Geoengineering, cooling the earth

How to Cool Earth - At a Price/Scientific American

So if we can't do anything about the Sun, we can work to cool the Earth. And that's what geoengineering is about - deliberate actions taken to slow or reverse global warming. So far, very little research has gone into geoengineering or its possible side effects. Among the proposals are, injecting several million tonnes of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, spraying seawater into the air from wind-powered vessels, and building a sunscreen in space. But someday, if this giant sunshade were to fail, the accumulated CO2 will warm the Earth in one swoop. So till the research throws up something more conclusive, keep track of your carbon footprints and stay green.  more 

Holistic Economics for the 21st Century: ecology and equity

Holistic Economics for the 21st Century

First published in 2008
by Schumacher College as an initiative of The Dartington Hall Trust

Contents
Introduction by Satish Kumar 7
1 What's the Problem? 9
2 The Money Renaissance 18
3 The Energy Renaissance 27
4 The Food Renaissance 32
5 Where do we go from here 40

Introduction
by Satish Kumar
There is a big problem with the economy, namely that it is
disconnected from both ecology and equity. In the past hundred years
the economy has grown twenty-fold, yet during the same period the
ecological capital of the Earth and the livelihoods of hundreds of
millions of people have been in constant decline.

In spite of the many efforts and good intentions of governments, UN
agencies and NGOs, the Earth's natural resources have continued to be
pillaged. Economic growth has been matched only by the growth of the
gap between rich and poor. Moreover, nobody seems to know how to
address this fundamental fault line in the economy.

In the light of this predicament, in November 2007 Schumacher
College organised a think tank bringing together a group of holistic
economists who share a vision of a new economic order which can
simultaneously bring about ecological sustainability and human
wellbeing. The group spent three days at the College exploring
practical ways and means of economic transformation and developing a
cohesive framework for a new economic order based on the principles
of equity, sustainability and spirituality. They addressed the
following questions:

What are the key components of an economic system which would
successfully achieve poverty elimination, climate sustainability and
human fulfilment?
How can we bring about systemic change to address the root causes of
the present economic crisis rather than treat the symptoms?
What kind of economy do we need to protect ecosystems and people's
livelihoods at the same time?

After three days of extensive discussions and deliberations we agreed
that an economic "renaissance" is needed to meet the enormous
challenges of sustainability, equity and climate change. In
particular, we need to redesign our food systems, energy systems and
money systems in order to create a new economic order. Food, energy
and money are the three fundamental components which need root and
branch reform. Colin Tudge, who participated in the discourse
throughout, was given the task of summarising the essential spirit
and pertinent points of the discussions held. This small book is the
result. Colin has been able to capture the intricate arguments of the
participants in a most admirable and impressive way. There is a
wonderful combination of idealism and pragmatism in this book. I hope
that economists, environmentalists, politicians and business leaders
will find here a direction which has wisdom and vision as well as
enough material for practical action. At the end of the three days we
agreed to establish two working groups:
one called Polestars and the other Flashpoints. The responsibility of
the Polestars is to develop the big picture and create a new vision,
new analysis and new theories of holistic economics on a long-term
basis; whereas Flashpoints will focus on action and implementation,
responding to the day-to-day events impacting on ecology and
equity.

It was agreed that the second think tank will take place in November
2008. Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere thanks
to Cherian Eapen for his generous support, financial contribution and
participation in the discourse. Without his sponsorship this
gathering would not have been possible.

Also, I would like to thank James Martin-Jones who facilitated the
think tank in a most efficient and coherent manner. Without his
diligent and focused facilitation we would not have been able to
achieve such a remarkable outcome. source 

China and India exceed their biocapacity

State of the World’s Cities Report 2008/9 of UN-HABITAT: Harmonious Cities



The report puts the current ecological footprint of humanity as 2.2 hectares per person, while the earth’s biocapacity remains at 1.8 ha. China and India have ecological footprints that are twice their biocapacity. In other words, what the population consumes in a year, their area of earth will take two years to produce. Other challenges facing cities are mobility, waste management and environment. The report says a number of cities in Asia have a high rate of car ownership. In this context, it cites the World Health Organisation’s estimates that more than a billion people in Asia are exposed to air pollution levels that exceed its guidelines. more 

Climate change 'happening faster' than predicted

Yahoo News

Mon, Oct 20 12:47 PM

Climate change is occurring far faster than the predictions of the world's best scientists, a new report has warned.

According to the report, "extreme weather events" will happen more frequently unless action is taken on a global scale to combat global warming, leading British newspaper 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

The report from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has also predicted massive crops failures and the collapse of eco-systems on both land and sea.

