A Decade Later...Earth Matters!

Ten years ago, 2007, I was regularly blogging about the dangers of global warming/climate change. In April of that year I wrote:

The future seems to me the most uncertain it has been since I was a young child in Hull, England during World War 2, when that city suffered horrendous bombing. The morrow, never mind the future, was uncertain for many at that time. When I first arrived in the USA at the end of 2004, global warming was looked on as something of a joke here. I despaired. I can see, now, the enormous difference Al Gore has single-handedly made, in a short time. When "An Inconvenient Truth" first arrived in cinemas in Oklahoma, it was shown only in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We travelled to Oklahoma City, about 75 miles away, to see it. The number of people in the theatre could have been counted on two hands, but that sparse audience rose to their feet as one at the end of the film, applauded, and uplifted my hopes.

Back then, in the run up to the 2008 presidential election I was an avid supporter of Al Gore, "Run, Al...run!!" frequently appeared in my posts, or on my sidebar. I finished the 2007 post thus:

The American government is still dragging its feet, and appears to be lagging well behind public opinion, but in 2008 that government is guaranteed to change. I hope that its successor will be strong enough to do what's needed, however unpopular it makes them. We may not get to the stage of being uncertain about the morrow in the next few years, but those who come after will have that to face, if we don't insist that something is done by world governments soon.

Ten years on, nothing has changed, in fact the situation has grown worse. The Bush and Obama administrations did nothing, or next to nothing to address climate change; anything seemingly helpful proved to be lip service only. The current administration is openly opposed to addressing climate change. The horrendous storms, floods, fires and losses of Fall 2017 could prove to be the opening act of a new and far more dangerous stage in our journey to temperate climate destruction. People of the USA have not yet vociferously demanded action on this. They loudly demand action on race and gender issues, important in their own ways of course, yet without a habitable planet on which to live, what will those issues matter? Why have there been no huge marches, sit-ins, protests on behalf of planet Earth? Where are the the "Earth Matters" Warriors?

“If your house is on fire, you don't comfort yourself with the thought that houses have been catching fire for thousands of years. You don't sit idly back and think, "Oh well, that is the way of nature." You get going, immediately. And you don't spring into action because of an idealistic notion that houses deserve to be saved. You do it because if you don't, you won't have a place to live.”
― Bill Nye

EXTREMES

Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier, hurricanes stronger and droughts more severe. This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives. It is also causing dangerous changes to the landscape of our world, adding stress to wildlife species and their habitat.
(See here).

While some regions of the USA have been experiencing more extreme weather, it's nothing like the extremes experienced in other parts of the world. In India, for instance, soaring temperatures are killing many hundreds of inhabitants - and people there are not unused to extreme heat.
(See here).

Oklahoma has never been short of some level of weather extremes, but the pendulum has been swinging ever more widely during the past few years, noticeable even during the relatively short time I've lived here (since late 2004). Our local newspaper's headline today was apt: "From the Driest to the Wettest". Texas, our neighbour to the south, is experiencing much the same, and worse in some areas. (See here).

This year's long, colder than usual winter followed a few very dry summer seasons. The state experienced ongoing severe drought conditions. These are suddenly ending with weeks of regular violent storms and torrential rains. I'll not even mention the attendant tornadic activity because that comes with the territory, always has.

In 2015 the annual rainy tornado season is lasting longer, with regular daily storms, heavy rainfall bringing flash floods. Rivers and lakes are filling rapidly, some overflowing. In many ways we are thankful - this is beneficial, much needed.

Yet, one does wonder.

What if this is part of a new pattern? Could the region cope with a regular mini-monsoon season? I doubt it. Drainage systems here have always seemed primitive to me, coming as I did from oft rain-soaked England where they have the drainage issue down to a fine art. Even there, though, flooding occasionally does cause problems.

Will local Okie and Texas politicians ever deign to accept that climate change is actually happening? If they do, eventually accept as much, will they have the gumption to do something about trying to slow down the rate of change?

