New Grammar of Life Roundup consists of relevant papers, articles from various sources which try to highlight the accelerating telescoping of change based upon events impacting the environment & society which are increasingly surfacing all over the globe. These disturbing trends only reinforce the view that its now or never for us to implement radical NGL solutions which may help in decelerating and finally regress the rate of change of degradation of the environment and climate change and humanity. These disturbing events are selected randomly from web news relating to climate, environment, society, individuals, economies, finance and commercial organisations. The primary objective is to raise the level of awareness about the rapidly changing scenario in order to create interest in people so that a movement starts which would lead to implementation of solutions which can dampen the rate of change towards any untoward irreversible tragedy impacting mother earth and humanity as we know it. 24 nov 14 November 22, 2014, 01:00 pm
Federal action needed to tame airlines' high-flying climate pollution
Some 24 million Americans will cram into airplanes for Thanksgiving travel this year. They’ll face flight delays, bag fees and hassles with reclining seats. And most will fly home in inefficient planes that spew far too much climate-damaging carbon pollution.
Greenhouse emissions from aviation are rising rapidly, even as scientists explain that we’re running out of time to avoid disastrous global warming effects, from dangerous temperature increases to food-supply disruptions.
yet another polluting source to which all of us a addicted to. nothing like flying all the time for meetings. futile meetings which do not take us anywhere. god help us. 18 nov 14 Rich collectively are willing to contribute on $ 10 bn for climate control. US is contributing $ 3 bn over three years, whereas its defence budget is $ 575 bn pa. this is the prioritisation of rich countries. Climate is only a rhetoric. No body take it seriously even tough this year unprecedented arctic chill has affect all 50 US states. Veritable frogs in gradually warning water. like lambs led to the slaughter. 14 nov 14
Climate change 'will see more UK forces deployed in conflicts around world' Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, one of the UK’s most senior military figures, says global warming is a risk to geopolitical security
shape of things to come. climate violence control will be a new specialised areas to army and police. Not that they do not have enough problems on their hands. climate refugees is a distinct reality in some time. water scarcity, flooding, drought, extreme weather could leads to millions seeking safer places to live which will create fresh imbalances in existing urban/rural centres. 13 nov 14
US and China strike deal on carbon cuts in push for global climate change pact Barack Obama aims for reduction of a quarter or more by 2025, while Xi Jinping sets goal for emissions to fall after 2030
The big two have made firm plans for eventual reduction. China will reduce only after 2030. will that be enough. another 16 years. so much can happen. already polar chill has descended on large tracts of US. my fear is that in a most likely scenario by 2030, certain critical irreversible climate events may take place jeopardising future of planet. many precursors of the likely events are already signalling clearly and loudly their intents. 12 nov 14
Massive setback for US climate change initiatives. GOP will preside over the intensifying extreme climate. Ironical that the battle lines will get so clearly drawn as we step into an era where climate is gradually spinning out of control. 11th Nov 14 Nigeria: Human Influence Affecting Climate Change - IPCC
The Synthesis Report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has indicated that human influence on the climate system is clear and growing, with impacts observed on all continents, and. if left unchecked, climate change will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems.
However, available options are to adapt to climate change and implementing stringent mitigations activities, which can ensure that the impacts of climate change remains within a manageable range, creating a brighter and more sustainable future. The Synthesis Report distils and integrates the findings of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report produced by over 800 scientists and released over the past 13 months-the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever undertaken.
"We have the means to limit climate change. The solutions are many and allow for continued economic and human development. All we need is the will to change, which we trust will be motivated by knowledge and an understanding of the science of climate change." R. K. Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC said.
The Synthesis Report confirms that climate change is being registered around the world and warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
Since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. "Our assessment finds that the atmosphere and oceans have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, sea level has risen and the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased to a level unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years" said Thomas Stocker, Co- Chair of IPCC Working Group I. The report expresses with greater certainty than in previous assessments the fact that emissions of greenhouse gases and other anthropogenic drivers have been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20thcentury.The impacts of climate change have already been felt in recent decades on all continents and across the oceans.
The more human activity disrupts the climate, the greater the risks. Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of widespread and profound impacts affecting all levels of society and the natural world the report finds The Synthesis Report makes a clear case that many risks constitute particular challenges for the least developed countries and vulnerable communities, given their limited ability to cope. People who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable to climate change.
In the mist of the report, the poor attitude of the present government in Nigeria to climate change has become a source of concern to many stakeholders in the country. They expressed deep worry over government's lackadaisical attitude to the effect of climate change on the people. During the 2014 budget presentation session with the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Eziuche Ubani expressed regret that government interest on climate change is dwindling. "With a budget of N250m against the enormity of climate change on our environment, that is very discouraging," he said.
