Interview with Jan Dash PhD, by Ilene Carrie, Editor at Phil’s Stock World

http://www.philstockworld.com/2017/07/17/why-we-need-to-act-on-climate-change-now/

Without once mentioning the myriad harmful effects that climate change is increasingly visiting on the world including the U.S., minimizing the enormous potential economic benefits of the upcoming renewable energy transition, and looking backward to coal, Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. He specified that neither the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution nor contributions to the Green Climate Fund would be upheld. He did not specify the legal modalities of withdrawal, which vary between one and three years. Trump did say that Paris or another agreement more favorable to the U.S. could be (re)negotiated.

Trump's anti-climate actions, which include attacks on the EPA, NASA and NOAA, follow the extreme right-wing climate contrarians/deniers. Trump's actions abdicate the moral and ethical responsibility of mitigating climate change that hit the vulnerable the worst, and violate intergenerational equity by condemning our descendants to increasing probability of an unlivable planet.

If he continues, his legacy will be viewed as a climate criminal.

What can we do? We have no choice. We must redouble our efforts on climate risk management by supporting renewable energies, supporting cities and states to adopt mitigation programs, writing letters to the media, contacting our representatives to adopt climate action, and protesting.

Begin again today.

Note: supporting links are on the Climate Portal: 

climate.uu-uno.org and http://climate.uu-uno.org/view/article/5823c4580cf2204d222d455c/

All -

Trump is being persuaded by climate contrarians/deniers to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. This threatens everyone on the planet and the future of our grandchildren. The Climate Portal urges action now to stop this dangerous risk.

1. Climate Portal Main Page with Congressional telephone/free fax links: http://climate.uu-uno.org/

2. Trump, Denial, and Climate Change Risk: http://climate.uu-uno.org/view/article/5823c4580cf2204d222d455c/592ae4140cf2f1b5abcf7621/

3. Contrarian News Items and more: http://climate.uu-uno.org/topics/view/51cbfc74f702fc2ba81292b2/#ARTICLES

Please forward this email to your network and urge climate action.

Thanks and regards,

Jan

Jan Dash, PhD

jdash9@comcast.net

Book 2nd Edition with chapter on Climate Change Risk Management: http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9003

Climate Portal: http://climate.uu-uno.org

Tell Trump that you support the Clean Power Plan and the other current EPA protective regulations that he is attacking. DEADLINE IS MAY 15. After May 15 it will be TOO LATE for you to comment. Go HERE:

https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0190-0042

UUCWI is sponsoring a Climate march here on Whidbey Island 4/29/17 in solidarity with others nationally. https://actionnetwork.org/events/langley-climate-march?source=direct_link&

Very soon the Trump Administration will propose large budget cuts to the EPA, NASA and NOAA including cutting climate science and climate action. This threatens our grandchildren. Please call your representative/senator (links for phone #s on climate.uu-uno.org) to support these agency climate action and climate science programs. We only have a short time to stop Trump from shooting the climate science messenger and shutting down federal climate action. Please post widely.

This is the annual paper from the NGOCSD-NY, entitled "Climate Change: Summary and Recommendations to Governments, 2016". The main point is: Start vigorous implementation of the Paris COP21 Climate Agreement at the Marrakech COP22 meeting. Read the paper on the Marrakech blog on the Climate Portal here:

http://climate.uu-uno.org/view/article/5804a9680cf2204d222d31dc/#Marrakech

Climate Action is necessary for the achievement of Social Justice long-term. The Sustainable Development Goals are the incarnation of social justice, and Climate Action is Goal #13. Here is the presentation I gave for the October 2016 Climate Action Teams/C2R Meeting: "The Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement ". 

https://www.scribd.com/document/327671627/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-and-the-Paris-Climate-Agreement 