Another Rabbit Hole ~ Post techno decline, druid, astrology, geomancy...

I've wandered down an internet rabbit-hole again - easy to do is it not?! Reading a thread of commentary, on matters related to climate change, I followed a commenter's link to an article, Technological Superstitions, by one John Michael Greer, ("the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America and the author of more than thirty books on a wide range of subjects, including peak oil and the future of industrial society.") It's an excellent (and totally non-occult) read. As the commenter who recommended the piece wrote "[Greer] is honest, factual, documents his findings, is hopeful, but brutally succinct in his assessments that humanity is already well into it's post-technological decline". The piece is published at one of Mr Greer's blogs, The Archdruid Report. Another of his blogs, this with focus on the occult, is The Well of Galabes (Reflections on Druidry, Magic, and Occult Philosophy). In case anyone is wondering, like me, what or where is Galabes: it was a fountain or spring in Wales frequented by the legendary wizard, Merlin.

I pottered around some of JMG's articles on both blogs, read his book review headed Another Kind of Star Wars, relating to Ann Geneva's Astrology and the Seventeenth Century Mind: William Lilly and the Language of the Stars (1995). Then, curious to discover whether he'd written anything on astrology himself, did a brief search which threw up a page from his book, The Art and Practice of Geomancy.

JMG mentions that a 16th century geomancer called geomancy "daughter of astrology". I had no idea what geomancy involved, so wandered a little further down the rabbit hole to find a set of fairly brief pieces on Astrological Geomancy at Renaissance Astrology website. Also another good piece at serenapowers.com HERE.

Those "figures" used in geomancy, made up of pairs or single dots rang a clear bell in my memory - still clear even though it comes from long, long ago. My maternal grandmother had an encyclopedia of... don't recall the exact title, but it boiled down to "strange stuff". It was a thick door stopper of a book which I loved to dip into whenever, as a child, I visited my grandparents. One of my favourite sections was devoted to what I only now realise was geomancy. I remember those patterns of dots very clearly. I think the book must have offered some simplified method of using them - maybe to answer a question; but at this point memory detail becomes foggy. I do remember that was section I'd first turn to; it always fascinated me, but until now I'd never stumbled upon those dot figures again, though often had wondered about them. The I-Ching reminded me of them a little, but seems to be far more complex. Grandma's book must have offered a very much simplified version of geomancy, in order for me to have understood it. So far, I'm not feeling much enthusiasm from what I've read online about geomancy.

If a passing reader has experience of using geomancy I'd be interested to hear about it.

On wandering back out of the rabbit hole again, passing by John Michael Greer, I wondered about his date of birth. He's secretive on this, it would seem. "1962" is the only clue we are given. One website states 1 January 1962, but I think this is because there's no other information available - I've come across this practice of using 1 January before, when only the birth year is known, and have been misled. Hmm... wasn't 1962 the year of the big Aquarius stellium - around February ? Yes it was! It'd be fun if JMG's birthdate fell during that span. Other natives, such as Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Axl Rose, Eddie Izzard might be very entertaining and successful but they don't really fit my idea of maxi-Aquarius-types. JMG might do so.

So...back to the surface again, until another rabbit-hole looks inviting enough to investigate.

Bubbling Under

Some weeks it's impossible to know what we should be worrying about first. We've recently had choice of: Israel/Palestine/Gaza; Ukraine; Iraq; net neutrality; torturing "folks"; drones; SCOTUS; and on and on. Then there's that old elephant always waiting in a corner of the room. If only it were half as friendly as an elephant we wouldn't need to worry at all.

Scientists at NASA, NOAA, CDIAC, NSIDC and others are seriously concerned that human activity is likely to emit 44 billion tons of CO2 in a year's time. That amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere is tiny compared to what is going to soon release from the Arctic region of the planet in the form of CO2 and methane gas, and enter the atmospheric greenhouse gas mix - and it will be mostly methane. Methane, when it initially enters the atmosphere is 105 times more potent than is CO2 as a heat trapping gas, and even after a 100 years remains around 35 times as potent.

