Greetings Friends:
Fall in Northern Hemisphere. October in the Northern Hemisphere has begun to change our air and shorten our daylight hours. We have been recovering slowly from the assault of major storms in North America and the Caribbean where many small islands have been devastated. Other parts of the globe still struggle with extreme weather, especially in south Asia and parts of Africa. I mention these catastrophes because I believe these storms have been made more severe due to the abundance of carbon released into our atmosphere by human activity. I am hugely fortunate to have personally escaped all these troubles for now because of where I live in the temperate northeast of the United States. But I know I am somehow complicit in the carbon impacts owing to my lifestyle in this affluent economy.
Forward With Hope. Somewhere the right balance needs be struck between understanding our human responsibility for the increase in Earth problems and the way forward with hope. Young persons in particular have been paying attention and many are realizing the time is short but the solutions have been coming into consciousness. We know how we might proceed to draw down the carbon in our atmosphere. We know how to make changes that will allow a sustainable future for us and for those who will follow. It is not all doom and gloom for sure. Thomas Berry has encouraged us that the universe is for us, not against us: ..."the basic mood of the future might well be one of confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and through the earth."
Good News to Share. This edition of the Carbon Rangers will try to share some of the good news about how we might proceed. Not all can do all and some can do only a few things, but the human being can take up the challenge with some deep belief in success. I invite you to take some time to inspect the items presented below. I believe we have an excellent opening here to take the right steps. We know that we cannot wait for governments to do the the right thing. Sadly the USA has entered a rather grim period as far as leading on the changes needed . But, many individual states, cities, towns, universities, businesses, faith groups, and neighborhoods have begun to stir and begun to organize themselves. We can see some progress and we can see a path forward.
100 Solutions. I have placed an image of Drawdown in the banner above. This project has only recently been launched globally. The subtitle: "The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming." Several pieces of the Drawdown plan have been opened up for inspection below; just three examples from the full list of 100 ways to reduce carbon on the planet. I hope you take some time to ponder their implications. We have a way forward. "Drawdown is a message grounded in science; it is also a testament to the growing stream of humanity who understands the enormity of the challenge we face, and is willing to devote their lives to a future of kindness, security, and regeneration." (From the Preface). Published by Penguin Books, NY. On the web at www.drawdown.org
Cities, States, Universities. After the Drawdown intro we can look at some bold steps being taken by cities, states and industries across the globe. These cities and corporations are not waiting for federal government to take action. There is an intriguing piece from science work at Columbia University on the potential for evaporation as a power source for electricity. These examples show how leadership on solutions can come from everyone everywhere.
Pope and Patriarch. Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew appear here again as we concluded the Season of Creation Care on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
And finally, I have included as usual an insight from Fr. Thomas Berry that points to why we still have a sense of confidence that we can navigate this current predicament.
Cordially,
Br. Kevin
You can link to the Edmund Rice International website for Care of Earth here.
The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue at Iona College has a web page here.
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More on Drawdown
"To be clear, our organization did not create or devise a plan. We do not have that capability or self-appointed mandate. In conducting our research, we found a plan, a blueprint that already exists in the world in the form of humanity’s collective wisdom, made manifest in applied, hands-on practices and technologies. Individuals, communities, farmers, cities, companies, and governments have shown that they care about this planet, its people, and its places. Engaged citizens world over are doing something extraordinary. This is their story."
Drawdown maps, measures, models, and describes the 100 most substantive solutions to global warming. For each solution, we describe its history, the carbon impact it provides, the relative cost and savings, the path to adoption, and how it works. The goal of the research that informs Drawdown is to determine if we can reverse the buildup of atmospheric carbon within thirty years. All solutions modeled are already in place, well understood, analyzed based on peer-reviewed science, and are expanding around the world.
Rankings. For our purposes, we rank solutions based on the total amount of greenhouse gases they can potentially avoid or remove from the atmosphere. The rankings are global. Each solution here reduces greenhouse gases by avoiding emissions or sequestering carbon dioxide. The degree of impact is translated into gigatons of carbon dioxide removed between 2020 and 2050. Thirty - six billion gigatons is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted in 2016. Learn more.
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DRAWDOWN
Photo credit: Hugh Sitton
WOMEN AND GIRLS
EDUCATING GIRLS
#6
RANK AND RESULTS BY 2050
59.6 GIGATONS
REDUCED CO2
IMPACT: Two solutions influence family size and global population: educating girls and family planning. Because the exact dynamic between these solutions is impossible to determine, our models allocate 50 percent of the total potential impact to each. We assume that these impacts result from thirteen years of schooling, including primary through secondary education. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, by closing an annual financing gap of $39 billion, universal education in low- and lower-middle-income countries can be achieved. It could result in 59.6 gigatons of emissions reduced by 2050. The return on that investment is incalculable.
References.
