these materials that have found their way into every aspect of life and it is destroying the planet and it is already making us sick. I have Environmental Illness from Chemical Exposure, from where I used to live. I never worked in a chemical plant. Countless people besides myself suffer with Chemically triggered illnesses and we need to pay attention to what that means. There's still time to heal, please. I do not want our children and future generations to face destruction because of our past ignorance [and arrogance] in thinking we knew what we were doing when we harnessed chemical industrialization. There are so many alternative options for everything we need and want; fuel, power, manufacturing and domestic & personal care products... this is not a sci-fi movie. We need to take responsibility and pass [and enforce] whatever laws and policies we can to make as much of the population live and work "green" NOW.
Do you really think we will be able to live on this Earth if we just keep destroying it? What will we tell our children? Think about the ground we walk on... What will happen to it if we keep living like we are?
We need to remember Earth has a carrying capacity for humans. Let's not reproduce to where our only nest is fouled beyond use. How about number of children = 1 per person?
We the undersigned pledge the following:
Recognizing that Americans live in a time of crisis, we will be thoroughly active in our efforts to reverse
global warming by means of scientific innovation and subsequent political action. We demand that our
elected officials no longer be permitted to retain their respective seats in government without affirmation
of global warming, it's causes and present and future effects, furthermore commiting to introduce legislation
toward effectively reversing global warming wherever possible. Individually we will spread the word in
our respective communities, making sure others recognize that everyone must play a role in meeting this
grave challenge as both informed and united consumers. We will invest heavily in companies that introduce
alternative fuels and non-carbon emmitting vehicles, providing funding necessary for mass production and
distribution of such. Just as the past generation left this great country in better shape for us than they found it,
so shall we commit and strive toward leaving a better country for future generations.
We need to ban the use of incandescent light bulbs, and fast. Not by 2020, by at least 2012. If the same thing was invented today, it would never be able to go on the market because it is so wasteful.
Our children, and our children's children will either benefit from our positive actions.... or suffer for our sins.
Our government and industry have the resources and knowledge how to give us the clean power and fuel we need to run our planet using "green" power! Let's make it happen before we don't have a choice. We must do this for ourselves and future generations. More people are getting sick from the chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants used in our daily life. This has to be reversed as quickly as possible.
In this great country we are so inovative, surely we can come up with alternate ways to run our vehicles. We can have alternate fuels and bypass the oil companies altogetjer!
"...welfare of the planet"?
Excuse me, but the planet will be fine no matter what we do to it. What we are concerned with is the welfare of all people and all of the earth's (or planet's) inhabitants because we are all interdependent.
Also, we can influence and teach our children, I think children need to be mentioned explicitly not just lumped under "loved ones." And we also have influence on our schools and at work, somehow that should be worked in as well.
Cheers
BAN EXXON/CHEVERON/&MOBIL
Do not buy gas from any of the giants! The cold weather to warm weather gas story is bull. They price gouge starting around every Memorial Day weekend through the end of summer. All of the money made is the direct reason why enviromental polices do not stick! Tell everyone you know not to support these greedy pigs...
I am 32 years old. From the time I was a little girl, I have noticed changes in the environment and thought it was just me, until I unexpectedly started to learn about global warming and environmental destruction in college. It IS a terrifying reality and it IS something we cannot ignore for monetary profit. What good is profit if the planet and all of us die? We must do whatever it takes to help heal the planet and save all life on Earth. There is amazing "profit" to be had in every aspect from regaining the "safe" and pure environment we were born into. Human bodies cannot be healthy absorbing fossil fuels and other chemicals. We need to finally admit that we made a mistake, harnessing and processing these materials that have found their way into every aspect of life and it is destroying the planet and it is already making us sick. I have Environmental Illness from Chemical Exposure, from where I used to live. I never worked in a chemical plant. Countless people besides myself suffer with Chemically triggered illnesses and we need to pay attention to what that means. There's still time to heal, please. I do not want our children and future generations to face destruction because of our past ignorance [and arrogance] in thinking we knew what we were doing when we harnessed chemical industrialization. There are so many alternative options for everything we need and want; fuel, power, manufacturing and domestic & personal care products... this is not a sci-fi movie. We need to take responsibility and pass [and enforce] whatever laws and policies we can to make as much of the population live and work "green" NOW.