The agency has clearly pointed out that global warming could result in rapid and abrupt climate change rather than the gradual changes forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The report, titled 'Climate Change: Faster, stronger, sooner', WWF claims, has updated all the scientific data and concluded that global warming is accelerating far beyond the IPCC's forecasts.  more 

The National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA): A Case of hoodwinking people

Take out those earplugs, pleaseKumKum Dasgupta, Hindustan Times that was set up through a Parliamentary Statute in 1997 on the suggestions of the Supreme Court. Its mandate: hear the grievances of affected people impacted by approvals to industries, dams and mines etc by the Ministry of Enviro-nment and Forests (MoEF). The simple rationale behind its formation: reduce the burden on the country’s legal process and ensure that environmental matters are decided by a panel of judicial, administrative and scientific experts. In other words, a one-stop shop for putting up your case.

But trying to find details about the body, or procedures for filing a case or, the simplest of all, where it is housed in Delhi, is a waste of time. The NEAA has no internet presence and is housed somewhere in Bhikaji Cama Place, a commercial complex in the Capital. With this kind of mystery shrouding such a premier body, you can be forgiven for feeling that this is a deliberate ploy by the ministry to keep it out of reach of the complainants.

There are other reasons for people to question the NEAA’s existence: in its 11 years of existence, it has dismissed every single case which was filed before it, except one. In fact, 11 years on, the NEAA is yet to become ‘fully functional’. It does not have a Chairman since Justice N. Venkatachala retired in 2000 and has had no Vice-Chairman since the last three years. At present, the ‘technical experts’ panel comprises retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) and IAS officers, not members with a scientific and technical background. In 2005, the Delhi High Court directed the MoEF to fill the two top posts within 45 days. Today, three years after the ruling, they are still lying vacant. The reason given is that the MoEF officials “could not locate the phone number of retired judges”. On August 6, 2008, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court directed the MoEF to produce records and files relating to the appointment of its Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

According to lawyers appearing before the NEAA, the functioning of the body has been handicapped because there are no judicial members and technical experts in it. According to an activist, this body has become a ‘parking lot’ for retired babus. There is also the case of a conflict of interest here: the MoEF appoints the NEAA members and also makes all the budgetary allocations. Therefore, it is unlikely that the MoEF will appoint people who will overrule its decisions.

Considering that the fight for resources looks set to escalate, is it prudent to leave matters as they are?

Even if you manage to locate the panel and file your case, chances are the babu will throw the rulebook at you and delay proceedings. Ironically, the NEAA was envisaged as a forum to provide a simplified and liberal procedure. Appeals are routinely dismissed on the ground that the appellants could not file an appeal within 30 days from the approval granted by the MoEF, despite an outer limit of 90 days. “For a grassroots worker in some faraway town, it is not always easy to file within 30 days. For example, if you are in the hilly areas, to get even one signature from an affected party, you need to walk miles. And, yet when you knock at the NEAA doors, after spending considerable time and money, there are procedural hassles,” says Vimal Bhai, a grassroots worker. “This deters villagers from filing cases”.

He narrates an incident when one of the present NEAA officers deliberated for more than three hours on the usage of two words in a case: ‘access’ and ‘provide’. “Non-issues are made issues. All we demand is a fair hearing but they don't seem to see the problems that often crop up due to faulty public hearings and Environment Impact Assessment studies,” he adds.

Transparency and grievance redressal are key to a democracy. But unfortunately, the more doors we open, an equal number get shut elsewhere. read it all 

Eco Spirituality

Eco Spirituality by Charles Cummings

Green Theology

Beat greenhouse effect with greenhouses

How to solve greenhouse effect? Build greenhouses

Thu, Oct 9 07:01 PM

By Juan Arias

EL EJIDO, Spain (Reuters Life!) - The greenhouse effect may be heating the planet but a new study says Europe's driest spot, Almeria, Spain, is actually cooling ... thanks to greenhouses.

A group of researchers at the University of Almeria found that the southern Spanish province had so many commercial greenhouses, seen from space as a white swathe across the arid province, that they reflected solar energy back into space.

Seventy percent of the province's coastal strip -- 30,000 hectares (74,130 acres) -- is covered in transparent plastic sheeting used to grow thousands of tonnes of fruit and vegetables for export. more 

Climate change could force millions from homes

Enlarge Photo Giant tabular icebergs surrounded by ice floe drift in Vincennes Bay in the Australian Antarctic...

Thu, Oct 9 07:50 AM

BARCELONA, Spain (Reuters) - Environmental damage such as desertification or flooding caused by climate change could force millions of peoples from their homes in the next few decades, experts said on Wednesday.

"All indicators show we are dealing with a major emerging global problem," said Janos Bogardi, director of the U.N. University's Institute on the Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany.

"Experts estimate that by 2050 some 200 million people will be displaced by environmental problems, a number of people roughly equal to ...  read more