Ubani's comment followed the disclosure of Taiwo Haruna, the Ministry of Environment Permanent Secretary who said the budget of the Department of Climate Change was increased from N240m in 2013 to 250m in 2014. The Permanent Secretary also said Nigeria is in arrears of €45,000 in international obligations to Conference of Parties (CAP) and Kyoto Protocol.
The enormity of the problem is probably sinking in. too little too late. what we need mare than anything is the will to change says Pachauri. He is like a prophet crying in the wilderness. the asking rate is going up all the time while we all quibbling about petty inessentials. time and tide wait for none.The actionable gap is widening continuously.moving from now or never to a numbing resignation to the inevitable fate which is staring at us.
7th Nov 14 At Yale Environment 360 today, contributing writer Fred Pearce examines a contentious question: How much carbon can we emit into the atmosphere without causing dangerous climate change? It’s a question of critical importance, Pearce writes, and establishing a so-called climate budget is essential if we are to keep the planet a safe place to live in the coming century. Estimates of the carbon budget vary widely — anywhere from 100 billion tons to close to 500 billion tons — and as negotiators head toward climate talks in Paris next year, it would be best to get to the bottom of the discrepancies. In his analysis, Pearce attempts to cut through the statistical fog. whatever be the climate budget for emissions, its most likely the cap will be breached in 30 years @ we are spewing forth carbon shamelessly. 2045 to 2050 appears to be a critical watershed in human history.
Sen. James M. Inhofe, an the Oklahoma Republican who once compared the Environmental Protection Agency to the gestapo, is likely to lead the Environment and Public Works Committee when the GOP takes control of the Senate next year. If approved ...
It could not get zanier than this. as the asking rate keeps rising, we have the sceptics in the driving seat who will surely ensure that all key initiatives are kept on the back burner....irony of human survival and existence,,,,,, 4th November 14
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that those who ignore climate science do so at a risk to future generations, as UN experts unveiled the final chapter of a landmark climate report,AFP reports.
"Those who choose to ignore or dispute the science so clearly laid out in this report do so at great risk for all of us and for our kids and grandkids," Kerry said.
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said Sunday that time is running out to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and that current trends in carbon emissions heralded disaster.
Crowning a landmark review, the climate experts warned that emissions of three key greenhouse gases were at their highest in more than 800,000 years.
Kerry said the report issued in Copenhagen was a fresh warning, "another canary in the coal mine".
"The longer we are stuck in a debate over ideology and politics, the more the costs of inaction grow and grow," he said.
The report -- the first overview by the Nobel-winning organization since 2007 -- comes ahead of UN talks in Lima next month to pave the way to a 2015 pact in Paris to limit warming to a safer two degrees Celsius.
But the negotiations have been hung up for years over which countries should shoulder the cost for reducing carbon emissions, derived mainly from oil, gas and coal -- the backbone of the world's energy supply today.
"The bottom line is that our planet is warming due to human actions, the damage is already visible, and the challenge requires ambitious, decisive and immediate action," Kerry said.
"We're seeing more and more extreme weather and climate events, whether it's storm surges, devastating heat waves, and torrential rain, across the globe," Kerry said. "It's not a coincidence."
Earth, the panel warned, is on a likely trajectory for at least four degrees Celsius warming by 2100 over pre-industrial times -- a recipe for worsening drought, flood, rising seas and species extinction.
The report said switching to cleaner sources, reducing energy efficiency and implementing other emission-mitigating measures would be far cheaper than the cost of climate damage.
4th November 14
New research predicts California droughts will worsen
BY MATT WEISER
MWEISER@SACBEE.COM
10/31/2014 8:26 PM
11/02/2014 11:22 PM
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3505269.html#storylink=cpy
Future droughts in California are likely to bite deeper and last longer than the one now gripping the state, according to new research into the potential effects of climate change.
Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the U.S. Geological Survey used computer climate modeling tools to estimate the effects of warmer temperatures in future decades. In particular, they studied the effect on California’s mountain snowpack, the largest source of fresh water in the state, which refills thousands of water-storage reservoirs each spring via snowmelt.
The results show that by 2050, the median snowpack present on April 1 each year could be one-third smaller than the historical median, and by 2100 it could be two-thirds smaller. Such a dramatic loss of snowmelt would produce less runoff to refill reservoirs each summer, potentially making droughts an ever-present condition.
The research also shows that by 2100, there is only a 10percent chance that California mountains will see a snowpack equal to the median that accumulates today.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3505269.html#storylink=cpy
Grim portent for California. Similar picture to hold elsewhere with extreme becoming more pronounced. 22nd October 14
Europe emission targets 'will fail to protect climate'
By Roger HarrabinBBC environment analyst
Europe’s leaders are about to consign the Earth to the risk of dangerous climate change, a UN expert says.
Prof Jim Skea, a vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says the EU’s plan to cut CO2 emissions 40% by 2030 is too weak.
He says it will commit future governments to “extraordinary and unprecedented” emissions cuts.
