Inauguration 2013: President Barack Obama:
“We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”
For full transcript, see LA Times: Inauguration 2013: President Obama's second inauguration speech
Image from CBS News video: Obama: “We will respond to the threat of climate change”
President Obama mentions the need for action to transition to sustainable energy. Further lines of action are discussed in the post President Obama, here's a climate plan!
We will have to make it so. The climate change deniers in Congress must be overwhelmed, especially by their own constituents. We will have the Presidents help.
ReplyDeleteThis is a glorious day, a victory for all of us that have fought so hard to get the message about climate change out to the masses. Our president is behind us now and lets hope we can address this speedily and aggressively. Thank you Mr. President for rising to the real challenge - the biggest threat - that faces humanity. We have hope....
ReplyDeleteThis is the first war where all life on earth is on the same side. We have to get behind AMEG and help them get the message out. Obamas speech is lacking in awareness that there is no room for self interest, individual, nationalistic or corporate in the current very dire situaton.
ReplyDeleteSulphur dioxide from dirty coal and oil has been masking 75% of the greenhouse affect of the increased co2 level for the past century, so if we could snap our fingers and fully ditch fossil fuels for renewables right this instant the effect would actually be catastrophic. The CO2 persists for centurys but the SO2 mask reflecting sunlight back into space is gone in months. So as we phase out fossil we are going to need to keep dumping lots of SO2 or other cloud seeding aerosol in the stratosphere with stratotankers to preserve the sunshade until such time as the CO2 is back down to pre-industrial levels.
We REALLY need to end the moratorium on ocean fertilisation immediately and start pulling down the CO2 to pre-industrial levels via mass photosynthetic algae mitigation. Increased CO2 and irrigation of arid zones has reduced windblown nutrients and the phytoplankton at the bottom of the ocean foodchain have declined by 16-50% in the worlds oceans over the last 100 years, damaging the biggest drawdown mechanism for Atmos CO2 on earth. 1 ton of iron fertiliser sinks up to 10 million tons of CO2 to biomass and the ocean floor, studies have shown.
Some of the resulting blooms could be harvested and processed by existing oil tankers and refinery infrastructure with little modification as "green crude" to replace our transport fuels with bio-diesel,ethanol, and our petrochemicals with bio alternatives for plastics etc.
And added bonus- big expansion of the entire marine foodchain in those areas to help feed the planet.
I'm advocating worldwide legislation forcing all fossil fuel company profit to be used for a mix of urgent Arctic seaice/ global sunlight burden remediation, and building of infrastructure for biofuel and other renewables changeover.
Making it only possible for them to profit only from renewables rather than fossils will guarentee fast action with stopping all further fossil exploration/development and transfer to renewables.
Additionally without the benefit of more profit from higher fuel costs, food and fuel prices will be much lower.
Fat Fossil executives salarys should be capped at minimum wage with opportunity for bonuses only if renewables targets are reached.
Enlist in the war to save all life on earth! Get on the forums, email media and politicians, spread the word far and wide!
Make Obama put his money where his mouth is!
I'm a world champion, internationally known and acclaimed design engineer whose work has a commercial value of many millions, but I've put my career on the shelf to work full time on the climate issue without pay because stopping the ending of all life on earth is the ONLY issue worth thinking about right now .
I know crisis is centered at above 85 Latitude to some but -Bravo to our President for speaking up for all of us and for keeping Earth alive.. It took more than a moment for what he said to sink in; We the People wasn't simply a cliche being tossed out there like a flag wave for political gain- It was spoken with heart and good intention to let people realize we all stand to gain together with Earth alive and that it's limitless in potential..
ReplyDeleteSometimes its easy to forget that our country is not the center of the world..
There are people struggling with abuse of their Constitution of their homeland in places few think about here in the United States like on island of Borneo..
http://sarawaknews.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/how-do-you-know-if-taib-owns-this-great-wealth/#comment-2052
But the influence of money on world politic is huge and the need to protect the earth knows no limits as well. Connecting the dots and keeping peace can allow the advice of our forefathers not becoming but described by whisper of sand on a planet at high temperature without life there to sustain life's symbiotic relationship with Earth alive; -held at about reasonable habitat for the increase of beauty in the Universe and for thoughts of kindness too..
*Next* year?
ReplyDelete