The Arctic region is 70% ocean. That is where methane is, locked in permafrost in the sub sea floor of the ocean. As the ocean's perennial surface ice melts away, as it has been doing, the sub sea permafrost thaws; that allows the methane gas to escape and enter the atmosphere. It isn't just "tiny bubbles", it is massive half mile diameter plumes of methane bursting from the water so the water seems to boil.

According to the International Siberian Shelf Study group, who conduct on-site research in the Arctic, there are trillions of tons of methane there. Not billions! A trillion tons of methane gas entering the atmosphere within a 1 to 5 year time period, would be equal to 105 trillion tons of additional CO2 in the greenhouse gas mix. That is a sobering thought which ought to be jolting world governments to full awareness of future danger to our planet, and perhaps a future danger that is not as far off as they had previously surmised. Methane will escape in huge quantities when the subsea permafrost thaws. The Arctic Ocean is relatively shallow, meaning that methane isn't consumed by bacteria before it enters the upper surface of the water.

See HERE


After preparing this post, the next day I spotted that a new book by Naomi Klein, due out next month, addresses our situation climate-wise; title: This Changes Everything. Capitalism vs. The Climate. (See HERE.)

Ms Klein:

The case I want to make to you is that climate change—when its full economic and moral implications are understood—is the most powerful weapon progressives have ever had in the fight for equality and social justice.

But first, we have to stop running away from the climate crisis, stop leaving it to the environmentalist, and look at it. Let ourselves absorb the fact that the industrial revolution that led to our society’s prosperity is now destabilizing the natural systems on which all of life depends.

"Climate change," she added, is "not an 'issue' for you to add to the list of things to worry about it. It is a civilizational wake up call."

2020 in Oklahoma ?

Looking through my WordPad index for something else, I found a snippet I'd saved in 2012, from a thread of comments at Common Dreams under an article by George Monbiot headed "Stop This Culture of Paying Politicians for Denying Climate Change".
NC Tom's imaginative comment I'd stumbled across again, two years on, rings ever more insightful by the month. At present, in our drought-ridden south-western section of Oklahoma, outdoor watering of grass and gardens is restricted to just two designated days and must be done before 9 am. A complete ban on outdoor watering waits in the wings.

Comment written by NC Tom in 2012:

The year is 2020. 86 year old [James] Inhofe is up for re-election. Perryton and Woodward Oklahoma have been abandoned because of lack of water. The only farmable land is near the state's lakes, where they can be used for irrigation. The meager rainfall the state has been receiving for the last decade has not been able to keep those lakes full, and their level noticeably drops every year. The situation is unsustainable.

At a mid October campaign rally, the still defiant Inhofe railed against those "ecology nuts" that said man made climate change was getting so bad that within 10-15 years the heartland of the country would be uninhabitable. "What the hell do those idiots know?" He yelled as loud as his old man lungs would allow so he could be heard over the bank of fans that were doing their best to keep him cool. "This is just 'La Grande Nina'* causing this little heat wave. Plus it's mid October, and it's supposed to be hot!"

That first Tuesday in November most of Oklahoma was experiencing daytime temps of 140 − 145 degrees F. For safety reasons it was decided to hold the election at night, when the temps got down to the tolerable mid 90s.

Turnout was better than expected because everyone who went to the polls would get a free hand held fan with the image of none other than Jesus Christ himself on it, with the slogan "Jesus Cools" sprawled across the top.

The next morning the election results were no surprise, Inhofe won hands down. His campaign platform of "Don't let the environmental wackos, take away your pickup." was hugely popular.

Later that day a representative from Koch Industries congratulated him on his win. Inhofe thanked them for all the money they had given him over the years, and he also thanked them for the retreat they had built for him and his family in northern Alaska, called "Tulsa Two" or 2Ts for short.