The Commission rejected the claim, saying the 40% target puts Europe on track for long-term climate goals.
The 40% target - proposed by the European Commission - will be finalised at an EU summit this week.
A spokesman for the Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said: "Our 40% target is in line with science as it puts us right on track to meet our 2050 goal of cutting emissions by 80%-95%.
there is no present sacrifice for future gain. everyone lives in the keynes adage in the long run we are all dead. the asking rate for incremental emission will climb to astronomical levels post 2030.we are all postponing the grim reality to future generations. selfishness of first order. no one wants a let down in their standards of high energy lifestyles.
One volcano expert is warning that Japan's massive 2011 earthquake--which damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant and caused a nuclear crisis--could cause large volcanic eruptions in the coming years, yet he could not say when people could expect the eruptions to happen. Mount Ontake, Japan's second tallest active volcano, erupted last month without warning and sent ash and smoke into the atmosphere and over the surrounding area.
Fukushima was nightmare for our generation. most haunting. same time was listening intensely to arcade fire. some of the songs become my personal anthems for the traumatic crises. many a night i used to continuously listen to VOA and CNN, experience was searing. yes indeed future shockean themes playing out their roles in the danse macabre of climate change.
19th October 14
e360 digest
16 OCT 2014: GLOBAL BOOM IN NATURAL GAS UNLIKELY TO HELP THE CLIMATE, STUDY SUGGESTS
Increasing global supplies of unconventional natural gas will not help to reduce the overall upward trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions and the planetary warming that comes with it, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. The findings further undercut the notion, long touted by proponents of natural gas, that the fuel — which emits less CO2 than coal when burned — represents an important "bridge" in the transition to low-carbon energy resources. The study, which synthesized models developed by numerous researchers working independently, suggested that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations over the next 35 years would remain virtually unchanged — and in some models, warming would be worsened — by increased natural gas production around the globe. This was in part attributed to the fact that the new gas supplies would provide a substitute not only for coal, but also for existing low-emissions technologies like nuclear power and renewables. "Our results show that although market penetration of globally abundant gas may substantially change the future energy system," the authors of the study noted, "it is not necessarily an effective substitute for climate change mitigation policy." Depressing that even increasing use of natural gas will not slow global warming and climate change. Solar is probably the best hope but as long as cheap natural gas energy is there solar will find it difficult to find a market due to its higher cost. There will be allout milking of natural gas so that energy companies can make their piles as long abundant supplies of natural gas exist. 7th October 14
In Nobel season, laureates fret for 'sickly' Earth
AFP | 2014-10-04 04:46:00 +0000
2nd Oct 14
Mass gathering of 35,000 walruses is latest sign of global warming
ANCHORAGE: Pacific walrus that can't find sea ice for resting in Arctic waters are coming ashore in record numbers on a beach in northwest Alaska.
An estimated 35,000 walruses were photographed on Saturday about 5 miles (8 kilometers) north of Point Lay, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Point Lay is an Inupiat Eskimo village 300 miles (482 kilometers) southwest of Barrow and 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.
(really heart rending as these walruses reach kind of their EOL. desperation mounting as most mammals have met extinction since 1970)
23rd Sept 14NEW DELHI: Carbon dioxide emissions will reach a record high of 40 billion tonnes in 2014, according to the latest report of the Global Carbon Project, which is co-led in the UK by researchers at the University of East Anglia and the University of Exeter. This dire projection comes ahead of the New York Climate Summit starting on September 23, where world leaders will seek to catalyse action on climate change.
"The time for a quiet evolution in our attitudes towards climate change is now over. Delaying action is not an option - we need to act together, and act quickly, if we are to stand a chance of avoiding climate change not long into the future, but within many of our own lifetimes," Pierre Friedlingstein, professor at the University of Exeter and lead author of the paper published in Nature Geoscience said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/CO2-emissions-set-to-reach-record-high-in-2014/articleshow/43138366.cms?intenttarget=no
(Time is running out. Max of 30 years, ie 2044 could be apocalypse year for humanity. Like the X-files all governments had been saying that 2100 is year when the climate tipping point could be reached. Indeed painful to see humanity in steamrolling ahead with all the hi-tech progress which contain the seeds of its destruction. like veritable moths to the fire. being sucked inexorable to our blinding extinction...end of anthropocene era....) 20th Sept 14
While money and energy continues to be spent on global talks about climate change, Pacific islanders are scrambling to build sea walls out of sticks, stones, shells and coral, to protect their lands and homes from erosion and rising sea levels.
This is one of the findings of a Caritas report, Small yet strong: Voices from Oceania on the environment, to be launched at St Peter Chanel Catholic Church, Clover Park, Auckland on October 4 (St Francis Day).
“Vulnerable people throughout Oceania are living every day with and adapting to environmental changes and challenges. They are actively striving to overcome environmental problems not of their making and beyond their control,” says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director Julianne Hickey.