Lyrics from one of my Hip Hop songs:
IF THESE STREETS COULD TALK
©2000 Vibe One of Under No Order
If these streets could talk, the voice would crumble the rock / beneath the feet of the people who upon it have walked.
Oblivious to the madness, the pain and the sadness / or the people in the shadows with no home and no address.
They would speak about the poverty, the victims of robberies /
of invaders in history, selling' free land as property.
How these people had fair skin, but brought with them black men / enslaved in chains, with long scars on their backs, and-
If these streets could talk, they would expose the deception / that Columbus gave the Natives here to fool their perception.
And that's when he x'd them, left an infection / the smallpox virus, they had no protection.
And some folks still would let 'em do it again / believing that our worst enemy is our best friend.
Their goal is to hold us, their role is to mold us / there's too many of us so they made AIDS to control us.
If these streets could talk, they would speak of erosion / and the damage that we cause to our land and our oceans.
If it's not fluoridation, it's genetic mutation / the human race scientifically has flipped the equation.
And it’s a, "Suicide, it's a suicide" / 'cause if we don't make a change then we’re all gon' die.
I'm tellin' you the streets see what we don't see / if they could talk, what a better place this could be.
(CHORUS)
If these streets could talk,
They would speak about the pain.
People were borrowed, so much sorrow.
If these streets could talk.
It is of the utmost importance that everybody is able to have their trash recycled whether they live in an apartment or house. Have recycling placed around the city and for those in the apartments, have areas where they can leave trash for recycling.
1. Take away corporations' right to be considered a person:
2. Give all other species rights including the right to habitat ownership, and also give the air the right to be clean and to be purified by vegetation, water the right to flow freely and to be cleansed and purified by natural cycles and processes, the soil to be healthy, clean and productive:
3. Give communities the right to right to govern themselves in an ecologically-sustainable manner, reinvent themselves and develop their own local manufacturing base and local food systems, make themselves self-reliant and independent from globalization, and give them the ability to reject environmentally-unsustainable decisions imposed by federal governments and also to use federal taxes for these purposes:
Taking away corporate "rights" will mean that ordinary people and the natural world that supports our own lives will have equal rights.
Giving rights to other species, to Nature, and to natural cycles and processes, air and water purification, and soil production will mean that humans no longer have the right to foul them.
Giving communities rights to control their own destiny will remove federal inteference and corporations' ability to disrupt and destroy them, and give everyone ownership of their own community and the responsibility to take care of it for themselves, their children and future generations of all species.
Communities have been suffering for too long because of governments' and corporations' bottom-line greed and corruption. We did not give them the right to destroy the Earth and all species' intrinsic right to life. They took this right away from us and it's about time we took it back!
The earth is our home and our mother, therefor, any injustice done to her, is done to us, and must be corrected!
Mankind needs to collectively ask themselves, "How can some men turn a blind eye to this issue? We must bind together to bring Global Warming to Justice!" Otherwise, Humankind must be prepared to endure the impending doom that will be our future!
The people of our country have always been extremely creative and inventive. We as a nation have always been able to rise to the occasion.
The creative abilities and meaningful contributions of our citizens has, over the past several decades been intentionally surpressed by government intervention and repressive regulation. A government that is way out if its box. The above coupled with huge corporate interests that surpress the real solutions of the People to surface and be utilized for the sake of profit and control are now threatening the very foundations of life on our planet. Government never solves problems, it creates them. Like the saying goes: If we alway do what we've always done, then we'll alway get want we've always got.
In my opinion, if government would focus itself on the limited duties and restraints placed upon it by the Constituion, then the creative genius of the people could once again, do its job.
Until we can desalinify salt from sea water in massive amounts, we need rain, and with global warming many places will dry up due to a severe decrease in rainfall. Therefore we need to do everything we can to not just halt but reverse CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. We should make filament light bulbs illegal. Require every state to have its own storage facility for spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants. This will make every state equaly sharing in the holding of the rods, and therefore wil stop the fighting over the issue and allow for more nuclear power plants to be built. Advanced breeder reactors should also be created which use fuel much more efficently and leave less dangerouse materials behind. Research should also be heavily driven into hydrogen cars, and restarting fusion science to hopefuly finish our experiments on that fieled to create totaly clean energy sources for us.
