•••CLIMATE CRISIS IS HERE - Gulf leak, crop fail in Russia, N. hemisphere, rocketing food prices•••

[breadandwine]

Drought is hitting Russia and they have stopped exporting grain, rocketing food prices worldwide. Floods and droughts across the Northern Hemisphere are wrecking crops.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/06/world/europe/06russia.html?_r=2&hp

And the Gulf oil leak has dramatized the folly of drill baby drill.

But to watch the US midterm elections you would never know.

We are quiet as mice while the climate crisis rages and quibbling over all sorts of minor issues.

In any normal universe Democrats would be roaring to victory under these circumstances. Instead, we are hiding under the desk afraid of our own shadows because we are afraid to make climate crisis the big issue up front and center.

[grantcart]

1. Thailand is also going through a historic drought

Climate change has already arrived

[Turborama]

5. For the 1st time Indonesia's wet and dry seasons have completely reversed over the past 12 months

Things are dramatically and rapidly changing on the equator...

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Reversed? That is a terrifying thought.

[YOY]

2. Gonna get bad. Maybe not here and right away but bad.

We need a pandemic. Sick of me to think this way...but true.

[FedUpWithIt All]

7. A pandemic to kill most of us so that the global climate changes don't kill most of us?

Why the pandemic? You used the word "need". Why on earth would we "need" a pandemic? Because you live in a rich nation which might ensure your own pandemic survival? Because your way of life can go on if others would simply die and consume less resources? Unlikely that it would matter that dozens, of the worlds poorest, would have to die to accommodate the lifestyle of a single American.

A great die off will happen one way or another. I probably deserve the painful death of a runaway climate disaster more than those who would likely suffer for it. I have used up more of the planet's resources than dozens of the people who suffer the most when changes occur. I have lived comfortably, fed my children well and enjoyed countless conveniences. Why should i wish the loss of those who have endured a life without? I participated in soiling the bed, i desperately do not wish to make others lie in it.

[YOY]

9. You assume I would excude myself as a possible casualty.

Now please stop the social lesson in how "high and mighty" I supposedly consider myself and the place I live in.

There are too many people.

There are too little resources.

Population control isn't happening.

Resource usage control isn't happening.

Diseases and violence fester in conditions such as these.

This will only end in one of two ways: Mother nature or ourselves.

When we do it it's called Eugenics. That's not really good. When mother nature does it it's called natural selection.

Money won't save anyone.

Isolation would.

Can't do that myself.

Hard to imagine hill dwelling militiamen and taliban members rebuilding society.

[breadandwine]

10. In Jewish tradition there is a concept, "Lechatcheela" and "bid-ee-evid"

"Lechatcheela" (the CH is pronounced like a throaty H) means a-priori or "before the fact."

"bid-ee-evid" means a-posteriori or "after the fact."

In Jewish law there are many cases where at the outset one should avoid certain things or avoid doing certain things. But if, regrettably, one did, then "bidievid," after the fact, there are certain things that should be done and even in some cases a silver lining, perhaps a small one.


Firstly, let me say that what I am saying here in the OP is basically that the pandemic of sorts is already here. How much more do we need to wake us up when there is a food crisis and there have already been food riots around the world?

Secondly, I don't think we should wish for a pandemic. Lechatcheela, before the fact, we should do everything we can to avoid it.

That said, it is clear that things are really starting to go haywire in a big way. I have always felt that in politics the claim that "one picture is worth a thousand words" requires a footnote. That footnote is that in politics the picture still needs a caption. Unless you scream what all these terrible events really MEAN, the average Neanderthal just doesn't get it.

Since our party refuses to do this and preoccupies itself with me-tooing the Republicans and blathering on about the need to cut the deficit, blah blah, we are in trouble.


This is a party that, in the midst of POLITICAL plenty is starving to death -- politically.

[YOY]

12. In the logical tradition there is a word called "inevitability"

It or global warfare is inevitable as population control is not.

[breadandwine]

13. You are saying global warming is inevitable?

I think it could be stopped if we have leadership that is visionary enough and enough scientists working on it.

Provided we stop doing the wrong things.

[YOY]

16. No. I am saying our destruction is inevitable.

Save the odd chance we get off planet. Fire or ice. By our own hand or via mother nature. We will go away. I prefer by naural means.

[kestrel91316]

3. I'm afraid it's too late to make it a big issue. The tipping point has been passed,

while we were busy shopping and wasting.

[breadandwine]

11. I have always felt that things were more extreme at both ends.

Problems in the world are worse than most people realize.

But I think also the potential for humanity to triumph over them is also greater than we imagine.


But my real point in the OP is that Democrats are not making POLITICAL use of the crisis and are largely ignoring it.

And that is still true.