(its now or never...lets pray next week's climate conference in NY is a serious one with concrete steps for an integrated move for rollback of emissions, water conservation, mindless consumerism....)
21 - the Climate Change March. I have hitched a ride on a ... There is no doubt that climate change is impacting our environment and our economy.
Storms, like Sandy, are more frequent, and droughts like those in California are impacting even greater parts of the world, and, yes, here, too! This once divisive issue between developed and emerging markets is now seriously discussed, and locally the political discourse is being seen, as a unifying force. No longer can we remain silent on what we all see everywhere from Japan to Europe to the Pacific to the Atlantic- great degradation of our environment. Iced seas are melting, and cancers of various types are rising. Water, because of scarcity, is the new oil! - See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/environment/on-the-march-against-climate-change-1.1090012#sthash.w5H4jZ9K.dpuf
(All climate aware activists should make their protests count on Sept 21 Climate Change March. Time is running out. We all seem to living in a slow motion movie where coming climate crash seems surreal. Most skeptics are like stoned out in their heads and thinking climate change is some kind of figment of imagination of other paranoid people. Unless radical rollbacks are executed right now the future may not be. With everyone in their comfort zone lives, nobody is prepared to bite the bullet and change their energy intensive lifestyles. We need the New Grammar of Living. Its now or never.)
17th Sept 14
Leading philanthropic foundations can create climate “tipping point”
Last updated on 15 September 2014, 2:03 pm
COMMENT: Jeremy Leggett from Carbon Tracker outlines five ways philanthropists can use wallets to curb carbon emissions
(Pic: Saskatoon/Flickr)
By Jeremy Leggett (Most damning forecasts 4c to 6c of global warming with devastating consequences)
In the largest and most international declaration ever published by environmentalists, 160 winners of environmental prizes from 46 countries, have today called on the world’s foundations to use their financial power to fight global warming.
In an appeal published in the International New York Times they call on foundations and philanthropists to dig into their endowments to create a tipping point in climate action – “to trigger a survival reflex in society.”
The world’s philanthropic foundations own endowments worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
They invest those endowments to generate returns from which they can pay out grants or make loans. They use these to fund a multitude of causes, but as things stand only a minority tackle climate change, either as part of their mission or as their major focus.
Yet climate change is the issue that is arguably the single biggest threat to civilization.
We are on course for 4C to 6C of global warming, with devastating consequences for the whole world. The environmentalists say they are “terrified that we will lose our ability to feed ourselves, run out of potable water, increase the scope for war, and cause the very fabric of civilization to crash.”
Global warming on this scale threatens to damage or destroy all the good work done by foundations and throw into chaos the financial markets where most of their endowments are invested.
- See more at: http://www.rtcc.org/2014/09/15/leading-philanthropic-foundations-hold-key-to-un-climate-talks/#sthash.PzUEXPf6.dpu
(US gets sucked into yet another war not of its choice. Events remorselessly have dragged US reluctantly to this ISIS war. The strident tones and acts of ISIS are too provocating to be ignored. The free democratic world is at severe risk. Need for a broad coalition of forces of free and secular world to put down this arrogant call of the fanatical ISIS. Is this beginning of what Nostradamus had predicted. There is enough for the world to unite in its fight against inexorable climate changes. Now these distracting theatres of war like ISIS and Ukraine only serve to dissipate the energies to focus upon the real struggle which humanity must wage against degradation of the environment.)
VietNamNet Bridge – Climate change is hitting the Mekong Delta much earlier ... Do you think that our climate change scenario in the Cuu Long (Mekong) ... importance of managing natural resources and protecting the environment.
(Unless immediate steps are taken climate events forecasted 50 years hence could come in next 10 to 20 years and the whole province could be flooded. The future is now.)
12th Sept 14
U.S. TRYING TO BUILD BROAD ANTI-ISIS COALITION -(hurtle 2wards worst case scenario: terrorist with nuke missile - humanity being torn asunder by religious bigotry) “In declaring that the United States would degrade and ‘ultimately destroy’ an al-Qaeda offshoot in Iraq and Syria, President Obama articulated an objective that the United States has yet to achieve against any of the Islamist adversaries it has faced since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.” The U.S. is hoping to enlist an international coalition made up of "Arab states, European allies and long-time U.S. adversaries such as Iran and China" in the fight against the extremist group. A CIA spokesman revised previous manpower estimates for the extremist group, saying it could “muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria.” James Foley’s mother said she was “embarrassed and appalled" with how the U.S. government had handled her son’s captivity, and detailed how they threatened prosecution if the family paid his ransom. [WaPo]
Ebola and Climate Change: Are Humans Responsible for the Severity of the Current Outbreak?
