Documentary coming out on climate change evidence

This is a new documentary that just came out of the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Apparently the man who shot it was formerly a global warming skeptic. What he saw and filmed changed his opinion on it completely.



You might watch for it. When it comes, it will likely be at the Tivoli Theater in Westport.

China and their extremely shrewd move yesterday in Cancun

Wow, if this were poker, China just played some magnificent cards in the "Cancun Climate-Change" game.  Holy cow.

They're either playing a magnificent bluff they don't mean or they're really ready to get serious on climate change and carbon emission reduction.  Either way, they're playing a great hand and they're winning at this game, if even only in the outward, public eye.

We--the US--should play cards this well.

This is what they did yesterday:

China shook up the stalled Cancun climate talks on Monday by offering to submit to a binding UN resolution on carbon emissions. It could be a breakthrough moment in the drive to limit global warming and climate change.

The US had said, up to this point, that they--we--wouldn’t budge until China agreed to external verification that they were meeting their obligations--something I assume our government figured was never going to happen.

Well, it just did. 

China said they'd accept internal verifications.

But at the same time, China said they'd move on this if we--again, the US--would take the lead.

So now the ball is in our court.

And do you think there's any chance the Right-wing, the "Conservatives" ('Conservative", as in "conservation", from the root word, "conserve"--that's rich) and the Republicans--those supporters of all thing polluting and corporate--are going to allow any "cap and trade" program to reduce carbon emissions and pollution?

Not a chance.

I tell you, the Chinese just did themselves a huge favor here.  They come out looking like the good guys on this whole issue.  They come out WAY ahead on this.

And the US looks like the polluting, carbon-emitting, stalling chumps, left with all the bad cards.

Suckers.

Links:  http://redgreenandblue.org/2010/12/07/china-makes-game-changing-carbon-offer-at-cancun-climate-talks/

Remember when the US led the world?

I'm not that old--unless you're 18 or younger--and I certainly remember when the US led the world in all that was moral and right and good. A lot of things, anyway.

So now this, today:

"111 nations adopt cluster bomb treaty, but not U.S."

(The link to the story is here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_cluster_bombs)

Yeah, we USED to be moral. We used to do the right things. No longer. Not right now, anyway.

The United States lead the world in reducing pollution? Sure. In the 1960's and 70's. Not now. We famously/infamously bailed on the Kyoto Protocol, with this administration. We have to protect corporations, instead. Clean air? Clean water? Clean earth? Maybe. If it absolutely doesn't interfere with corporate profits.

The United States also famously/infamously jumped ship on what seemed to be a good idea to eliminate land mines in the world. You'd think we'd want to, since they kill and maim civilians--including children--particularly after the wars are over, right?

But no, that would hurt business.

Seriously.

That's the one, big, glaring reason we don't do "the right thing" anymore, nationally and internationally, on a range of different topics: we don't want to curb business--actual or prospective, of any kind.

All we can do right now is contact our legislators for change. That and vote and hope that the "next leadership" for the country and our own locales are more moral and right and good than they are now.

The way we used to be.