pollution

In this 1973 video, the Club of Rome envision a world with far less need to work long hours and with a benign system of international cooperation. I think that they would be horrified if they could see what has actually happened, and the role that the IMF has taken. I think the Club of Rome got the material settings right, though.

Almost half of Australia's terrestrial ecosystems are threatened, 85 per cent of its rivers have been modified and twice as many Australians die from air pollution annually than road accidents, according to a report on the state of the country's environment.

42 environmental growth have cooperated to bring us this damning report, and hopefully will be a wake-up call that we are living beyond our means, and must change.

Expansion at Abbot Point coal terminal can proceed following the Environment Minister's approval of the dredging project. There are some "strict" conditions on when and how much can be dredged. There is "protection" for flora and fauna.

On the ABC News radio this morning (9 Sept 2012) we heard that private coal companies are demanding compensation for carbon trading costs from the Victorian Government and apparently this is being taken seriously!

Whereas most recycling (apart from composting and metals) is pretty energy-costly and pollution-generating and not worth doing, recycling of drink containers that can actually be reused - notably glass containers - would substantially reduce litter and plastic pollution. Complementary to such a scheme should be discouragement of throw-away plastic containers. There is so much we can still do to reduce our energy-footprints, as well as reducing population growth.

Unless there's economic growth, we're not making progress
Unless the trucks rumble along the roads, we're not making progress
Unless the engines of industry are turning, we're not making progress
Unless the factories and mills belch out smoke, we're not making progress
Unless our armies are on the move, we're not making progress

Until we respect the planet, we won't progress.

Huge floating patches of unrecycled pelagic plastic in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are yet more damning evidence of the damage that is being done to our planet by the rapid expansion of industrialisation across the globe. This is being done to suit the greed of humankind's elites. The harm that is being done to our ecological life-support systems, including the inexplicable disappearance of bee colonies that once thrived across the northern parts of the American and European continents could hardly be explained away as a coincidence.

Article originated as a comment. See also related comment Sea Turtles are in the dumps.

Blaming human overpopulation for the earth's ills does not come easy to humans, especially to those self-righteously but religiously conditioned to traditional procreation; far more palatable to blame some external force for human damage - easier to blame 'climate change'.

In 2003 I had a nightmare in which I saw an evil entity killing everything in the ocean. His intent was to destroy all life there. I awoke and sat bolt upright, covered in sweat, palpitating, shaking. Seven years later this premonition is coming true. The Gulf oil spill could be the most serious threat to our planet's survival right now! If our oceans die we are finished....

Chinese government owned China Metallurgical Construction (MCC) corporation's efforts to establish the massively destructive Ramu Nickel mine in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea -- the largest investment in metal exploration and mining by the Chinese outside of China -- is in serious jeopardy. Local landowners are successfully initiating court cases and protests to demand mine tailings not be dumped into the sea -- poisoning fish stocks and causing extreme ecological destruction -- or the mine be stopped.

Article originally published as "Resistance Growing to Ecologically Devastating Chinese Mining Invasion of Madang, Papua New Guinea" on rainforestportal.org o 1 Apr 10. What you can do: e-mail China Metallurgical Construction Corporation to let them know of your objection to their invasion of Madang.

We do need an Animal Justice Party NOW! Our kangaroos are dying of fluoride poisoning apparently from dust levels from a brick factory at Craigieburn and the Alcoa aluminium smelting plant near Portland. DSE was informed of the problem in 2008 and the EPA was told in 2005, but signs of fluoride-related symptoms in kangaroos were noted as early as 2001. DSE's wildlife statistics are unreliable and the EPA is known as a toothless tiger, but how many of us would have thought there was enough fluoride dust out there to kill herds of kangaroos? And where does that put humans, especially children?

One of the most important principles internationally when referring to greenhouse gas reduction schemes it that the polluter pays. This means that national targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions should be based on the historical contribution of each nation to global emissions. It is obvious that Australia's population growth policies have a enormous impact on our greenhouse gas emissions.

(photo Wikipedia commons)
Thousands of litres of oil, gas and condensate has been leaking into the sea since August 21 from a wellhead near PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas oil rig, 250km from shore. A private environmental consultant's report commissioned by the WWF has found 15 species of whales and dolphins, 30 seabird species and five turtle species could be affected by the oil slick.

Does anyone else think that the 'F' word is actually a destructive word that has the power to increase negativity on the planet by affecting our consciousness? This article expresses why I think that mindfully choosing the words we use can help change human consciousness away from disrespect and violence towards patience, kindness and love, in spite of the chaos around us in a world that is going mad....

Greens: "Which agency is pursuing the dredging company and the Port of Melbourne for polluting Port Phillip Bay?"

Why is Australia helping to plunder Peru? The indigenous people in Peru are being dispossessed of their land by a corrupt government, and the mining companies with their "free trade" agreements are being supported by President Garcia!

See also: Peruvian forest laws overturned of 29 Aug 08 by Rick Kearns in Indian Country Today, Seizing Native land in Peru, one parcel at a time Peru of 4 Jul 08 by Rick Kearns in Indian Country Today