(rapid urbanisation in developing ecos leading to mass deforestation. like moths to a flame..humans lured to cities for better lives .. this chasing of energy intensive lifestyles of developed ecos... glamorised on tv..spreading like virus to all humanity...till we meet our doom..the tipping point has been reached..poles melting faster...more twisters.. tornadoes.. floods..extreme weather..die is cast..is it point of no return?..) 3.
Washington Trading Probe Broadens to Hedge Funds
SEC Examines Communications Between Investors and Height Securities
WASHINGTON—Federal investigators have uncovered a flurry of communications between a Washington research firm and several hedge funds, opening a new front in an insider-trading probe focused on the firm's 2013 investor alert about a change in government health-care policy.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether anyone in the government illegally leaked word of the announcement to Height Securities. Now, the agency is looking at whether hedge...
(The nexus between banks, stock markets, investment banks, hedge funds, credit raters, regulators, central banks, large investors, politicians is the power that controls global finance & economies. Another powerful nexus is that in health care industry between hospitals, doctors, pharma industry, health insurers, health care regulators, medical research which has huge stranglehold in all economies especially in developed one. Here we see a case of an intersection between the financial and healthcare sectors. Indeed the lines between sectors is blurring. There is convergence everywhere including the forces of corruption across all sectors of economies.)
The ECB chief thinks the euro zone's growth challenge is now so serious that it needs to act more like a political union, but that puts him on a collision cour..
As Portuguese lender Banco EspÃrito Santo neared collapse this summer, it found a Wall Street ally to help it raise badly needed funds: Goldman Sachs Group.
Technology is getting smarter, faster. Are you? Experts including the authors of The Second Machine Age, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, examine the impact that “thinking” machines may have on top-management roles. more
RARE RESPIRATORY VIRUS STRIKES KIDS “Hospitals in Colorado, Missouri and potentially eight other states are admitting hundreds of children for treatment of an uncommon but severe respiratory virus. The virus, called Enterovirus D68, causes similar symptoms to a summer cold or asthma: a runny nose, fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. But the illness can quickly escalate and there are no vaccines or antiviral medications to prevent or treat it … the virus is ‘increasingly recognized’ for causing severe — and potentially deadly — respiratory illness.” And the CDC is calling this the “tip of [the] iceberg.” [Story, Image via WaPo]
ELIMINATING ISIS COULD TAKE OVER THREE YEARS “The Obama administration is preparing to carry out a campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria that may take three years to complete, requiring a sustained effort that could last until after President Obama has left office, according to senior administration officials. The first phase, an air campaign with nearly 145 airstrikes in the past month, is already underway to protect ethnic and religious minorities and American diplomatic, intelligence and military personnel, and their facilities, as well as to begin rolling back ISIS gains in northern and western Iraq.” President Obama is expected to announce the full plan on Wednesday. [NYT]
Does economic inequality lead to the end of growth spurts? This series of articles on the economic impacts of inequality has addressed some arguments used by economists at Standard & Poor’s in their paper on inequality. The S&P economists cite a study arguing that growth spells are more likely to end when inequality is greater.
Kalev Leetaru has measured the Twitter heartbeat, gathered and analyzed 35 years worth of news data, and this week helped launch the Internet Archive's collection on Flickr of millions of historic book images. He recently shared his fascinating thoughts on computing on the Structure Show.
Summary The euro-zone is in another economic crisis. It is the largest trading partner of the U.S. Will its growing problems affect the still anemic U.S. economy? Will its stock market declines resume and be a drag on U.S. markets? · The 18-nation euro-zone is the largest economy in the world, eclipsing that of the U.S. · The euro-zone is the largest trading partner of the U.S. (the largest importer of U.S. goods, the largest exporter of goods to the U.S.). · The euro-zone...
China's average housing prices fell in August for the fourth straight month, though at a slower pace, as property developers continue to struggle with excess s..
Capital spending by Japanese companies fell by 1.8% in the April to June period from the previous quarter, reflecting a slump in demand after the first sales t..
A post-apocalyptic Earth, emptied of humans, seems like the stuff of science fiction. But in this short, surprising talk, Lord Martin Rees asks us to think about our real existential risks — natural and human-made threats that could wipe out humanity. As a concerned member of the human race, he asks: What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen?
According to Live Science on Thursday, the 2015 edition of the Farmers Almanac hit the shelves on August 25th, and the news is disheartening for all those hoping for a mild and balmy winter this year. More Photos View all 7 photos The 200-year old Almanac is calling for below-normal temperatures covering three-quarters of the nation, predicting that the " Northern Plains and the Great Lakes regions of the U.S. will be hardest hit. " But not to be outdone by an old American stand-by like...
More than a quarter of people say UK's winter floods strengthened their belief in human-induced climate change, a survey has found. Half the people ...
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has invited applications for recruitment at two posts. The interested and eligible candidates ...