I'm terrified of what the future holds. Everything from rising sea levels to diseases. THE HUMAN SPECIES is causing Global Warming if we don't act NOW we will not be able to sustain life on this planet. WE all need to band together to create a solution or we will see our destruction!!!! Why can't we see that and want to fix it. Why are we so hung up on convince that we would want to destroy our planet? EVERYONE WHO READS THIS THINK ABOUT THIS: If you don't live within 50 to 100 miles from the sea or a major city like NY or S.F. everyone that lives there now WILL BE your neighbor. I think the only way were going to get something done about this is when our cities disappear in the sea. PLEASE let us all band together to put a stop on Global warming so that our kids will have a place to live
If Greenland melts at the rate it is right now. In a couple of decades there will be another ice age because the fresh water in greenland will go into the north atlantic current and make the current stop. Which could ruin our entire planet.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment on the 3rd draft.
I suggest substituting action verbs for forms of "be" and substituting imperatives for participles, which are weaker. Words can help us exert power--but only if we use powerful words. For example, instead of "must be active & forceful", say "must act decisively". Instead of "Be active citizens," say "Take action, press elected officials..., press all candidates, etc.". Also, instead of "be mindful consumers", say "consume thoughtfully, minimize our 'footprint'", etc.
A Native American saying comes to mind, "We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We are borrowing it from our children." Taking care of the global warming problem is first and foremost. How can we address other problems without taking care of our and our children's survival first? Everyone who lives on this planet must step up and be responsible. It is really not even difficult.
"The highest function of ecology is the understanding of consequences."
A quote from Dune by Frank Herbert.
The Aquarian Age began approx. in 1988 when the GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF PLANET EARTH realized unless humankind changed to way they did things, mankind might not be here to enjoy the future. Earth does not need human habitation; this planet was here long B 4 we were and will be here long after. If HUMANKIND does not WORK TOGETHER NOW, there will be NO LATER. (This goes TRIPLE for BIG BUSINESS that apparently JUST DO NOT SEEM TO CARE about anything but the profits and dividends their top ppl receive annually!)
"...You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
Abraham Lincoln
The key to solving this is education. If kids are taught in school about the issues and the solutions, they can educate their parents and they can educate others. This will show that solving global warming isn't necessarily expensive. There are many ways in which we can save energy and reduce the impact on the planet like replacing light bulbs with energy efficient CFLs, recycling, only using electricity when required and driving less. None of these are expensive, and on their own by one person, the impact is minimal, but if we all did the same, it would go a long way to saving the earth and allow future generations to sustain a healthy living.
I think it's good, especially the last sentence, but a declaration must inspire, not just promise. In the first sentence, I suggest emphasizing *which* qualities and values we are committing to. What comes to mind? Independence? That's not it - interdependence is the value we embrace with this document. I think the whole thing needs higher, stronger, and more unequivocally positive and declarative language if this declaration is to engage and unify the hearts and minds of the masses – AND our leaders!
I’ve respectfully tweaked each sentence for greater impact, and switched the last two pledge points around. Please use any or all of it that you feel serves the purpose
Thank you for asking for help! I loved this opportunity. Wonderful work. Keep moving forward. Please let me know if I can help further – I see a lot more good ideas to incorporate.
- Kristen Caven
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As we prepare to celebrate our nation's birthday, we engage our hearts with the highest ideals that have guided our nation for over 200 years.
Today, we recognize that love of country is shared by all citizens of the world, and that the highest expression of patriotism is a commitment to the welfare of the planet we all share.
Our children and our children's children, and the children of all countries, deserve our unified attention to the care and good stewardship of the Earth.
Therefore we, the undersigned, make this pledge:
• We recognize the crisis of global warming, and honor the opportunities for change that it brings. We will be relentless in finding solutions, and be guided by science rather than political loyalties. We must accept every challenge, no matter how difficult, in ensuring our survival.
• We will be active as citizens, and responsible as leaders. We will demand our elected officials work together to resolve this most pressing issue. We will require all candidates for office to commit to passing strong legislation to cut America's global warming pollution. We will focus on becoming global leaders, not followers, in the most important war of our generation.
