We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, January 28, 2011

Climate change related reports

from Climate Progress a World Meteorological Organization report:
2010 "characterized by a high number of extreme weather events"
from The Guardian: ExxonMobil warns carbon emissions will rise by 25% in 20 years

from Reuters: Greenland ice melt sets a record — and could set the stage for sea level rise


Clearly capitalism's addiction to profits (riches for a few) continues to cause unstable and extreme weather patterns that will likely result in the extinction of human and other species on Earth.