He chuckled over the phone, "I don't know why everybody is whining about the weather around here, up there at 2Ts things are just fine..."

*Note: La Grande Nina was coined by the Heritage Foundation, in an attempt to explain away the high temps.

Then there's this, from Tuesday this week:

Oklahoma Being Swamped by Earthquakes, But It's Probably Just A Coincidence There's All This Drilling Right Nearby

A series of earthquakes rocked Oklahoma over the weekend - six Friday night alone - thus continuing an alarming trend: Already this year, the state's 252 quakes have "crushed" last year's record of 222 quakes.

Hmm.
“What you’ve got to understand, son,” says the doctor, “is it’s all the fault of the alien space bats.”
(Cory Doctorow, The Rapture of the Nerds: A tale of the singularity, posthumanity, and awkward social situations.)

ARCTIC

Intense cold, currently experienced by many parts of the USA, has brought forth a new (to me) term: "Polar Vortex". In reading about it I came across the excellent videos linked below.

David Wasdell explains the situation in a clear concise way in the two approx. 20 minute videos. If you, like me were aware but somewhat confused, please do take the time to watch this important explanation.

ARCTIC FEEDBACK DYNAMICS ~ David Wasdell

"The War Is With Ourselves"

Back from an enjoyable trip which took us through the Arkansas Ozarks, now in Fall colour. Apart from posting a handful of photographs below, I'll devote this post to what is an immensely more important issue. (Illustration: Cartoon by Mandor, 2010)

Climate change has been dismissed as more or less irrelevant by politicians in the USA for far too long. The Kyoto Treaty, drawn up in Japan in 1997 aimed to commit industrialised nations to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, principally carbon dioxide, by around 5.2% below their 1990 levels over the next decade. The agreement needed to be ratified by countries who were responsible for at least 55% of the world's carbon emissions in 1990 to come into force. President George W Bush, in March 2001 announced that the United States would never sign it. That was when my hackles, from their then location in England, were raised against The Powers That Be in this country.

When I first arrived in the USA at the end of 2004, global warming was looked on as something of a joke here. I despaired; but then I was around to see the enormous difference Al Gore single-handedly brought about. When "An Inconvenient Truth" arrived in cinemas in Oklahoma, it was shown only in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We travelled to Oklahoma City to see it. The number of people in the theatre could have been counted on two hands, but, as the movie ended that sparse audience rose to their feet as one, applauded, and uplifted my hopes. But they have since proved to have been forlorn hopes. The US administration has been dragging its feet ever since, right up to this 2012 presidential election cycle when neither of the two main candidates has deigned to discuss the issue in debate or campaign speech.

"The struggle to save the global environment is in one way much more difficult than the struggle to vanquish Hitler, for this time the war is with ourselves. We are the enemy, just as we have only ourselves as allies. In a war such as this, then, what is victory and how will we recognize it?" (Al Gore)

From Hurricane Sandy as Greek Tragedy by Mark Hertsgaard, at Common Dreams:

Sandy is short for Cassandra, the Greek mythological figure who epitomizes tragedy. The gods gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy; depending on which version of the story one prefers, she could either see or smell the future. But with this gift also came a curse: Cassandra’s warnings about future disasters were fated to be ignored. That is the essence of this tragedy: to know that a given course of action will lead to disaster but to pursue it nevertheless.

And so it has been with America’s response to climate change. For more than twenty years, scientists and others have been warning that global warming, if left unaddressed, would bring a catastrophic increase in extreme weather—summers like that of 2012, when the United States endured the hottest July on record and the worst drought in fifty years, mega-storms like the one now punishing the East Coast.

My logical pain-in-the-arse Aquarian mind tells me: "What's the use of worrying? Without the right people in charge of the USA, nothing will change on a large enough scale to make a difference, and in any case, it is now likely to be too late to make enough of a difference anyway." Yet the other side of me still sees the benefit of The Powers that Be at least trying to do something - to be pro-active instead of re-active, to treat climate change with the seriousness it deserves; to put the resources being currently wasted in military force around the world and on immoral drone attacks into a determined fight against this real and very, very obvious global danger.

