[prakruti] 11 Solutions to Halting the Environmental Crisis

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At 01:53 AM 11/11/07, you wrote:

 

>11 Solutions to Halting the Environmental Crisis

>By Yifat Susskind, AlterNet

>Posted on October 31, 2007, Printed on November 11, 2007

>http://www.alternet.org/story/66451/

>You probably don't need to be told that the threat of climate change is

>real. If you're concerned about the issue, it's fairly easy to conjure the

>apocalyptic scenes of widespread drought, frequent deadly storms, mass

>hunger, and wars over natural resources like oil and water. Much harder to

>come by are examples of positive actions that can avert these disasters

>and ease the crisis in places where they are already in play. So let's

>skip the litany of catastrophes that await if global warming is not

>controlled. Instead, why not focus on some solutions? None are perfect or

>complete, but each offers a model of positive change that is more than

>theoretically possible -- it is already happening.

>Many of these examples are small-scale and local. That's instructive

>because our best hope for sustainability -- in agriculture, industry,

>energy, community design, and government -- may lie in local, small-scale

>models like some of those presented here. It may seem as though

>large-scale problems require large-scale solutions. But most big

>institutions and processes are driven by the very people and ideas that

>have generated our global crisis. It's in the local and the small that the

>majority of people can exercise agency and decision-making power.

>While we may not be looking to create large-scale models of every success

>story, we do need to replicate, adapt, and institutionalize what works for

>people, communities, and the environment. We need to link local

>initiatives and build on them by enacting policies that can sustain their

>momentum.

>To overcome our global environmental crisis, we need solutions that are at

>once visionary and concrete. Here are some of the many innovations that

>are ours to develop.

>1. What if women -- the majority of the world's farmers -- could resist

>the commercialization of agriculture and strengthen food-centered economies?

>When the World Bank forced Kenyan farmers to start growing tea for export

>instead of food, Kenyan women took the lead in resisting those policies.

>Through their Green Belt Movement, the women planted over 40 million trees

>to offset deforestation caused by tea plantations and created initiatives

>to promote sustainable farming. Today, the Green Belt Movement includes

>hundreds of thousands of rural people across Africa.

>2. What if poor rural families were given land so that they could grow

>their own food?

>Through mass civil disobedience and political organizing, the Landless

>Workers' Movement (MST) in Brazil succeeded in overturning government

>policy and securing 15 million acres of farmland for 250,000 families. The

>families' average income is now four times the minimum wage. Infant

>mortality is half the national average and many MST settlements are models

>of sustainable agriculture.

>3. What if Indigenous Peoples' collective rights were recognized, ending

>the attack on those who have managed and maintained the world's most

>delicate ecosystems for millennia?

>This year saw a major step in this direction with the passage of the UN

>Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration

>recognizes Indigenous Peoples' right to control their territories and

>resources, which hold much of the Earth's remaining biodiversity and half

>its untapped fossil fuels. Now, Indigenous women are working to ensure

>that governments honor the Declaration.

>4. What if economic policies recognized that preserving the environment

>was more important than obtaining fossil fuels?

>Ecuador's President Correa has announced that he will not drill for oil in

>Yasuni National Park. The decision marks the first time an oil-producing

>country has formally chosen to forgo oil exploration and shift its economy

>from oil dependency to more sustainable alternatives that protect

>ecosystems and Indigenous rights while averting more global carbon emissions.

>5. What if governments valued people's happiness over economic growth?

>The government of Bhutan has replaced the singular, narrow standard of

>Gross Domestic Product with a measure it calls Gross National Happiness.

>Bhutan is not a utopia, but it has made remarkable progress in building

>its economy while preserving the environment, limiting corruption, and

>supporting education and healthcare. Life expectancy in Bhutan has risen

>by 19 years since the " happiness index " was established in 1972.

>6. What if genuine democracy -- the precondition for policies that benefit

>people over profits -- were to flourish?

>In the past eight years, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay,

>and Bolivia have elected governments that are forging alternatives to

>US-led corporate globalization. The Indigenous and social movements that

>brought these governments to power are not just reforming, but redefining

>the state through a shift from representative democracy (easily controlled

>by elites) to participatory democracy, where power is devolved to

>communities and the principle of majority rule with minority rights is upheld.

>7. What if we could redress the forced impoverishment of the Global South?

>Debt cancellation, carbon fees, and international taxes on arms sales and

>on profits derived from financial speculation are some of the complex yet

>concrete proposals at hand. Communities around the world have formed a

>broad movement working to craft debt cancellation policies that can

>support national sovereignty and women's human rights. Not long ago, it

>seemed impossible. Today, debt cancellation has been partially implemented

>and is squarely on the agenda of economic policymakers.

>8. What if climate change could be stopped?

>Climate change can be stopped, with existing technologies, if governments

>use their prerogative to regulate and tax corporations so that they limit

>resource use and generate funds for sustainable development. According to

>the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have the know-how to

>reduce global carbon emissions by 26 billion tons by 2030 -- that's more

>than enough to avoid the 2-degree Celsius rise in temperatures that would

>bring on the worst consequences of global warming.