I am far more interested Climate Change(CC) action than Climate Justice(CJ) action. Yes, CJ is good, but CC action can greatly lessen the cause and scope for CJ. We have failed to take urgent CC action now for several decades which makes CJ useful, but again it is CC that must be addressed and controlled now or CJ action will be less than effective. If humanity wishes to survive as a species, we must take a serious view for united action against those forces of government, corporations, capitalism, denialists, etc. The greatest injustice is that our planet is being self-destroyed by our insular lives of extreme separation beliefs and behaviors. All of humanity is in need of CJ, and the solution to that is to get moving on CC action. We have received nature's Gift of Life and Earth's stewardship of vast life-forms and material endowments for which we have grand moral responsibilities to protect and preserve for present and future generations. We need a new perspective such as developing a form of Planetary Patriotism vs national patriotism at this time. We are one with nature and not separate from nature which latter view has forced cultures and nations into unsustainable hate and waring factions. We need Planetary Justice(PJ) wherein rests all our unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. We need to get support for a strong measure of allegiance for the collective power of being conscious of the oneness of a Planetary mind. Our greatest injustice is to our collective selves in failing to, in gratitude, addressing our moral responsibilities for the protection and preservation of Nature's Gifts and resource endowments. My suggestion is for Planetary Justice to lead the way for Justice to reign supreme in all areas of concern. If we can save the planet, much of climate justice will disappear. Paul Taylor

http://www.commit2respond.org/uu_fellowship_corvallis_solar_investments

At its April meeting, the Board of Trustees of the UU Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon, made two important decisions that please me very much as chair of our Climate Justice Committee. First, the Board approved a revolving loan fund policy that will allow members to give money to the Fellowship to be loaned to local nonprofits doing work that conforms to our UU values, in this immediate case, Seeds for the Sol, a local nonprofit that helps homeowners install solar power at their residences. Loans will be repaid through the homeowners' tax credits for solar installation and loaned out again and again. I'll add the draft policy to "Files." Second, the Board approved an amendment to our investment policy that will allow our investment committee to invest a portion of our endowment locally, in Seeds for the Sol, for example, or other local businesses or nonprofits, with conformance to our UU values a slightly higher priority than financial gain. We've worked on these two items for months, and I am very pleased with our success! Susan Christie Chair, Climate Justice Committee UU Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon

The Climate Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis has prepared a booklet of readings and activities for Climate Justice Month. We are happy to share it with other congregations. Follow this link: http://uucorvallis.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CJM_Booklet_2016_final.pdf

Host a screening in your community of the eye opening documentary that's changing perspective! http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/ https://www.tugg.com/titles/cowspiracy

masterfully crafted by UUCWI's Dave Caufman and Larry Daloz of the Whidbey Institute; featuring the music of Chopin, Satie, Peter Mayer's "Blue Boat Home" and following Mary Oliver's "The Poet with His hands in His Face" la bella voce of a Hermit thrush. As we enter this age of consequences we confront our grief but must not let despair hold sway. Active Hope as Joanna Macy says is independent of the projected outcome. "There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew." said Marshall McLuan We must all shoulder our respective responsibilities with love as our guide

Here is the presentation I gave at the NGOCSD meeting in NY on COP21: http://climate.uu-uno.org/topics/view/5650b4dc0cf2c2f3bc830ffd/#TALK

Agreement!!! Notes taken live on the Paris Agreement by various countries are on the Climate Portal here: http://climate.uu-uno.org/topics/view/5650b4dc0cf2c2f3bc830ffd/#AGREEMENT NOW THE HARD WORK BEGINS to implement the agreement. The climate deniers will attack.

The (long) history of how the UUA/UU-UNO obtained accreditation for having observers to COP21 is on the Climate Portal: http://climate.uu-uno.org/topics/view/5650b4dc0cf2c2f3bc830ffd/#history . Jan

Go to http://climate.uu-uno.org/topics/view/5650b4dc0cf2c2f3bc830ffd/#agree-announcement to read my notes on the live broadcast for the Climate Agreement Announcement on 12/12/15 at noon Paris time, 6am NJ time.

Examination of how nations have and should consider equity and justice in setting INDCs. This event will examine how nations have and should set INDCs on the basis of justice, the role of contrarian obstruction, and recommend a mechanism needed to assure that nations set INDCs on the basis of their fair share of safe global emissions. Peter Adriance, U.S. Baha'i Office of Public Affairs, Peggy Clarke, UU Association, Dr. Jan Dash, Association, Donald Brown, PERC, John Dernbach, Widener Law School, Hugh Brakey, Griffith University, Prue Taylor, Univ of Auckland, Peter Burdon, Univ of Adelaide, Maria Silvia Muylaert, Brazil