• We will consume mindfully, minimizing our personal global warming “footprint" and weighing our personal choices against the needs and rights of future generations.
• We will speak this new patriotism to our children, our families, our friends, neighbors and loved ones, and to the media, and to all with whom we share this Earth, encouraging each individual to recognize how much one person’s choices matter.
This nation's founders risked everything to realize a new relationship between government and the governed. We act now to do whatever is necessary to realize a new relationship with the web of life that includes and sustains us.
What can I say but to echo what has already been stated. Each one of us must educate and encourage those we know and/or encounter to respect the planet by conserving energy, keeping the planet clean and by caring for humans, animals and plants that we have taken for granted. We no longer can afford to take anything for granted.
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While we're doing somewhat better on recycling, while taking recycling the last time, the owner of the recycling center told me that the twist-off covers are not being recycled.
To me, that's a waste, because those twist-off covers can either be reused or melted down and used again.
Let's recycle all we can, including the plastic tops and rings of plastic containers that we all use.
Also, all of the grocery, construction; as well as all other industries on Turtle Island (north "America") should also be held responsible for recycling. It's not fair for just us, all of the consumers, to be responsible for recyling. Let's request that Congress make recyling mandatory across-the-board for every and all industries on Turtle Island. That's fair to me, the burden of recycling should not be left only to us, the consumers.
Finally, I like to ask both houses of Congress to increase funding for recycling centers across Turtle Island. They're doing the majority of recycling; so Congress should give them financial incentives, so they can survive. After all, if we get Congress to give financial incentives to all recycling centers across our nation, they, in turn, help us and especially, the environment. That's a win-win situation, if you ask me.
As a direct result, I encourage everyone who reads this post to respond with one alternative to help our environment.
After all, what we do to hurt the environment, we're only doing to hurt ourselves, as well as our children, their children and future generations.
On the other hand, if all of us think of one thing to improve the environment, what improvements can we make? Think!
Mikanuk (Larry D. Adams)
In 1776 we declared our independence. During the interim period of over two centuries, we have expanded our borders, experienced enormous population growth, undergone huge economic expansion, enjoyed undreamed-of prosperity, participated in and survived cataclysmic wars, and served as a model for the rest of the world to emulate. We have developed a high level of technology unforseen by our founders, and we are under the illusion that we are "free" and must take our "democracy" to the rest of the world. We are now waking up to find that we have squandered our natural resources, poisoned the world with our overconsumption and are now wallowing in complacency, oblivious to the fact that it is not our government that is in control, but the largely U.S.-based global corporate monsters that were inadvertently spawned by the unfortunate 19th-century legistative mistake of granting legal "personhood" to corporations, not realizing that this would allow them to run amok and wreak havoc on our persons and on our planet, as they have done, in their relentless pursuit of the bottom line.
Runaway population growth is at the root of all our environmental problems. In an economy based upon expansion, we have no choice but to consume larger and larger amounts of our natural resources, ignoring that fact that we are poisoning the planet we live on and fowling the air that we breathe. We are directly or indirectly responsible for the extinction of many thousands of other species, and at this rate, half the species of life that have hitherto lived on this planet will be extinct by the end of this century.
In 1776 we won our independence. Now we have to develop the maturity and insight to recognise our interdependence. We have to learn to understand that our very survival depends upon our interaction with our fellow humans and all the other remaining species with which we share this planet. We are all in this together. A solution to our problems will take all the energy and effort we can muster, and time is of the essence.
How can we do any less for future generations then past generations have done for us?
We think about our children. People are already suffering from global warming now. We think it is bad. It is. But just imagine how it will be in the next ten years, twenty years, fifty years, one hundred years. Earth may become uninhabitable. If we want us, our children, our children's children, and all that come after us to live in a good, clean world, then we MUST act now and save future lives.
I would like to give an educators point of view on the subject. I believe when creating legislation we should include legislation that mandates classes to be taught in primary and secondary schools. Money should be allocated for education over the airwaves.
Remember nothing is more powerful than education.
Light rail within all American cities.
Heavy rail between all American cities.