>9. What if governments realized that striving for limitless economic

>growth is not a solution, but a cause of poverty and ecological collapse?

>Thailand has pioneered a " sufficiency economy, " based on low growth to

>reduce poverty and conserve natural resources. The model aims to promote

>economic self-reliance, rural development, and environmental protection.

>According to the Thai government, " during these times of rapid

>globalization and global warming, emphasizing moderation, responsible

>consumption, and resilience to external shocks is of great relevance not

>just to Thailand but to countries and communities across the world. "

>10. What if we saw the need to de-industrialize our societies as an

>opportunity, not a crisis?

>In the UK, " transition towns " are creating new modes of locally rooted

>agriculture, commerce, energy, transportation, housing, and government

>that are the building blocks of a " post-carbon future. " This " transition

>movement " holds that the need to consume less oil can lead to a healthier,

>happier future in places where the shift is well-planned, locally

>grounded, and democratic. Sweden has announced its intention to be

>oil-free by 2020, and Finland may soon follow. Cuba has already

>transitioned from being one of Latin America's most industrialized

>countries to being one of the most sustainable. For decades, Soviet oil

>imports and trade fueled Cuba's economy. Today, 80 percent of Cuban

>agriculture is organic and the country is largely self-sufficient.

>11. What if a critical mass of people the world over realized the need for

>urgent action?

>People on every continent are mobilizing to address our global crisis.

>They are not waiting for governments or outside leadership, but are

>organizing their own community-based solutions, including local food

>systems; community-controlled, renewable sources of energy; and

>sustainable modes of manufacturing, trade, and consumption. Women are at

>the heart of much of this organizing. Working at the crossroads of economy

>and ecology, they are propelling a transformation of global values and

>policies on which our future depends.

>Yifat Susskind is communications director of MADRE, an international

>women's human rights organization.

>© 2007 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.

>View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/66451/

>

>

>--

>Dear Friends,

>Sending this mail keeping you in mind. If you do not want to receive such

>mails let me know.

>Please consider the environment before printing this message.

>Sincerely,

>Dr. Vispi Jokhi

>MS (Orthopedics)

>660/6 S. Palamkote Road, Parsi Colony,

>Dadar, Mumbai-400014.

>91 22 32440710

>9323351529

>e mail: vhjokhi

>

 

******

Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky

http://www.thehavens.com/

thehavens

606-376-3363

 

 

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[Guest guest]

>Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:40:20 -0500

>

>

>

>>11 Solutions to Halting the Environmental Crisis

>>By Yifat Susskind, AlterNet

>>Posted on October 31, 2007, Printed on November 11, 2007

>>http://www.alternet.org/story/66451/

>>You probably don't need to be told that the threat of climate change is

>>real. If you're concerned about the issue, it's fairly easy to conjure

>>the apocalyptic scenes of widespread drought, frequent deadly storms,

>>mass hunger, and wars over natural resources like oil and water. Much

>>harder to come by are examples of positive actions that can avert these

>>disasters and ease the crisis in places where they are already in play.

>>So let's skip the litany of catastrophes that await if global warming is

>>not controlled. Instead, why not focus on some solutions? None are

>>perfect or complete, but each offers a model of positive change that is

>>more than theoretically possible -- it is already happening.

>>Many of these examples are small-scale and local. That's instructive

>>because our best hope for sustainability -- in agriculture, industry,

>>energy, community design, and government -- may lie in local, small-scale

>>models like some of those presented here. It may seem as though

>>large-scale problems require large-scale solutions. But most big

>>institutions and processes are driven by the very people and ideas that

>>have generated our global crisis. It's in the local and the small that

>>the majority of people can exercise agency and decision-making power.

>>While we may not be looking to create large-scale models of every success

>>story, we do need to replicate, adapt, and institutionalize what works

>>for people, communities, and the environment. We need to link local

>>initiatives and build on them by enacting policies that can sustain their

>>momentum.

>>To overcome our global environmental crisis, we need solutions that are

>>at once visionary and concrete. Here are some of the many innovations

>>that are ours to develop.

>>1. What if women -- the majority of the world's farmers -- could resist

>>the commercialization of agriculture and strengthen food-centered economies?

>>When the World Bank forced Kenyan farmers to start growing tea for export

>>instead of food, Kenyan women took the lead in resisting those policies.

>>Through their Green Belt Movement, the women planted over 40 million

>>trees to offset deforestation caused by tea plantations and created

>>initiatives to promote sustainable farming. Today, the Green Belt

>>Movement includes hundreds of thousands of rural people across Africa.

>>2. What if poor rural families were given land so that they could grow

>>their own food?

>>Through mass civil disobedience and political organizing, the Landless

>>Workers' Movement (MST) in Brazil succeeded in overturning government

>>policy and securing 15 million acres of farmland for 250,000 families.

>>The families' average income is now four times the minimum wage. Infant

>>mortality is half the national average and many MST settlements are

>>models of sustainable agriculture.

>>3. What if Indigenous Peoples' collective rights were recognized, ending

>>the attack on those who have managed and maintained the world's most

>>delicate ecosystems for millennia?