OBAMA CHASING CLIMATE CHANGE “The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress. In preparation for this agreement, to be signed at a United Nations summit meeting in 2015 in Paris, the negotiators are meeting with diplomats from other countries to broker a deal to commit some of the world’s largest economies to enact laws to reduce their carbon pollution.” The news of the push follows the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report on the “irreversible, dangerous”effects of climate change. [Story, Image via NYT]
Though today is the fifth day without Budhi Mai (an aunt of mine), it is still
difficult to swallow the sinking truth that she is no more. She has been one of
the most integral persons in my life after my parents. One’s earliest memory of
her goes back to the mid fifties when I saw her first in Cuttack (in Orissa my roots in India) in Bada Mamu’s
(BM’s) (Eldest Uncle) place opposite the Convent. So patiently she taught me how to draw a
clock and hence how to read time.
Over the years whenever we visited Cuttack for our summer holidays at BM’s
place, we always went to Choudwar to spend a few days with Mangu Mamu (MM her husband my Mother's younger brother) and
her. I clearly remember the two quarters they had: the first corner plot
quarter where Kunu was born, then the larger one where we cousins spent many a
holiday. Those days she used to visit us in Kolkata every year. Her capacity to
take care of the huge family of young cousins was immense. She was totally
impartial in her dealings with all of us. Indeed those were the halcyon days of
our lives.
MM was at the peak of his career with Kalinga Tubes during the sixties. He used
to visit us in Kolkata almost every week, coming by the evening flight
invariably. Quite often Mai used to come with Mamu. Once Kunu and Mana joined
Loreto Convent in Darjeeling, she used to come to drop them at Darjeeling or
Kolkata. She was always a quite understudy to MM those days, never imposing herself.
They had a fantastic relationship based upon a deep understanding of each
other, acceptance, love and humour.
She was indeed a busy body, always knitting, stitching, reading, looking after
the huge joint and extended family or making pan! There was always a signature
pan in her cheeks! She was highly artistic, always creating something. She was
the connoisseur of miniatures: small bags, purses, etc. She decorated all her
houses most tastefully, full of elegance and earthy colours. She had a touch of
class in all she did which was a blend of contemporary, handmade art, wood,
metals and earth.
As we grew older, there came a time when she was kind of heading a large joint
family at Tulsipur (in Cuttack) with about 20 members. She always ran the house with a smile
on her face. During holidays, the population increased with influx of cousins.
We had a whale of a time. Playing carom, 29, or just bantering the whole day.
Patiently she used to wait every day till Mamu returned from the club without a
complaint. They were the pre TV days.
Around that time, MM took a momentous decision in his life by quitting Kalinga
Tubes where he was GM to set up a brewery on his own, the first in Orissa. He
was a visionary who was years ahead of his time. She stood like a rock besides
him and gave him full support. Somewhere along the way, Mamu faced a lot of
hurdles in running the brewery and finally he had to surrender control of his
beloved company which he had set up. Though MM was disappointed, but Mai gave
him all the support and sustenance to face the future with stoic calm.
My Father spent his last ten days in their house (1973). She worked tirelessly in
nursing him ensuring that he got the best of care. I remember one small
incident which shows her perfection in all she did - an incident which will
forever be etched in my memory. While my Father was being fed, a teaspoon was
needed. She ran all the way down to the dining table and brought up the
teaspoon herself. This exemplified her love and devotion. 26 years later, my
Mother spent her last days again as fate would have it in MM’s place. This time
too, she gave Mother all the care she needed though she herself was getting on
with age. This bonding with Mai is something I shall deeply cherish till my
last breath.
MM passed away one year after my Mother. Mai led her life after that with quiet
dignity and always showering all her love on one and all. Her house was the
centre of our universe. No visit to Orissa would be complete without a trip to
Tulsipur to visit her. After Bada Mai passed away, Budhi Mai kept the entire
brood (of our huge extended family) together as the towering Matriarch
dispensing her love therapy to all.
While Titili (her daughter, my cousin) was here in Bangalore, we had a good fortune of having her in
Bangalore. Often after dinner, Baby (my wife) and I used to drive down to Titili’s place
to spend some time with her. It used to be our great pleasure to bring her to
our house. The last time she came to Bangalore was during Manali’s (my daughter) marriage. It
was indeed our great privilege to have her, Billy Mausi, Mausa, Fulu Mamu and
Bulu Mai (uncles and aunts).
The last time I saw her was at Tutul’s marriage in April this year. Both of us
had gone and could spend some time with her during the marriage. It’s difficult
to accept the numbing reality that she left us all hardly two months after the
marriage.
Finally I would like to mention that I had written several letters to her after
my Father’s death. These long letters to her were filled with all my
existential angst and outpourings about the meaninglessness of existence. She
was one the very few persons I could write freely about life’s emptiness. We
used to laugh about the ranting in those letters always whenever we met. Her
innate understanding of my Salingeresque and Kafkaesque thoughts bordered on
Zen and the Divine.
