He added: “Looking after creation is an education (process) in which we must engage.” He also cited a song by Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos in which a boy asks his father why “the river no longer sings” and the father responds that “we finished it off”.
Francis also reiterated some key themes of his papacy, condemning excessive spending on armaments, defending the rights of migrants, and condemning ideological rigidity by conservatives in the Church.
“I was informed by the past director of NASA that they have found that the moon’s orbit is changing slightly and so has the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Is there anything that the national Forest Service or [Bureau of Land Management] can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit or the Earth’s orbit around the sun? Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate.”
“It’s vital for all of us to show that this is not all about some expensive politically correct, green act of bunny-hugging, or however you want to put it… This is about growth and jobs, and I think the [US] president was absolutely right to stress that.”
“This is what you get when people who don’t believe in government are running your government. . . . They’d like to spend more time on Hannity talking about the Green New Deal and wind turbines than they would in trying to help those who desperately need it right now.”
“It’s essentially a question of how much insurance you want to buy. What makes this problem even harder is that we’re now in a world where, especially with climate change, the past is no longer a good guide to the future. We have to get much better at preparing for the unexpected.”
“We see with our own eyes. We know it in our bones. It is time to act.”
President Joe Biden, upon signing executive orders to make the U.S. energy-independent and stop the use of fossil fuels to combat climate change
“I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where there’s common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago, so you can sit this one out. Happy to work with almost any other GOP that aren’t trying to get me killed. In the meantime if you want to help, you can resign.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, criticizing Sen. Ted Cruz over the January 6 Capitol Hill riots
“The debate is over, around climate change. This is a climate damn emergency. This is real and it’s happening.”
– California Governor Gavin Newsom
Annual wildfires in California and much of the western United States have become even more fierce in recent years. Whether or not you believe in climate change, it’s obvious something dramatic is happening to the region’s normal weather patterns. The recent spate of fires have produced dramatically colorful skies of red and orange; something that would be the envy of any artist or photographer. Then, when you realize what caused those array of colors, the horror of it all becomes more real.
“Climate change shouldn’t be fodder for commentators who represent the interests of the fossil fuel industry by muddying the science. As a human and a scientist, this focus on controversy is frustrating. A thermometer is not liberal or conservative.”
– Katharine Hayhoe, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University
As the horror of the wildfires continues to unfold in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison felt the heat of anger from residents forced to evacuate, when he visited them at an encampment in the town of Cobargo, New South Wales on January 2. With the death toll for both humans and animals rising, it didn’t seem appropriate for Morrison to take a vacation as the fires grew. As people are wont to do even in the worst of situations – especially to political figures – Australian artist Scott Marsh has done what artists do best: made a stinging rebuke. His “Merry Crisis” tee shirts have already proven popular. Marsh isn’t just expressing bad sentiments towards Morrison. Proceeds from sales of the shirts will be donated to helping victims of the fires. Someone, of course, must always keep our elected officials in check.
The threat of climate change – and the forecasted rising sea levels – prompts a variety of responses from people: anger, frustration, denial and new ideas. The latter is often a matter of subjective interpretation. Many think of converting human waste to biofuel. Others, like Wojciech Morsztyn, design new structures to accommodate the changes.
Morsztyn, a creator with Yanko Design, recently unveiled plans for massive house boats called ‘Ocean Communities’ where people could escape, as sea levels increase. Some coastal and island communities are watching as seawaters encroach more and more upon them. In the U.S., residents of some coastal small towns are being relocated further inland. Dykes and levees just aren’t functioning properly in the face of such slow-moving catastrophes.
It’s
inevitable, though, that some people will flee to the water itself and relocate
their lives to an aquatic existence entombed in a boat. Ocean
Community doesn’t offer a monetary figure for such an abode, but I’m certain those
of us in, say, the lower 95% economic range won’t be able to afford one. That’s inevitable, too. Most of the aforementioned communities being
relocated are of the indigenous persuasion, such as the Alaskan Inuit.
I imagine, however, that the boating life is for those who don’t amass much in the form of material possessions. I mean, if I was forced onto a luxury barge, would I have enough room for my collection of books, National Geographic magazines and porn DVDs? Could I even bring my truck? Yes, it’s getting old like me and this house. But I’ve kind of endeared myself to the big black bastard. Okay, that may be a man/Texas thing. Yet, how much could one bring aboard a house boat to make their life as easy as on land?
More importantly, is this the real solution to dealing with climate change? Aren’t house boats an admission of defeat? Regardless, this video may be appealing, but I have to wonder if it’s the right answer to the pending chaos.
Chief Writing Wolf 