In 1543, Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus published “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres,” in which he challenged the view that the sun revolved around the earth, arguing instead that the earth revolved around the sun. With his new model of the solar system, he began a wide-ranging debate among scientists, theologians, and others. His alternative to the earlier Ptolemaic model, which had the earth at the center of the universe, led to a revolution in thinking, to a new worldview.
Today we need a similar shift in our worldview, in how we think about the relationship between the earth and the economy. The issue now is not which celestial sphere revolves around the other but whether the environment is part of the economy or the economy is part of the environment. Economists see the environment as a subset of the economy. Ecologists, on the other hand, see the economy as a subset of the environment.
A Summary of Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Cililization.
by Lester R. Brown
photos by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
The production of this presentation is to provide a brief but engaging summary of the book’s key concepts. By helping interested parties spread the Plan B vision, we hope to encourage social and political involvement in critical environmental issues--for example, banning new coal-fired power plants or implementing an economy-wide carbon tax to help stabilize climate.
Please review this presentation and discuss with your Family and Friends!
When Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank, released his ground-breaking study in late 2006 on the future costs of climate change, he talked about a massive market failure. He was referring to the failure of the market to incorporate the climate change costs of burning fossil fuels. The costs, he said, would be measured in the trillions of dollars. The difference between the market prices for fossil fuels and the prices that also incorporate their environmental costs to society are huge.
The roots of our current dilemma lie in the enormous growth of the human enterprise over the last century. Since 1900, the world economy has expanded 20-fold and world population has increased fourfold. Although there were places in 1900 where local demand exceeded the capacity of natural systems, this was not a global issue. There was some deforestation, but overpumping of water was virtually unheard of, overfishing was rare, and carbon emissions were so low that there was no serious effect on climate. The indirect costs of these early excesses were negligible.
The ill-conceived BC Energy Plan presently being implemented by the Campbell government outlaws BC Hydro from producing any more power in the future. Instead BC Hydro must now purchase it from private power producers who are essentially being given rights by the government to all our watersheds here in BC.
The idea is being sold to the public as “run of the river” or “green” energy. Although some projects do fall within those parameters, in truth most of these projects are large industrial endeavors that create environmental devastation involving dams, diversion tunnels, clear-cutting and road building through old growth forest for new transmission lines. Large corporations are looking at projected profits of one million plus per year. The people of British Columbia stand to gain nothing from this giveaway of our public resources. What we get out of it is a trashed environment and increased hydro rates.
Currently there are licenses on over 600 rivers and streams in BC, with the potential for 6000 licenses over the next decade. So long Supernatural British Columbia!
The project proposed for Glacier and Howser Creeks just north of Kootenay Lake by Axor Corporation of Montreal is the largest and most destructive to date here in BC. They plan to divert the water from both creeks and three smaller tributaries into two tunnels 4.5 meters in diameter totalling 16 kms. in length. (producing 300,000 cubic meters of rock-muck sledge). “Run of the River” implies the water is returned to the creek beds to proliferate the ecosystem it supports. (i.e. spawning Bull Trout etc). Not so! These diversion points are 10 and 12 kilometers upstream from the mouths of these pristine creeks. The water is never returned to the creek beds. It travels through the tunnels to a powerhouse on Duncan Lake reservoir where it is then dumped into the lake.
With a proposed diversion of 90% of mean stream flow to feed the turbines, there will be virtually little or no creek left existing downstream from the diversion points.
Another consideration is that Glacier Creek forestry road is access to the beautiful backcountry of Monica Meadows, Jumbo Pass, and Starbird Glacier which many of us enjoy. The possibility exists that this road will be gated by Axor. They so no (of course), but similar completed projects in BC are gated with backing by government legislation….so you decide for yourself whether to believe them on this one.
Axor is saying this will create jobs. Yes, perhaps a few in the construction phase for loggers to clear the site and cut transmission corridors for power lines. Most of the labour will be contract or union out of Alberta. Yes, that’s Albertans helping to trash our environment and taking the money back home with them. When completed, this fully automated structure will permanently employ only 1-2 people, as does the similar completed Ashlu River project on the coast. It’s a very high price for pay for loss of our incredible natural environment here in the beautiful Kootenays…for just a few short term jobs.
Hope you enjoy the video. Better yet I hope it moves you to speak and work together to stop this travesty by a government backed corporation planning to destroy our backyard.
If desired, 8x10 prints are available of any images in the video. Contact me for details
Last Updated on Monday, 16 February 2009 12:13
RISING SEAS AND POWERFUL STORMS THREATEN GLOBAL SECURITY
Written by Janet Larsen
Thursday, 09 October 2008 21:08
Standing before the United Nations General Assembly in October 1987, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, made an appeal representing “an endangered nation.” That year for the first time, “unusual high waves” in the Indian Ocean inundated a quarter of the urban area on the capital island of Male’, flooded farms, and washed away reclaimed land. Gayoom cited scientific evidence that human activities were releasing greenhouse gases that warm the planet, ultimately raising global sea level as glaciers melt and warmer water expands. The trouble extended beyond small islands; studies showed that rising seas would wreak havoc on the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Netherlands, and the river deltas of Egypt and Bangladesh.
Fast-forward through two decades of swelling seas and more powerful storms and the call has moved from the need to study global warming to the necessity of dramatic action to stabilize climate. With small island nations in peril, these days President Gayoom evokes the vision of a United Nations where “name plates are gone; seats are empty.” He does not speak alone: this fall, some 50 countries, including a number of small island nations along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the European Union, are planning to put a resolution before the U.N. General Assembly requesting that the U.N. Security Council address “the threat posed by climate change to international peace and security.” As Ambassador Stuart Beck of Palau has asked, “Would any nation facing an invading army not do the same?”