She used to read a lot. She loved sensitive stuff from the Chicken Soup for the
Soul and lately Robin Sharma’s books including Monk who sold his Ferrari. There
will never be another her. She was the very epitome of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones…..I
will leave all of you near and dear ones with a beautiful Zen piece in her
honour.
“The Last Poem of Hoshin
The Zen master Hoshin lived in China many years. Then he returned to the
northeastern part of Japan, where he taught his disciples. When he was getting
very old, he told them a story he had heard in China.
This is the story:
One year on the twenty-fifth of December, Tokufu, who was very old, said to his
disciples: I am not going to-be alive next year so you fellows should treat me
well this year.'
The pupils thought he was joking, but since he was a great-hearted teacher each
of them in turn treated him to a feast on succeeding days of the departing
year.
On the eve of the New Year, Tokufu concluded: 'You have been good to me. I
shall leave you tomorrow afternoon when the snow has stopped.'
The disciples laughed, thinking he was aging and talking nonsense since the
night was clear and without snow. But at midnight snow began to fall, and the
next day they did not find their teacher about. They went to the meditation
hall. There he had passed on.
Hoshin, who related this story, told his disciples: 'It is not necessary for a
Zen master to predict his passing, but if he really wishes to do so, he can.'
‘Can you?' someone asked. ‘Yes,' answered Hoshin. 'I will show you what I can
do seven days from now.
None of the disciple’s believed him, and most of them had even forgotten the
conversation when Hoshin next called them together. 'Seven days ago,' he
remarked, ‘I said I was going to leave you. It is customary to write a farewell
poem, but I am neither poet nor calligrapher. Let one of you inscribe my last
words.'
His followers thought he was joking, but one of them started to write.
'Are you ready?' Hoshin asked. 'Yes, sir,' replied the writer. Then Hoshin
dictated:
I came from brilliancy
And return to brilliancy.
What is this?
The poem was one line short of the customary four, so, the disciple said:
'Master, we are one line short.' Hoshin, with the roar of a conquering
lion, shouted ‘Kaa!’ and was gone.”
One final Zen Haiku for her…..
“Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky
Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.”
The truth lies in not seeking for answers all the time.
There are no answers in clear black and white or cast in iron. We need to learn
to live in a world with no absolute truth and answers. Existence is a series of
relative truths or untruths with ambiguities and no clear answers. The truth is
always out there. Zen like it can come to you in a flash or you will never
attain it even if you try for 1000 years. This takes me to my axioms for life
which have guided me for the past 45 years:
Nothing Is Absolute..
Everything Is Relative..
Nothing Is Real..
Nothing Really Matters...
Today we are faced with a world which is full of
contradictions and relative truths which have evolved dialectically. Sometimes or
rather most of the times its difficult to say what is right and what is wrong. Wherever
and whichever way you look it’s the same story. If one is truly objective it is
difficult to take sides. Like the series of US forays into various parts of the
globe to uphold freedom. It’s almost don quixotic at times flaying away at
invisible windmills like the weapons of mass destruction of Saddam Hussein. But
a lot of other plots are so very complex that it’s difficult to really blame
any side. Sometimes too many of us with our ingrained roots in English tend to
adopt a jaundiced Anglo Saxon view of the world though not consciously while also
maintaining a skeptical view of the western world.
However much we try to intellectualize exploitation and anti
middle east stance of US, still it’s very difficult to rationalize the rabid role of the ISIS. Even with
lot of deconstruction and determination it might well nigh be difficult to support
the call for Caliphate. Definitely the call is medieval. Sometimes I get the
sneaking suspicion that perhaps the Islamic way of life at a simple level is
indeed a green way of existence as compared with the energy intensive west.
It is indeed a meaningless world and existence in the final
analysis. In our ontological insecurity we all love to adopt some totems or
lodestars to guide us thru the painful journey through existence where death is
the final savior and provides Mukti from terrestrial bondage. Sartori.
I created a Google alert
for climate change several years ago. Generally I am not able to open it much
being deluged by so many email mostly newsletters. Since the 1970s I have been
writing in my diaries about dehumanization of mankind and how our hunger for
being richer and possessing bigger, better, faster everything was leading us to
our doom.
Today I opened my Google
alert and found that ‘Global Environmental Change’, which is edited
by Professor Declan Conway and administered from the London School of Economics
and Political Science, has been ranked as the highest impact journal in the
environmental sciences, according to new figures published by Elsevier : http://about.elsevier.com/impactfactor/assets2014/author-webpage-5102638.html?sf4125879=1
Found another interesting paper:97%
of climate science and peer-reviewed research agree on human-caused global
warming http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/jun/24/why-we-care-about-global-warming-consensus
The evidence is crystal clear that
humans are the main cause of the current global warming, and the expert
consensus reflects the strength of that body of evidence. It’s not easy to
convince 97% of scientific experts about anything – that requires some powerful
scientific evidence.