Electrified trains using the old Milwaukee Road recharge/generation systems.
plant a tree, plant many flowers, make sure at least some are native, petition the government to replant hardwood forests
SIC SEMPER TYRANUS!
I suggest that the last words be changed from "with the web of life that includes and sustains us" to "with the interdependent web of existence that includes and sustains us". The reason for this is that we are just as dependent on non-living things (such as oil) as on living. We live in an interdependent web with everything on this planet (and off, acually), living and non-living. The word "existence" covers everything.
Robert says--
Get a life. You couldn't harm the planet if you tried. This is the biggest bunch of self-important don't know it alls I've ever encountered. The weather can't be accurately predicted for the next weekend, let alone 10, 20, 50 years from now. Why don't you get a real job and support a REAL crisis, Islamic terrorists who REALLY want to harm the environment, you, and anybody who doesn't submit to them. That's the fact, Jack.
We need to act NOW for the sake of our children, or they will pay a terrible price. It's time for us to stop confusing needs with wants and devouring everything in sight. I think we should also creat a website that lists what people have done to curb global warming, not only to encourage others but to share ideas. Together we can move mountains!
While those of the next few generations may be able to pass judgement on our actions on Global Climate Change, will generations beyond that even have the opportunity? This crisis bears the potential to end not only our societies, but also the very survival of our species. I have no doubt that life will make it through any changes that are coming, even the middle range projections indicate that many thousands of species will cease to exist. Any life that survives, will come back, will adapt to the new environment, and will eventually thrive. This is the nature of life and is well demonstrated by the history of mass extinctions on this planet.
I believe that the wording needs to be stronger and include the survival of our species as well as the judgement of future generations.
Jason M. Waldo
The health of the planet should be priority number one, because if there is no planet, there is no us. Global Warming trumps every other issue.
People need to buy more cars and trucks that save gas and switch to flussent lights that save eltric bills
"The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth", a well known quote by an American Indian, sums up the debate of Global Warming within the American Government. Who are we to deny and destroy the very habitat that gives us everthing we need as humans to survive? If we as humans have the capability and funding to construct rockets to explore our moon and solar system and stealth bombers, why can't we use this same intelligence to aid in environmental technology towards preservation and renewable energy? We all know the answer,money, and the special interest groups who will lose money if other measures are taken. Money will not matter once we have an inhabitable planet. Please, for the sake of all others who inhabit this amazing planet, do not let your personal agendas affect the lives of everyone else who respects the earth on which we live. Think about the children and what mess you are leaving them to clean up. The earth will cleanse herself as she has done in the past so why do people think we are immune to destruction? If the government wants people to acknowledge this truth it is about time they do and act appropriately as the representatives of this country and essentially the earth.
we must not use the Earth as a place to waste energy,because the future of our children lies in our hands.
Selfishness! Thats what it comes down to , if you can't change the way you live your daily life then your selfish. Everyone can do it, sure in todays world it just kills us to not listen to the radio, watch tv and be on the computer at the same time, but there was a time before all that. In that time the Earth was alot better off. I love living the simple life, and so would everyone else if they would just turn of their TV's and give it a try. Oh yeah and you dont have to worry about "keeping up the with Jone's"
uResponsible governments listen to their people, destructive and negligent governments should be ousted by their people. We, the new generation of the United States of America should set an example to the world and lead the path to preserving our environment, our planet and celebrating nature the way our Creator intended to. We cannot pursue liberty if our government shuns our pleas, we cannot pursue happiness if we have no liberty to express our concern for the environment, and thus we cannot pursue life if we do not have a planet to live in.
Ban plastic bags! Be compassionate. Sacrifice a little to keep the world healthy. Surely you have enough energy to walk a little bit over to that grocery store than to start up your Hummer and get there.
Everyone should be Demanding that all Cars need to be Solar Powered, or Plug in.
We all need to do our part, I'm glad I am doing something but I need to do more to help keep my Carbon footprint Smaller.
If there is any living creature on this planet that thinks their actions, individually or collectively, can alter the Earth's environment, they need a wheel barrow for their head(s). Glaciers come and go. It is the way of the universe and we have no control over those events.
The President needs to take care of making rules to prevent global warming from happening not just waiting until his cronies in the big oil companies make the decision.