>>This year saw a major step in this direction with the passage of the UN

>>Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration

>>recognizes Indigenous Peoples' right to control their territories and

>>resources, which hold much of the Earth's remaining biodiversity and half

>>its untapped fossil fuels. Now, Indigenous women are working to ensure

>>that governments honor the Declaration.

>>4. What if economic policies recognized that preserving the environment

>>was more important than obtaining fossil fuels?

>>Ecuador's President Correa has announced that he will not drill for oil

>>in Yasuni National Park. The decision marks the first time an

>>oil-producing country has formally chosen to forgo oil exploration and

>>shift its economy from oil dependency to more sustainable alternatives

>>that protect ecosystems and Indigenous rights while averting more global

>>carbon emissions.

>>5. What if governments valued people's happiness over economic growth?

>>The government of Bhutan has replaced the singular, narrow standard of

>>Gross Domestic Product with a measure it calls Gross National Happiness.

>>Bhutan is not a utopia, but it has made remarkable progress in building

>>its economy while preserving the environment, limiting corruption, and

>>supporting education and healthcare. Life expectancy in Bhutan has risen

>>by 19 years since the " happiness index " was established in 1972.

>>6. What if genuine democracy -- the precondition for policies that

>>benefit people over profits -- were to flourish?

>>In the past eight years, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Uruguay,

>>and Bolivia have elected governments that are forging alternatives to

>>US-led corporate globalization. The Indigenous and social movements that

>>brought these governments to power are not just reforming, but redefining

>>the state through a shift from representative democracy (easily

>>controlled by elites) to participatory democracy, where power is devolved

>>to communities and the principle of majority rule with minority rights is

>>upheld.

>>7. What if we could redress the forced impoverishment of the Global South?

>>Debt cancellation, carbon fees, and international taxes on arms sales and

>>on profits derived from financial speculation are some of the complex yet

>>concrete proposals at hand. Communities around the world have formed a

>>broad movement working to craft debt cancellation policies that can

>>support national sovereignty and women's human rights. Not long ago, it

>>seemed impossible. Today, debt cancellation has been partially

>>implemented and is squarely on the agenda of economic policymakers.

>>8. What if climate change could be stopped?

>>Climate change can be stopped, with existing technologies, if governments

>>use their prerogative to regulate and tax corporations so that they limit

>>resource use and generate funds for sustainable development. According to

>>the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we have the know-how to

>>reduce global carbon emissions by 26 billion tons by 2030 -- that's more

>>than enough to avoid the 2-degree Celsius rise in temperatures that would

>>bring on the worst consequences of global warming.

>>9. What if governments realized that striving for limitless economic

>>growth is not a solution, but a cause of poverty and ecological collapse?

>>Thailand has pioneered a " sufficiency economy, " based on low growth to

>>reduce poverty and conserve natural resources. The model aims to promote

>>economic self-reliance, rural development, and environmental protection.

>>According to the Thai government, " during these times of rapid

>>globalization and global warming, emphasizing moderation, responsible

>>consumption, and resilience to external shocks is of great relevance not

>>just to Thailand but to countries and communities across the world. "

>>10. What if we saw the need to de-industrialize our societies as an

>>opportunity, not a crisis?

>>In the UK, " transition towns " are creating new modes of locally rooted

>>agriculture, commerce, energy, transportation, housing, and government

>>that are the building blocks of a " post-carbon future. " This " transition

>>movement " holds that the need to consume less oil can lead to a

>>healthier, happier future in places where the shift is well-planned,

>>locally grounded, and democratic. Sweden has announced its intention to

>>be oil-free by 2020, and Finland may soon follow. Cuba has already

>>transitioned from being one of Latin America's most industrialized

>>countries to being one of the most sustainable. For decades, Soviet oil

>>imports and trade fueled Cuba's economy. Today, 80 percent of Cuban

>>agriculture is organic and the country is largely self-sufficient.

>>11. What if a critical mass of people the world over realized the need

>>for urgent action?

>>People on every continent are mobilizing to address our global crisis.

>>They are not waiting for governments or outside leadership, but are

>>organizing their own community-based solutions, including local food

>>systems; community-controlled, renewable sources of energy; and

>>sustainable modes of manufacturing, trade, and consumption. Women are at

>>the heart of much of this organizing. Working at the crossroads of

>>economy and ecology, they are propelling a transformation of global

>>values and policies on which our future depends.

>>Yifat Susskind is communications director of MADRE, an international

>>women's human rights organization.

>>© 2007 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.

>>View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/66451/

>>

>>

>>--

>>Dear Friends,

>>Sending this mail keeping you in mind. If you do not want to receive such

>>mails let me know.

>>Please consider the environment before printing this message.

>>Sincerely,

>>Dr. Vispi Jokhi

>>MS (Orthopedics)

>>660/6 S. Palamkote Road, Parsi Colony,

>>Dadar, Mumbai-400014.

>>91 22 32440710

>>9323351529

>>e mail: vhjokhi

>>

 

******

Kraig and Shirley Carroll ... in the woods of SE Kentucky

http://www.thehavens.com/

thehavens

606-376-3363

 

 

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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).

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