Blog Entries for Carlos Rymer

No Coal by 2020: Sign It!

cmr55@cornell.edu — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:31:32 +0100

At the close of the Bali climatechange negotiations, we are left again with the disappointment of the Bush administration and all the other climate criminals in Washington. These fossil-fuel-phillic people have slowed down negotiations, stripped key renewable energy provisions in the US energy bill, and pretty much told the rest of the world that [...]

Our National Climate Target: A Worthy Discussion

cmr55@cornell.edu — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:32:01 +0100

The U.S. climate movement is rapidly strengthening. Global warming is becoming one of the top issues for business, youth, labor, and other communities, and we hear calls for immediate action everywhere.

In the last two years alone, there has been a surge in public opinion and activism aboutthis issue, including carbon neutral businesses and schools, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the IPCC report and other recent scientific studies, and commitments by other nations to fight global [...]

Climate Tipping Points Get Scarier

cmr55@cornell.edu — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:30:42 +0100

The warmest year on record was 2005. Scientists today indicate that the world has warmed by about 0.6C above the pre-industrial average. Earlier this year, the IPCC painted dire consequences for the world as a result of man-made global warming, which included widespread water shortage and famine, more intense floods and droughts (afflicting agriculture), prolonged heat waves, sea level rise, millions of climate refuges, the extinction of up to 50% of all species, etc. Today, we can look at se [...]

On The U.S. Movement's 80% by 2050 Call

cmr55@cornell.edu — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:55:49 +0100

I currently support the movement's rallying call for 80% cuts by 2050 in the hope that it will change soon to 95% by 2030 for the U.S. But it is important to think about the serious risks we'll be taking with the targets we're calling for. We have to remember that scientists give theserecommendations, but they never mention to us the probabilities associated with them. Timothy posted about this earlier in It's Getting Hot In Here, www.itsgettinghotinhere.org. I completely disa [...]

"Rosie Revisited"

cmr55@cornell.edu — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:36:19 +0100

During World War II, millions of women in the United States worked hard to produce many of the materials needed for all types of equipment, all right after the nation turned into a massive war manufacturing facility in 90 days! At that time, the U.S. saw a real threat, and it acted upon it by tightening its ropes and working hard to get the job done, which at that time was beating Germany and Japan. Rosie the Riveter became the cultural icon that represented these milli [...]

Can the South do more than the North?

cmr55@cornell.edu — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:38:35 +0100

One of the arguments for inaction in the United States has been that our reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be made meaningless by growing emissions in the developing world. This was a key "reason" why the Bush administration refused to sign on to Kyoto. But it is becoming clearerthat developing countries are doing more than developed nations to fight this problem.

A recent UN report showed that the developing world has taken actions that outweigh the emission reducti [...]

New Jersey Sets National Precedent

cmr55@cornell.edu — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:37:32 +0100

On June 21st, Trenton voted to overwhelmingly pass the Global Warming Response Act, ground-breaking legislation that will set an economy-wide cap on greenhouse gas emissions to bring levels down to 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050. Following California's and Minnesota's leadership, New Jersey has set national precedent by showing what needs to happen politically to begin decarbonizing the world.

It's worth to mention what made passage of this amazin [...]

What Would a 2C Increase Mean?

cmr55@cornell.edu — Tue, 22 May 2007 06:25:44 +0100

Based on previous assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the climate movement has embraced the goal of keeping temperature to a 2C threshold by cutting emissions 80% by 2050. This goal has been set because it is believed it will keep the heat balance to a level that will notcause runaway climate change and it is technically feasible under a slow change scenario (40 years or so to do it). While new data shows that the reductions need to happen 20 years earlier, it is int [...]

A Proposed Vision: Linking Problems and Communities to the Climate Crisis

cmr55@cornell.edu — Tue, 22 May 2007 06:23:47 +0100

Here is a proposed vision for a network in New Jersey that will grow this summer. It is not as clear as I think it should be, but it gets the idea across. The main point is that the climate crisis is an opportunity to transform society, and we should take that message to all community sectors.

Background

The climate movement is growing quickly in the United States and
elsewhere. Youth are leading the way through the Campus Clima [...]

New Jersey Set To Follow California's Steps

cmr55@cornell.edu — Tue, 22 May 2007 06:17:37 +0100

On May 21st, lobbyists from state environmental groups descended on Trenton to push for passage of the Global Warming Response Act, ground-breaking legislation that would bring the state's global warming pollution back to 1990 levels by 2020.

After the lobby day, there was a majority inthe state assembly (47 co-sponsors), with 9 other members who were likely to co-sponsor the bill. In the senate, there are 18 co-sponsors, with 4 that are likely to co-sponsor the bill. This mea [...]

80% by 2050 risks going over 2C

cmr55@cornell.edu — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:38:18 +0100

According to new data and calculations by George Monbiot, a target of 80% reductions by 2050 in the developed world will not be enough to keep temperatures below 2C. New calculations show that the goal should be 90% by 2030 in the developed world and 60% by 2030 worldwide.

To read why, click here.

A New Agenda for the Climate Movement

cmr55@cornell.edu — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:19:18 +0100

Recently, Bluhdorn and Welsh of the United Kingdom published a comprehensive overview of the state of environmental politics in the Journal of Environmental Politics (April, 2007). Titled Eco-politics beyond the Paradigm of Sustainability: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda, the journal article concludes that the perceived progress in environmental policies and discussions (including the recent upsurge in media coverage about global warming) is in fact merely a discussion of manag [...]