Why wasn't he a human being who would stand up and take charge against the big corporations. Let them scramble instead of always having the consumer to the scrambling.
For a hundred years we've pumped CO2 into the atmosphere chasing a life of more energy consumption thinking we were making a better life. Now it's time to make a better life by stopping our exceleration of consumption. Burning fuel warmed the house and now we know it's also warming the entire planet. The more heat, the more energy, the more storms and the more violent weather. It's time to cool our heals and the ecosystems upon which we depend.
I suggest we motivate the fight against global warming by declaring, "No more ice cream if the polar ice melts!"
And here's a global warming Bumper sticker idea: "Mother Nature's Wrath level: PISSED!!
We have big ideas but they won't work unless we all act on it.....so..let's do it!
Patriotism divides people. We should not work for our country, but for the world and all that is good.
We tax labour not energy/resources.
Human ingenuity has invented devices to increase per capita productivity 100 times. Maybe 1000 times.
Net result: more machines, less jobs.
How about taxing energy?
Not an abrupt change. Next year reduce my income tax 1% and increase my consumption tax 1%.
Most spend most of what they earn
so it comes out the same in pocket.
Do the same the year after.
It will incentivize the reduction of energy use and the creation of jobs.
We need leaders and lots of nations behind us we need action and support, we dont want it to end up like the keoto proticol where USA and AUS still havent done anything. says Danielle
Energy independence and "green" energy are complementary concepts. Reliance on renewable energy sources, as well as major efforts in conservation, should be a cornerstone of both domestic and foreign policy.
We have the technology and know how to make a significant difference to the future of our planet, why then are we sitting on our hands? For the sake of all future generations we need to make a stand now, so that billions do not suffer a very uncertain and unstable future.
educate yourself both politically and financially. find reliable data. be persuasive and articulate with your subject matter. you must be able to debate with the opposition. support those that can. organize. mobilize. create solidarity. inspire. there IS a Green Party in this country. it might not be perfect, but it may be a starting place. maybe YOU can make it better. more credible. empower it financially. set the example. change your lifestyle. change your values. Look at the big picture. weigh all possibilities. It is not just Global Warming but numerous and interconnected destructive practices involving: politics, religion, economics, education, etc,etc, ad infinitum. most importantly, talk is cheap so get off your ass and ACT!
To me, All Life expressions are each unique threads in the most spectacular tapestry of life; when one thread is unraveled, the tapestry begins to come apart....
Big companies like Pfizer and others pharmaceutical are moved his chemical operations to non regulated contries like China. Congress need to create strong laws to avoid that politics and to incentivate that companies continues the manufacturing of products in the US with newest technologies to avoid and minimized contamination. Remember, China is part of the word. And the word is so small.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution.
We can contineu to live a life of consumption and throw away or we can start to reign in our old ways and make some changes to make a difference. Small things, small steps make big differences.
The solution is simple. The implementation will be challenging. Enough of the people living in this world will need to care enough about it to demand responsible leadership towards a better world for all living things. It is up to each of us as individuals to do everything we can to bring this condition about. It will not happen otherwise!
Every nation must meassure their wealth by how much Natural capitol it preserves,progress and technological advancements with the way we integrate and harmonize our development to our surroundings.
Make a contribution to make the world a better place even if it's only to become fertilizer.
Current proposed legislation S. 309 which mandates a 2% decrease in greenhouse gases per year (starting in 2010), culminating in an 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 is not going far enough.
We must MANDATE that all companies become carbon neutral (or better) within ONE YEAR or face heavy taxation. This would help offset our massive deficit, while reducing greenhouse gases aggressively.
Sorry, but my comments are mostly cynical.
Alas the 'qualities and values that have guided our nation' contain too much of greed, laziness, and indifference.
Patriotism cannot mean love of our country, it must mean love of our planet. Our planet is no longer big enough to sustain the bickering and petty rivalries of one country saying 'we are better' than another. This attitude brings nothing but hostility and eventually war.
"• Recognize that we live in a time of crisis. We must be active and forceful in bringing about the necessary changes -- based on science, not politics -- to stop global warming, no matter how difficult that may be."
...and with an urgency that recognizes that we are well-past the time that we have the luxury of taking half measures. It is decades past the time that even extreme measures can assure us of meaningful results.
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