[kestrel91316]

20. True. We could be using this to DESTROY the right, and yet we don't.

Because that would be mean, and we can't have that.:sarcasm:

[guardian]

23. Yep. Don't even bother.

The tipping point is past. DOOM is inevitable.

[northernlights]

27. yup. it's probably runaway by now...

we still can and should, as individuals, do what we are able. But too many tipping points are past. One those Siberian permafrost peat bogs start to release a lot of methane, we're really going to cook. :(

[guardian]

28. What's the point?

"we still can and should, as individuals, do what we are able"
Why? As you say "too many tipping points are past". The only thing left to do is prepare for the inevitable.

[northernlights]

29. in case we're wrong

also, preparing for the inevitable doesn't preclude doing what we can individually to forestall...

[SpiralHawk]

4. Commodity speculators (R) are continuing to drive food prices up, up, up...

...and we are likely to see that trend continue, as their core Republicon Family Value is greed, greed, greed...

[hobbit709]

6. Exactly. Just like the rice prices a couple of years ago.

[RandomThoughts]

14. I figure crank up the thermostat.

I have noticed some subtle changes in temperature in the past so I don't think it is impossible.

You have to look at it logically.

Would it in any way mean having less then no beer?

See my point, why would it matter?


You could make the argument about society having hardship, and how many people in society need certain things like food and a livable environment.

But when making arguments based on the good of society, it seemed like most people just ignored those ideas, or maybe some kept them from hearing or understanding those ideas, so without those reasons, is there an argument not to crank it up?


Although such a thought is just hypothetical, since really it is just a news story or a post on a web forum.

But this is a good song anyways :)

Crank It Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnSbpPXlmvo


AC/DC Thunderstruck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvoeeq-BH4w

[breadandwine]

15. Russia fires pose NUCLEAR threat -- this is now a national security-related issue.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4493826


And still Democrats treat this as if it were some F*CKING ALIEN EXPERIENCE.


The heat in Russia is making radioactive particles near Chernobyl airborne.


Woopie ding dong.


But the dang blasted ferners is comin over the boda gotta git ma shotgun woomp me some possum live out in the woods to git off the carmunist grid, you stinkin libruls.

[breadandwine]

17. Not actually a military issue, but still something that should grab people.

Yet our side is busy with other things.


Global warming isn't boring enough for some Democratic politicians to mention.

[Uncle Joe]

18. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, breadandwine.

[Swede]

19. The 2nd largest exporter,Canada,is predicting poor wheat harvest for 2010

I think there may be a big shortage.

http://www.newstalk650.com/story/20100730/37932

[Lorien]

21. When DUers are asked to list their top 5-10 issues, the environment rarely makes

an appearance. If we can't convince people HERE that having food to eat, water to drink, and air to breathe is important, then what chance do we have with the rest of America? for some insane reason many here don't see having a planet to call home an "urgent issue" like the economy, jobs, health care, civil rights, war, etc. Wanna see a LOT more war? Then allow the climate crisis to worsen (making food scarce). Want to see more sickness and disease? Then allow the climate crisis to worsen. Fewer jobs due to a worsening economy? Same deal. While I strongly support gay marriage I'd like to see other advocates multi-task and fight for species survival as well. We can't afford to continue to ignore the two trillion ton elephant in the room.

[breadandwine]

22. Planet earth weighs 6 sextillion metric tons ---

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2002/SamanthaDong2.shtml


So that's a 6 sextillion ton elephant in the living room.


But look it.


Planets are a dime a dozen.


Like, suppose the Gulf oil leak couldn't be stopped and the oil spread out to other oceans. If that happened, and there was some real concern it could, most of the earth's oxygen comes from plants in the SEA. So, like, if the planet ran out of oxygen, we'll worry about it THEN.


LIKe, we'll drive off THAT bridge when we COME to it.


Municipal FISCAL spending is OBVIOUSLY a MUCH more important problem.

[breadandwine]

24. Covering the earth with house paint and chemicals will make the economy go up!

[Turborama]

25. 100% agree

"If we can't convince people HERE that having food to eat, water to drink, and air to breathe is important, then what chance do we have with the rest of America?"

The longevity of our habitat should be everyone's top priority. Everything else would pale into insignificance if we lost it.

I'm bookmarking this thread and am going to give it the occasional kick with related news to help keep it live.

[WinkyDink]

26. Millions of dead fish, dolphins, and alligators in frozen Bolivian waters:

http://www.boliviabella.com/1-million-fish-dead-in-bolivian-ecological-disaster.html

The extreme cold front that hit Bolivia in mid-July caused water temperatures to dip below the minimum temperatures river life can tolerate. As a consequence, rivers, lakes, lagoons and fisheries are brimming with decomposing fish and other creatures.

Unprecedented: Nothing like this has ever been seen in this magnitude in Bolivia.

[breadandwine]

30. More flooding in Europe -----

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4496322


Also caused by global warming.