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DRAWDOWN
Photo Credit: Hugh Sitton
ELECTRICITY GENERATION
ROOFTOP SOLAR
#10
RANK AND RESULTS BY 2050
24.6 GIGATONS
REDUCED CO2
$453.14 BILLION
NET IMPLEMENTATION COST
$3.46 TRILLION
NET OPERATIONAL SAVINGS IMPACT: Our analysis assumes rooftop solar PV can grow from .4 percent of electricity generation globally to 7 percent by 2050. That growth can avoid 24.6 gigatons of emissions. We assume an implementation cost of $1,883 per kilowatt, dropping to $627 per kilowatt by 2050. Over three decades, the technology could save $3.4 trillion in home energy costs.
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DRAWDOWN
Photo credit:Camerastock/Almy
LAND USE
AFFORESTATION
#15
RANK AND RESULTS BY 2050
18.06 GIGATONS
REDUCED CO2
$29.44 BILLION
NET IMPLEMENTATION COST
$392.33 BILLION
NET OPERATIONAL SAVINGS
IMPACT: As of 2014, 709 million acres of land were used for afforestation. Establishing timber plantations on an additional 204 million acres of marginal lands can sequester 18.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2050. The use of marginal lands for afforestation also indirectly avoids deforestation that otherwise would be done in the conventional system. At a cost of $29 billion to implement, this additional area of timber plantations could produce a net profit for landowners of over $392 billion by 2050.
REFERENCES
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US States, Cities and Businesses Lead the Way on Climate Action
Increasing Commitments. 18 September 2017: Announcements made and publications released during Climate Week NYC 2017 indicate that subnational climate actions and commitments continue to increase. The Under2 Coalition has added 10 new members, bringing the total number of participant jurisdictions to 187.
New Partners Added. A report issued by the New Climate Institute and The Climate Group demonstrates that federal states, cities and business are taking the lead on climate action in the US. Ten new members have joined the Under2 Coalition, including: the Marshall Islands; Mozambique; Queensland, Australia; US cities of Atlanta, Boulder, Orlando and Pittsburgh, and Montgomery County in Maryland; and the German states of Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Platinate. This brings the total number of jurisdictions in the Under2 Coalition to 187, representing more than 1.2 billion people and US$28.8 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP).
Read More.
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Fourteen US States on Track to Meet Climate Goals
BY: GEORGINA GUSTIN
The U.S. Climate Alliance members, including California and New York, represent more than a third of the U.S. population.
Climate Alliance. As speculation swirled over the White House's position on the landmark Paris climate agreement recently, a trio of determined governors had a few messages for the president.
"There's nothing Donald Trump can do in our states to stop us from advancing our policies," said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
"We are on track to meet the Paris accord," said California Gov. Jerry Brown. "This is America speaking."
To the chorus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added: "You don't get great going backward."
Alliance Now Has 14 States. Accompanied by former Secretary of State John Kerry, who steered the U.S. negotiations on Paris, the governors unveiled a new report from the U.S. Climate Alliance, the group they formed after President Trump announced he would withdraw from the historic climate agreement. (Only two other countries haven't signed the agreement, and Nicaragua media reported this week that their country's president plans to do so. If that happens, it would leave Syria and the U.S. alone in rejecting it if Trump pulls out.) The U.S. Climate Alliance now represents 14 states and Puerto Rico, with the latest inclusion of North Carolina. Collectively, they are equivalent to the world's third largest economy and account for more than 36 percent of the U.S. population. Each member has agreed to meet the U.S. commitments under the Paris climate deal. Read More.
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The coalition, including Unilever, Ikea and the shipping company DHL, is expanding EV charging infrastructure and shifting away from gas vehicles. A coalition of global corporations, including Unilever, Ikea and shipping giant DHL, launched a global campaign today to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles and away from gas- and diesel-powered transportation—which generates almost a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and has been the fastest growing emissions source.
Major Impact. Since more than half of the cars on the road belong to companies, the new EV100 coalition could have a major impact. It aims to do for EVs and electric car charging infrastructure what coalitions such as the RE100 are already doing to encourage corporate purchasing of clean energy (and thus motivating development of new solar and wind power).
Global Effort. EV100's goal is to send a signal to automakers that there is mass demand for electric vehicles before 2030, when current forecasts suggest global uptake will start to really ramp up. "We want to make electric transport the normal," said Helen Clarkson, CEO for The Climate Group, the international nonprofit spearheading the effort. Government pressure is already adding to that signal in Europe and Asia: France and the UK have given automakers a 2040 deadline to end the sale of new gas-powered cars; China recently indicated it would set its own deadline; India has suggested it is moving toward 100 percent electric vehicles; and Chancellor Angela Merkel hinted last month that Germany may follow suit. Automakers have been responding by expanding their EV fleets, as showcased at last week's Frankfurt Motor Show.