Basically most of the research
recommend action plans which are generally based upon more efficient ways of generating
energy, green houses, electric cars, gradual reduction of carbon emissions from
manufacturing sectors, etc.
Most of these
recommendations accept the present socio-economic-techno framework of our
societies and have made prescriptions on an incremental basis. All of us are
terribly trapped in our present high energy intensive comfort levels. Hence no one
can talk of diametrically opposite solutions which would be too shocking to
most as we all are prisoners of the exciting technological toys which are
integral part of our lives.
Time has come for
radical solutions which might appear insane at first. But the truth is that
unless we rewind our civilization considerably and revert back to very low
energy intensive lives at the earliest, then the race to save the planet would
be lost.
We need to urgently address these
issues in a holistic fashion and evolve a New Grammar of Living (NGL). The
basic tenets and building blocks of the New Grammar of Living are:
1. Green living:
oReducing use of and dependence on
high energy
oAdopting solar energy, CFCs, LEDs
oPlanting trees
oOrganic food
oMinimum and only essential use of
air conditioning
oConserving water
oEcological balance
oRain water harvesting
2.Simpler and wholesome lifestyles
oReducing materialistic and consumer
lifestyles
oYoga as way of life: meditation and
pranayam
oReturn to pastoral lifestyles
oSpiritualism and mysticism
oHumanism
oBack to nature
oDeconditioning
3.De-industrialisation
oStop mindless production of cars,
etc
oScaling down high polluting
industries
4.Evolving new economic structures
oCreating massive employment in green
activities such as agriculture, agro based industries, education…
oLimiting growth of large cities
oCreation of sustainable self
sufficient economic communities
oPoverty alleviation
oLimits on wealth accumulation.
The above is just a
brief incomplete outline of a rigorous New Grammar of Living which will be
published in the next six months. We need more people to support a movement like
NGL. Will be grateful if like minded people get in touch to take NGL to its
rightful place. In a sense we have to unlearn all that we are used to and like
intrepid travelers we have to take first steps in a long long journey which
will help us to curb climate change at the earliest.
About 60,000 years ago
in Africa there was “great leap forward” as coined by Jared Diamond for human
kind when there was surge in its development with making better tools, painting
on cave walls, emergence of kitchens, disposal of waste and eating cooked food.
This bunching of development in several spheres was hitherto attributed to a
mutation of the human gene, higher intake of calories, etc.
Recent research from
Duke University shows that the shape of the human skull changed over time. This
had a high correlation fall in levels of testosterone in humans. As testosterone
levels declined facial structures became less severe with softer features. These
biological changes with reduced testosterone levels led to reduced aggression
and more peaceful and cooperative human natures resulting in greater strides in
art, culture and technology.
The essentially resulted
in more adaptive homo sapiens which ensured the survival of the species. This is
similar to trees which are able to bend are able to weather harsh storms. There
could be similar developments in other mammals, birds and fish during the course
of their evolution with the more severe variant giving way to more gentler descendants.
During the past two
decades it has been observed that in the more advanced and educated societies there
has been a pronounced decline in male fertility. Some of the past researches
have given the root causes as tighter pants, hot water baths, mounting stress
of our hypercompetitive era, longer working hours both at office and home
thanks to being digitally online 24/7, decline in libido with both spouses
having different working hours where they meet probably once a week, changes in
diet with preponderance of palette pleasing processed food, secular fall in sperm
count….
Trends in the future:
1.Lower desire to procreate among advanced societies.
2.Increase in adoptions from poorer countries and
societies.
3.Increase in surrogate mothers.
4.Increase in no of single individuals both men
and women.
5.Increase in divorces.
6.Asocial living.
7.Widening in the range of sexual preferences and gender
categories in humans.
8.Humans living with robots with whom they can
have sex.
9.Group and polyamorous living and families.
10.Men using more cosmetics and beauty care aids
with the market for such fashion products rising exponentially.
11.Move towards unisex clothing and fashion gear.
12.Reproduction in females without males.
13.Reproduction in females with help of sperm
banks.
14.Test tube births.
15.Males becoming more asexual with further
lowering of testosterone.
16.Declining population in advanced societies increasing
populations in non-advanced societies.
17.Lower intelligence levels in macho males and
intelligent males lower on macho scale.
18.Move towards geriatric societies.
19.Rising intelligence levels with exponential
creativity and digital lives.
20.Age of Singularity where computers and humans
meld.
21.Independent of testosterone levels, the most
profound change in the future is likely to be on the climate change front where
entire or most of humanity could be at risk.
All the giant strides now and in the future shockean times to come in
technology, science, arts, culture.. have perhaps reached their tipping point
where further development is probably counterproductive for humanity as they
are dehumanizing society and pushing the environment close to the edge.