We may not yet have quite reached the stage of being uncertain about the morrow, but those who come after will have that to face, if we don't insist on something being done by our US government, and all world governments - and soon.

A few pics from our trip, from my own camera. I've left them smallish but clicking on them should bring up a big version. We drove on highways and dirt roads - amazed at the miles and miles of dense forest, probably areas where no human feet have trod (maybe some Native American feet, long ago). We visited Van Buren, Fort Smith, Fayetteville and some smaller towns. This north-western area of Arkansas is beautiful, the people are really "laid back", and just as friendly as Okies.

10 - 10 - 10

I feel as though I ought to be writing something about 10 on this day of three tens.

As a start: what's the significance of the number 10 in astrology? Let's see.

Each zodiac sign of 30 degrees is split into "decans" - 10ths : 3 sets of 10 degrees. Erm.....Capricorn, Cardinal Earth is the 10th sign of the zodiac, ruled by Saturn . 10th house represents one's career, work and public persona. On 10th house cusp is the midheaven angle - a potent spot in any astrological chart.

That's all I can come up with for astrological 10.

In Tarot, card 10 of the Major Arcana is The Wheel of Fortune. In traditional tarot decks the wheel has the four mystical creatures of the bible (Ezekiel 1:10, Revelation 4:7) in the four corners, corresponding to the four Fixed signs of the Zodiac: A bull = Taurus, a lion = Leo, an Eagle = Scorpio, and a winged man = Aquarius. The card is interpreted along these lines: unexpected developments, change of course, new way of life; conflicts of interest , circumstances beyond one's control; some chaos then the start of something better ; the hand of fate; advice to maintain a flexible attitude.

Number 10 follows number 9 which in the Tarot is the Hermit. The Hermit is the self-realized wise one. 10 + 9 = 19; 1 + 9 = 10; 1 + 0 = 1.... and round and around we go.....the wheel turns.

Ten is the culmination of previous steps into a 2 digit numeral
but 1 + 0 = 1 thus the end becomes the beginning.

The 1 and the O = binary code, the male and female that is within every structure and every code of creation.
Biologically the 1 represents the male penis and the O is the woman's vagina, which combine to create life.

Everything written thus far may seem like so much gobbledegook to some passing readers, but there ARE far more down to earth events taking place on 10-10-10.
What follows might just herald in The Wheel of Fortune's promise of better things after chaos, or echo astrology's Capricorn and 10th house symbolism of Earth, work - getting things DONE!

When our leaders won't lead, it's time to take climate matters back into our own hands. At the Global Work Party this weekend, October 10, we are organizing our communities from the ground up.
350.org - are inviting people in every country on earth to take tangible local actions to make their communities better places to live, and emit less carbon at the same time. Through local climate action projects, we'll make our leaders wake up and lead on the climate crisis. It's a plan that may well break the logjam and get us moving.

http://tcktcktck.org/events/major-moments/global-work-party


Some things we can all do to help the cause today....and every day following:
Easiest of all, but oft forgotten - switch off unnecessary lights and appliances.
Adjust thermostats to more economical settings. Be aware of wasteful use of water - lawn sprinklers are not a necessity of life on Earth. Recycle, recycle, recycle.



Some events organised for today in countries throughout the world (copied from http://blog.iesve.com/)

Sumo wrestlers cycling to practice in downtown Tokyo.

An education center in the Namib Desert in Namibia installing six solar panels.

Divers on the smallest island nation of the world, Nauru (8.1 square miles) will plunge into their coral reefs for an underwater clean-up.

President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives is installing solar panels on his roof.