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SUMMIT TAKES ACTION ON SHIPPING DECARBONIZATION AT COP23
November Launch. A heavyweight group of international shipping industry leaders will join forces at the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in November to create an action plan for the implementation of decarbonization strategies for shipping. Carbon War Room is an advisor to the “Ambition 1.5°C: Global Shipping’s Action Plan” summit, which is an official climate partner for COP23. Read More.
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Water Evaporation Could Power Much of the USA
by Prachi Patel | Oct 5, 2017
Water Vapor? Harvesting the energy from natural water evaporation using special evaporation-driven engines could generate enough power for most of the United States.
Water Vapor as Energy Source. Natural water evaporation could be an immense source of renewable energy. Harvesting this energy using special evaporation-driven engines could generate enough power for most of the United States, a new study published in Nature Communications shows. If we could place special evaporation-driven engines on reservoirs and lakes larger than 0.1 square kilometers—excluding the Great Lakes—it would produce 325 gigawatts of power, around 70 percent of US electrical energy generation in 2015, according to calculations done by researchers from Columbia University. And unlike solar and wind, this power source wouldn’t be intermittent since evaporation can slow down but it doesn’t stop. About half of the sun’s energy absorbed by the Earth’s surface drives evaporation, the researchers write in the paper. Several research teams have recently come up with materials and devices that can convert this evaporation into useful energy.
Starts With Bacteria. Ozgur Sahin, a professor of biological sciences and physics at Columbia, reported one such device in a 2015 paper. In it, bacterial spores growing on films are placed underneath shutter-like structures. The spores swell in humidity, opening the shutters, letting out moisture. This causes the spores to dry out and contract, closing the shutters. A generator harnesses the repeated open-close motion of the shutters to produce electricity. Read More
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Pope and Patriarch Call For Prayer for Creation
Joint Message on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is being marked today September 1 and has special importance in this its third year. It is a Joint Message which was released on Friday morning from Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who for the first time are writing together on Themes of the Day, inviting all the faithful and people of good will to prayer and to reflect on how to live in a simple and solid manner, responsibly using earthly goods. The Day of Prayer for the Care of the Creation was instituted by Pope Francis in 2015. The Orthodox Church has commemorated the Day since 1989. Below find the English Language translation of the Joint Message from Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
JOINT MESSAGE
The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world. Scripture reveals that, “in the beginning”, God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment. At first, as we read in Genesis, “no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up – for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground” (2:5). The earth was entrusted to us as a sublime gift and legacy, for which all of us share responsibility until, “in the end”, all things in heaven and on earth will be restored in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10). Our human dignity and welfare are deeply connected to our care for the whole of creation.
However, “in the meantime”, the history of the world presents a very different context. It reveals a morally decaying scenario where our attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God’s co-operators. Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in markets – all these have alienated us from the original purpose of creation. We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we regard it as a private possession-session. We no longer associate with nature in order to sustain it; instead, we lord over it to support our own constructs.
The consequences of this alternative worldview are tragic and lasting. The human environment and the natural environment are deteriorating together, and this deterioration of the planet weighs upon the most vulnerable of its people. The impact of climate change affects, first and foremost, those who live in poverty in every corner of the globe. Our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly implies the recognition of and respect for all people and all living creatures. The urgent call and challenge to care for creation are an invitation for all of humanity to work towards sustainable and integral development.
Therefore, united by the same concern for God’s creation and acknowledging the earth as a shared good, we fervently invite all people of goodwill to dedicate a time of prayer for the environment on 1 September. On this occasion, we wish to offer thanks to the loving Creator for the noble gift of creation and to pledge commitment to its care and preservation for the sake of future generations. After all, we know that we labour in vain if the Lord is not by our side (cf. Ps 126-127), if prayer is not at the centre of our reflection and celebration. Indeed, an objective of our prayer is to change the way we perceive the world in order to change the way we relate to the world. The goal of our promise is to be courageous in embracing greater simplicity and solidarity in our lives.
We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable, unless we give priority to solidarity and service.
From the Vatican and from the Phanar, 1 September 2017
Pope Francis & Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
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“Here we might observe that the basic mood of the future might well be one of confidence in the continuing revelation that takes place in and through the earth. If the dynamics of the universe from the beginning shaped the course of the heavens, lighted the sun, and formed the earth, if this same dynamism brought forth the continents and seas and atmosphere, if it awakened life in the primordial cell and then brought into being the unnumbered variety of living beings, and finally brought us into being and guided us safely through the turbulent centuries, there is reason to believe that this same guiding process is precisely what has awakened in us our present understanding of ourselves and our relation to this stupendous process. Sensitized to such guidance from the very structure and functioning of the universe, we can have confidence in the future that awaits the human venture.” (Thomas Berry, “The New Story,” in The Dream of the Earth, 137).
Photo by Lou Niznik 10–6–1999
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