Climate Disruption
Ralph Nader points out that the term climate change is a vast understatement and does not convey the gravity of what we are facing. He says climate disruption is more accurate. Study after study, report after report makes it clear that human activity is transforming our planet. With heat waves, droughts, wildfires, floods, melting ice sheets and rising sea levels, millions of people will be at risk. But the fossil-fuel industry with its insatiable hunger for profits continues its assault on the Earth. It has an ally in the president who claims to “have a natural instinct for science,” and asserts: “Any and all weather events are used by global warming hoaxsters to justify higher taxes.” Note that he asked for and obtained approval to build two sea barriers to protect his golf resort in Ireland from rising water.
Recorded at Powell’s Bookstore.
Speaker
Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail is an award-winning independent journalist who went to Iraq to report on the war and occupation. He is the author of Beyond the Green Zone, The Will to Resist and The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption. His articles appear in Truthout.
Walt Kloefkorn –
Heard on KYRS out of Spokane. Gut wrenching readings. The ocean as a heat sink hasn’t been talked about enough in ways that reach the mass audience, which is propagandized relentlessly by corporate-funded deniers. But as Dahr reported, there is far more disruption and destruction already “baked in” than the governmental bodies have admitted. The tears of a “salty” American for the loss of the Great Barrier Reef were very moving.
The idea that we are somehow separate from the “animals” going extinct and that there is something odd about grieving for them is sad. There is one web of life. It includes everything. We don’t even know all of what we are losing, we have no idea of all the connections. Changing our perception to understand that we are all linked is probably the greatest thing anyone can do to “reverse the drive toward extinction.” If that is even possible at this point.
Dana Franchitto –
Did I hear him right. He “accepts and grieves for animals “who are going extinct? That sounds like cheap “New Age” rhetoric. How about taking action to reverse the drive toward extinction?
Laura Ford –
Very sobering listen. It brings climate change into clear focus and close to home. I wish more information on climate change/disruption was this well organized and presented on more platforms.
Jan Predmore –
Good speaker! Clear and easy to follow narrative even though the topic is worrisome (at least) and frightening . I am spurred to more action to combat Earth’s environmental damage.
Roger Wilcox –
My ears perked up when the speaker claimed that methane pollution was 100x more potent than co2. I had previously thought that it was 30x and this was a shocker to me.
I did enjoy the opening statement about Ralph Nader saying that “climate change” is a misnomer… I agree totally that the term needs changing to awaken peeps to an extremely serious problem today.