Partiers in Edinburgh will be throwing a “Joycott” (a reverse boycott) at a local bar that agreed to put 20% of its extra revenues on 10/10/10 to making the bar more energy efficient. Attendees will try and drink as much as possible to raise money. Cheers!

In San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico, students will hand out solar-powered lights to families, who are still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Alex this June, 2010.

Over 100 cyclists from Jordan, Israel and Palestine taking part in a 3-day bicycle relay to carry water from the Yarmouk River and the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea to symbolize the need for cooperation to stop climate change and save precious water resources.

On 10/10/10 the Mayor of Mexico City will sign a commitment to reduce the city’s emissions 10% in a single year. The city government will be directly responsible for 5% of the reductions and lead a public campaign to get citizens to cut the remaining 5%.

Young people in Barbados will be demonstrating the viability of fuel cell technology in a hovercraft they have built themselves.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, and the ugly truth.

Once again, Shepard Smith proves that he's the one news anchor at Fox News to have any semblance of conscience and intellect. See HERE There's a video of the incident included at the link.

"The Fox Report" on Fox News, hosted by anchor Shepard Smith, ran a piece by reporter Dan Springer on how Canada's single-payer health care system is forcing Canadians to come to the United States for care because the waiting period for treatment is too long. The report was intended to contrast negatively with proposals in the U.S. to include a public option in health care reform, however Smith questioned whether the report they just ran was actually fair....."

This may not seem like much, but I'd give Shep Smith yet another gold star for it. At the very least it might encourage viewers to stop and think, or ask a few more questions of their representatives.

My previous posts on Shepard Smith and his astrology are at:
Shepard Smith - Fair and Balanced
and Shepard Smith of Fox News.

That news item ties in with something I've been steaming about for a couple of days. I wrote to our two Senators a while back, urging them to support a public option as part of the proposed health care bill in the USA. Both our Senators had indicated that they intended not to support this proposal. I didn't expect to hear anything further, but writing helped me feel I was doing what I could. I received a response from one Senator: James Inhofe.

What was written would be funny if it wasn't so damned pathetic. He has sent me what I assume is the standard response prepared for sending to "pesky left-wingers" like myself who dare to write in. He has the gall to criticise the UK National Health Service, and the Canadian system too, offering examples of their faults. He neither knows nor cares, of course, that one recipient of his letter spent most of her life under the wing of the National Health Service and sees the lies in his letter for exactly what they are. For myself it doesn't matter, but for others who receive a copy of the same letter, without the experience I'm so lucky to have had, it is tantamount to brainwash.

Sen. Inhofe and his astrology have been the subject of two of my previous posts:HERE
and HERE

I've also read this week that Sen. Inhofe is to attend the international meeting on climate change in Copenhagen. See here. He gives this peaceful state of Oklahoma a bad name.

"How more removed from the day-to-day reality of most Oklahomans can you get than flying to Copenhagen, Denmark to tell the international community the United States will not pass legislation anytime soon dealing with global warming?

But that’s just what U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says he intends to do, according to the National Review. Inhofe says he will lead a “truth squad” to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December. This squad will argue there’s not enough support in the U.S. Senate to pass a bill."

I don't blame James Inhofe for being who he is, he can't help it. I blame the people of Oklahoma for voting him into the Senate and giving him such power over their lives.

Extremely extreme.

During 2007 Oklahoma experienced some of the most extreme weather in the state's history. Oklahoma has a reputation for experiencing extreme weather, lying in Tornado Alley, as it does, centre of the nation, high pressure and low pressure colliding from mountains, plains, desert, Gulf coast - a fine mixing pot! 2007, though, brought extremely extreme weather to the state. According to a report in our local newspaper, on no less than eight occasions during the year federal disaster aid was made available through presidential declaration. No other state has ever had as many presidential disaster declarations in one year.

Oklahoma achieved statehood on 17 Nov 1907. Astrologically the state could be said to have been "born" under the zodiac sign of Scorpio. I'm doubtful about states, countries, governments and other inanimate entities having "signs" and charts, but I'm open to persuasion. Here's a thought which does kind of fit, if states were eligible for charts and Sun signs. Scorpio's ruler is Pluto, and during 2007 Pluto has been in a particularly significant area of Sagittarius - close to the Galactic Center. Sagittarius is known to relate to extremes of all kinds. The Galactic Center is thought to be something of a dynamo, which could, arguably, intensify that which is already extreme.







Oklahoma started 2007 with an ice storm which caused the biggest power blackout in state history. Spring and summer 2007 brought heavy rainfall, ending the drought but causing floods which devastated homes, floated vehicles, necessitated dramatic rescues, and shattered records. The year ended, almost as it had begun, with an ice storm, this time leaving 600,000 homes and businesses without power, and causing 29 deaths. We in the south-western section of the state were fortunate, and fared much better than those further north and east, experiencing only minimal disruption.

Was this extreme weather, occurring while Pluto transited Sagittarius and the Galactic Center, a coincidence? There's climate change to add to the query too. I don't know the answer - coincidence, the thin end of climate change, or astrology? A mix of all three perhaps.

A Climate of Backlash

Yesterday I decided to spend a little time catching up on blogs I've neglected to read for a while. I started at Barbara's "Silverwheel Astrology" then moved on to Dr. Glen Barry's at "Earth Meanders" (17 July post)- I got no further.

Although the authors of these two blogs hold opposite views about climate change, the bloggers and many comments speak out against Al Gore and his "mission", albeit for different reasons.

It's no surprise that Al Gore is an irritant to those skeptical about man-made, or indeed any global warming. I can understand also why dedicated environmentalists might feel miffed to see him, with celebrity helpers, getting so much publicity when their own efforts have gone well nigh unnoticed over many years.

Al Gore is caught in backlash coming from both sides of this debate, not only in blogs, elsewhere too. Backlash is a by-product of success, of course, so I suppose it was to be expected. I'm not sure whether there's a coinciding astrological transit - transiting Mars is hanging around his natal Venus just now - maybe that's it.

I've noticed recently another discernable backlash. People who appear to have been scolded and chided by over-eager "Greens" are becoming weary of it. Over-zealous nagging is never helpful, and eventually turns counter-productive.

My personal opinion on climate change remains that human activity over the last century has contributed to, and exacerbated, change which may or may not be part of a natural cycle. I feel pretty sure that even the most qualified expert doesn't know for certain what's going on, or what's in store for the future. Isn't risk limitation the best way forward? It surely must be, unless we are truly short-sighted and uncaring, for the risk is scarily unquantifiable. Isn't this what Al Gore's mission is all about?

Solutions involved in combatting man-made climate change (whether one believes that it exists or not), would greatly benefit humans and the planet in the long term. Deforestation is patently bad for the planet. Huge mountains of waste plastic and other non-degradable materials will someday become a menace if nothing is done to reduce them. New sources of energy will be essential in coming decades - oil will someday run out. If population isn't limited soon, Mother Nature will do it for us. Glaciers are melting - proof is there for all to see. Ocean levels will therefore rise, to what extent is uncertain. Whether currents such as the Gulf Stream will be affected is also a consideration. Banning new development on flood plains, and vulnerable coastal areas, would surely benefit the environment whether catastrophe comes in our lifetime, or things trundle along much as they are now.

As for Al Gore's penchant for recruiting celebrity helpers - what does it matter about their motives or their lifestyles? The message is the important thing. Their luxurious lifestyles give these people the freedom to do what they are doing. It's the superficial, yet essential, side of Al Gore's mission. He's attempting to reach the youth of the world - those who will have to deal with after-effects from long decades of our not caring.

I admire Al Gore a lot, my only disappointment is that, so far, he declines to run in the 2008 presidential campaign. Without strong action from the government in the USA, which I suspect will not be forthcoming under any other presidency, nothing will change here - except, perhaps, the climate.